Be careful what you wish for
by Vanishing Trooper
Summary: Louise wished for a powerful familiar. Yuka wanted a change in her life. Both will get what they want...just not in the way either of them expected. Currently on Season 2.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: So...umm...yeah! Gonna do this one to change pace while I struggle with the new chapter of Touhou Rider Reimu. This is pretty much what is says on the tin: Louise summons Yuka Kazami with a bit of a twist. Please enjoy!

I own nothing!

...

Danmaku battles.

How I adore and loath them at the same time~

On one hand, I never get to kill my foes anymore.

On the other, that means that I can keep beating on them as long as they don't die.

I find it a personal challenge to completely defeat my foe without having to kill them.

I wonder when I started enjoying these rules that the girl imposed on Gensokyo?

No matter. I will simply savour what pleasures I can have this way.

I am Yuka Kazami.

I am known as many things my many beings.

Youkai?

The Sleeping Terror?

The Oriental Demon?

The Flower Master of the Four Seasons?

The Beauty of Everlasting Darkness?

Those titles don't matter. I am simply Yuka, and I am the strongest in Gensokyo!

…

"Wouldn't you agree?" I asked my current foe. Yukari Yakumo, the youkai of borders and one of the few who can fight me on equal terms without turning into goo. I do so love the battles we waged back in the day. Back when we didn't have those rules. Alas, we take what little pleasure we have left.

"Honestly, picking fights as soon as spring arrives. You're just as pointed as that fairy." Yukari casually said as she nimbly dodged wave after wave of danmaku. The old woman narrowed her golden eyes as her long wavy blond hair fluttered in the air. She was casually sitting on one of her gaps while holding an open pink parasol with her right hand. She was wearing a pink and purple dress and had a pink mob cap with a thin red ribbon tied in the front. Red ribbons could also be found liberally, but stylishly, displaced on her dress.

"I've been asleep for three months but I'm still awake for more days that you." I teased before opening up my own parasol and unleashing a white ray of light, dubbed Master Spark by the witch who copied it.

"Touché." Yukari replied as she moved away from the blast, the beam of light barely grazing her. This was the problem I have always had with Danmaku battles. As fun as they are, most of the high-end battles end up as stalemates because both combatants are so equally matched. Yukari and I have battled endlessly for centuries that we knew each other's styles intimately. Sadly, this meant that we can go at it for hours without anyone hitting anything except air or the wayward fairy that wandered too close.

When has this started to lose its novelty? I quietly thought before lowering my parasol and looking at the ground.

"Giving up?" Yukari asked, she knew better. We ran out of time and our spell cards have been exhausted and broken. The danmaku battle had once again ended in a draw between us. The same result we have shared for hundreds of times.

"I'm bored…" I muttered before looking up at the border youkai.

"Bored?" Yukari repeated with a raised brow.

"It has been the same. Over and over again, we fight to a standstill. We can't even try to kill each other anymore. I find this…stagnant. I've started to want some change in my life, something more than binding rules and meaningless play-battles." I confessed as I looked up at the clear blue spring sky, basking in the glorious rays of the sun. I looked back at Yukari after she started to giggle softly.

"Be careful what you wish for Yuka." The border youkai said with a wide smile. I raised a brow too late to wonder what she had meant. I felt a tug on my right arm. I looked at it and saw that my entire arm, including parasol, was being wrapped…consumed by some strange blue substance.

"Very cute, but you know these kinds of attacks are not allowed." I pointedly chided Yukari, who kept her smile at me. She slowly, deliberately, lifted her left hand and pointed behind me.

"Be careful what you wish for." I heard her repeat her words as I saw what she was pointing at. I blue portal of some sort was behind me and was sending out tendrils which started wrapping themselves around me. I paid them no mind, I had dealt with far worse. That had been the mistake which started everything. I casually tried to break my arms free of the magical grasp, I had done so countless times before. Magical binding have a consistent record of breaking under my strength. My eyes started to widen when the satisfying sensation of freedom did not come. In fact, the binding was becoming stronger.

"That's not me dear." Yukari said simply as more and more tendrils wrapped around my body until my vision darkened when it had finally claimed my head.

This, however, is me. Enjoy the change Yuka. I heard Yukari say before the darkness completely took me.

…

Be careful what you wish for, a simple yet profound lesson. Yukari's final words echoed in my mind as I drift in this abyss. I had not the means to neither discern where I was much less to try to make my way out. All I saw was black. I smiled despite myself. Was this what Yukari had meant? Was this the change given to me, a punishment to those who have violated the almighty rules of the Hakurei? A prison then? No, this is too empty and expanse to be a prison. It reminded me of the portal that we took to get to Makai. Those were fun times, though I wonder why Mima had stopped contacting me after that. Strange that I find myself reminiscing about old times when it had been my very wish to be rid of them. Regardless, I recall them. I recall the past as I drift in this plane of existence with no certain future to be seen.

Curious, I could not comprehend any sensation in this abyss, this void. Not sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, nor my sensitivity to magic. I did not know how long I have been here. I didn't know how long I have left here still. Was this what death feels like? Was that portal simply something that disintegrates anything it takes in? I personally find it insulting to think that the strongest in Gensokyo could be done in by such a paltry thing. Pity, I would have liked to see how it reacts to a Master Spark.

I drift. I have long since run out of memories to recall, all of them were fond times. This was not my intention when I wished for a change. I had wished for something more…substantial. I had wished a break from the boredom I had endured in Gensokyo. I had wished for something new to happen in my life. I had certainly wished for something more than this void. I had very nearly resigned to my fate to be forever drifting in this nothingness. I had very nearly shut down my own mind to put myself out of my misery. Driven to suicide because of such a thing, how the mighty have fallen. I had liked to believe that I chuckled at that, I wouldn't really know. It was then that I finally saw a change, a change profound yet familiar. Something I had forgotten I had sorely missed since my time here adrift.

Light

I reach out with my left hand. I felt myself reach out. My senses returning the closer I come to the light. I had the strange feeling that something was off, that was reach was different, but I paid it no mind at the time. The only thing in my mind at the time was that I was going to finally have the change I was looking for at last.

It was that or a lot of things will die very soon.

…

An explosion, that was the very first thing I comprehended after I got my senses back. It was very reassuring. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but smoke. I inhaled and savoured the smell of burnt magic. Magic, yes. Wherever I ended up in, there was magic in the air. Not as much as in Gensokyo but I could taste it. That made it obvious that I was no longer in that place. No matter where I went in Gensokyo, the amount of magic in the air was still the same…substantial. Here, not so much. I waved my hand to rid the smoke from my sight as I stood, making sure to pick up my white parasol. I heard voices from beyond the smoke. Young voices, around the age of the witch and the girl if I am not mistaken, and a large number of them at that.

Curious. Most Curious. I pondered on the implications of such a thing as I started to walk toward the closest voice. It sounded like a young girl, younger than the other voices from her tone and inflection. I cleared the smoke and finally saw the girl in front of me. She was a diminutive pink wavy-haired girl. She was also much shorter that I was, I had to lower my gaze to simply have a better look at her. Amber eyes, novel. She was wearing a white shirt with a black mantle on top of it which was secured by a brooch that had a pentagram engraved on it. She also had a short skirt black stockings and brown boots. I raised a brow at the combination of clothing she wore before scanning the field. We were in a large empty grass field in what I could honestly say was a castle. The other young voices I had heard came from human children who all wore similar clothing, the difference is the exchange of skirts and stockings for pants and socks for the opposite gender.

"Most curious…" I uttered my first words since coming to this strange place…and I was absolutely shocked. The words I had intended to speak came out but the voice that spoke it was not my own. Instead of a silky and mature feminine voice, I had heard a silky deep manly voice. I blinked a few times and looked at my body for a moment. I was sure I had gone mad.

For the most part, my attire remained intact. The white long-sleeved shirt and black on red plaid vest were still there. However, my plaid skirt had been replaced by black slacks and a brown leather belt and my boots also changed from red to brown. I touched my head and pulled a strand of hair in front of my eyes. Still green, that's good. The most notable thing I had noticed was that I was taller, still slender but toned. Gone were my ample chest and I was certain I had felt something very curious in my pants.

Enjoy the change Yuka.

Yukari's last words finally made sense. The absurdity of the situation was so much that I could not help but start laughing. I held the side of my head with my left hand and used the parasol on my right hand as support. The unfamiliar voice carried my intention through the field filled with humans, magicians if I guessed. I had wished for change, and changed I was! I looked down on the strawberry-blonde girl, who was talking with a man of much more advanced age. He was balding who wore a simple pair of glasses and was sporting a blue robe. They spoke in a language which was familiar yet not so, regardless I could not understand a word they exchanged.

"Tell me…" My words got the attention of both humans, who turned to me. The girl was scowling at me while the man was looking at me with a neutral expression.

"…do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" I asked the futile question with a smile. I was proven correct when I girl gave me a puzzled look which was followed by bouts of laughter I looked around and saw the other human children laughing and pointing at myself and the girl in turn. Humans laughing at me, amusing. The girl lowered her gaze to the ground, her hands balling up into fists as she trembled. I noticed that there was a small black wand in her right hand, a magician indeed. I had my assumptions of what happened to me. Why I had come here, who this girl was, and why the other humans seem to associate her with myself. I lowered myself to one knee, using my parasol like a walking stick and I met the girl's gaze.

Ah, I noted to myself when I saw the fire in her eyes. This girl has much willpower, the desire to prove herself. The desire for power and the determination to achieve it. She looked up to me and I could not help but smile. Such a short and meaningless life humans have. Yet, in those few decades, they desire and accomplish many things. I had never actually found myself to become interested in their species, such a being I was back then.

"A change in my demeanor towards your inferior species then." I said to the girl who suddenly pointed her wand at me before starting to mutter an incantation in the language I still could not comprehend. A spell? I was not worried. I had weathered the force of a newborn star. I had withstood the might of gods. I had defeated the creator of the world of demons. I do not find the need to be alarmed by the spell of a girl who could not even stand up for herself. So, I let her continue. I let her finish her incantation in pure curiosity of what she would use against a stranger who she had just met. Her words ended and she lowered her wand. Nothing. I raised a brow at the failed spell when she suddenly put her hands on the sides of my head and pressed her soft lips on mine.

Not and offensive spell. A contract. My assumption was correct when I felt a burning sensation on my left hand. I casually stared at my smoking flesh as glowing runes engraved themselves in me, a strange kind of magic flowing through me as the symbols branded me. The process ended as the last of the symbols was engraved, the glow dying down and my flesh no longer sizzled. I smiled and stood up, looking at the girl who was brightly blushing and looking away from me in embarrassment. I looked at the girl who just made the strongest youkai in Gensokyo her shikigami…no…her familiar.

"With this…" I started, hefting my parasol on my right shoulder and getting the attention of everyone once again.

"…my power is now yours. I will grant you a means to annihilate all who oppose you, all who you see fit to die. Cities, countries, this entire world is now at your mercy now that you have me. Simply give the word and I shall kill everyone here in a heartbeat. The fat portly boy, the red-haired whore, the quiet blue-haired mute, the disgusting effeminate blonde boy, the blonde girl with the shining forehead. All who have insulted you and shamed you will know the fear that has been engrained into even the most powerful of monsters. I am Yuka Kazami. I am now yours." I ended my declaration with the same warm smile I had worn throughout the ordeal. The pink-haired girl simply stared at me in utter confusion before the older man and the rest of the children started leaving. The girl mumbled something before walking away. She turned back and glared at me before she started yelling something. Ah, mayhap she wanted me to follow her? I acted upon my thought by following a step behind my diminutive master.

Master. Yes…a substantial change indeed.

…

"I must say…" I muttered as I waved away the smoke that was blocking my vision at the moment. My master had led me to her bedchambers after everyone left the field. The castle I found myself in seems to be an institution of learning. A school for human magicians it would seem, much larger than the school in the human village back home. She had stomped through the halls, climbed up the stairs and eventually stopped in front of a door. The poor souls who got in her way were quickly glared at into submission by the girl after she noticed the looks they were giving the two of us. For my part, I simply walked on behind her with my parasol over my right shoulder. I was still trying to get used to my new body. A male form has distinct as well as subtle differences compared to a female one. The simple act of walking felt like a finely tuned balancing act as I quietly struggled to maintain a comfortable pace behind my master. I did all my adjustments and preliminary assessments of my new body in silence, covered with my warm smile. Such is Yuka Kazami.

Eventually, my master finally opened the door and let herself inside. I glanced within and looked at her room. It was quaint and fit the castle motif quite well. A single four-post bed, a wardrobe, a body mirror, and a desk and chair with a simple bookshelf. Again, quaint and fitting for a student if my reading into human culture in the past can be trusted. The small girl turned around and looked straight at me before starting another series of strained words and tirades while pointing at me. After a while, she settled into a rhythm of muttering to herself before glaring at me and shouting a few more words at me. Again, I understood nothing and simply kept my smile. Good thing for her, I would not have been held responsible for my actions had I understood her rather passionate words towards me. I did try to communicate with her through speech and gesture. The results were minimal at best and she eventually got angry enough to point her wand at me again before unleashing an explosion spell right at my face. Hence, the current situation.

"…I give you points for having the courage to detonate a concussive blast of magic at point-blank range in the middle of your room." I said, wholly certain that she still could not understand me. I shrugged off the explosion, though I noted that I will need a new set of clothes later on. The force of the blast was nothing I hadn't already outgrown but I was impressed at the girl's lack of hesitation at unleashing that kind of spell in such close quarters. She gets to live because of that.

"Wait! I understood that!" My master suddenly said in surprise. I propped up my closed parasol against her desk before I started to try to get the soot off my white shirt.

"And I understood that." I calmly said as I futilely tried to dust myself off. I sighed as I gave up trying to clean myself up with just my hands and gave the girl a bored look. I was not happy with what she did, I have killed for less a reason. However, I had already decided to let her live. I was still curious what this change in my life has brought me and where it will lead me. I will play my role while I find amusement in it.

"Honestly though, a translation spell laced in an explosion spell? You are either quite creative or very destructive. Regardless, I am impressed with your ability for dual-casting and melding of two unrelated spells." I commented. Indeed, she had only said close to five words but she managed to perform both a translation spell, an explosion spell, plus she combined them into one. So technically, she triple-casted. The thought brought the smile back to my face, not bad for a human child.

"What? That was supposed to just be a silencing spell!" She quickly responded with and incredulous expression. My previous smile suddenly dropped at her words.

"Excuse me?" I asked for clarification.

"You kept talking in some weird language and I had enough of it, so I tried to cast a silencing spell to shut you up!" The girl clarified. It was an accident? The seemingly brilliant triple-cast was a fluke and was not the intended result at all? I was not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, she had completely failed at her intended spell. On the other hand, the ending result of the failure was a very advanced –if unintended- method of casting. This girl suddenly became much more interesting for me.

"Regardless, we can now understand each other. Once again, I am Yuka Kazami. And now that yo-" My attempted repeat of my earlier declaration in the field was interrupted when the girl stomped her foot on the ground and glared at me.

"You have some nerve in trying to speak out of turn, commoner!" The small girl suddenly declared. Her overall demeanor and apparent superiority complex reminded me of the ice fairy before she started to mature after her second century. I was caught off balance by her rudeness that all I could reply with was 'Excuse me?'

"Listen! I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière! I summoned you, which means that I am your master and you are my familiar! That means that you are obligated to do whatever it is I command, You-kha Ka-zha-mee!" I twitched a brow at her words as she put her left hand on her hip while pointing at me with her other hand. My, she's as haughty as the vampire. Much less charisma, though.

"Yuka is fine, Louise. Try not to overdo the vowels next time." I politely said. The butchering of my name aside, she either had quite a lot of courage or was simply blinded by her own ego. After all, youkai or not, she was still effectively talking down to a grown man who was two full heads taller than her inside a closed room. She huffed before walking back to her bed and sitting down on it, her gaze firmly set to the floor.

"I can't believe I summoned a commoner. Why couldn't it have been something amazing and powerful like a dragon or griffin?" She muttered to herself while keeping her eyes glued to the floor. My smile returned as I entertained the thought that a dragon or a griffin would be better than having me. She must not have been able to sense my power. I also noted that none of the people in the field seemed to regard me with anything other than what Louise had dubbed 'commoner'. No matter. I have nothing to prove to them, though the girl in front of me is not as lucky. I sighed at the sight before me and walked up to the closed door. Should I simply leave and explore this world? It would be so easy to simply walk away from all this drama and go out to see what this new realm had to offer.

"Everything I have ever done has ended in failure. I can't even cast the simplest spell. All I can make are explosions. Everyone is right. A stupid ability like that will never be useful or ever amount to anything…" I heard the girl mutter to herself. The hand I was about to use to grab my parasol froze. I slowly turned to her and saw that she had plopped down on her bed and curled up into a pink ball of self misery.

A stupid ability like that will never be useful or ever amount to anything.

Those were words that I have not heard in a very long time, words that were uttered by a newly born youkai who didn't know any better. A foolish girl who once believed that the gift that the world bestowed on her was completely useless. A naive girl who once thought, over a millennia ago, that the power to manipulate flowers will never amount to anything. I looked up at the ceiling and closed my eyes. Did that Yama have a hand in all of this? Was this all really just some ironic fate that was bestowed upon the two of us?

"I just wished I could have summoned a powerful familiar. Something I could be proud of…" I heard the girl mutter. I smiled and opened my eyes and looked at the door. Yes, it will stay closed for now. I turned around, folded my arms, and leaned back on the door.

"Be careful what you wish for." I stated, unable to resist poking at the subtle irony I have discovered. I saw her turn to me, still hugging her knees.

"Shut up...stupid commoner." She quietly stated, her previous fire no longer present. There was it again. Sure, I was not dressed in regal attire, but neither was she.

"Commoner? What do you mean by that?" I asked her before tilting my head to the side. She knitted her eyebrows before she sat back up, finally letting go of her knees.

"A commoner is a commoner, someone who can't use magic. You should know this already. And no, just because you know the jargon doesn't mean that you can be considered a noble. So all that talk before about dual-casting or whatever doesn't count." She stated matter of factly. Ah, so being a commoner means that you are unable to cast spells. Then that means…

"Anyone who can cast magic are…nobility?" I asked with a small hint of uncertainty. Logically it made sense. Those who could wield the power of magic had a natural advantage over those who could not. Thus, it would make it easier for them to become more influential and have a better standing in their community. Power equalling authority seems to be the rule here. I smiled at the concept. If simply being able to wield magic means that one is a noble, what does that make me? What would that make anyone from Gensokyo who can use spell cards?

"Indeed! As such, you would do well to give proper respect to your betters!" Louise declared, regaining her previous fire. Betters? There was one, and only one, human I have ever considered my better, the exception to the rule. She is gone now. Sad that Reimu's descendants never had the same kind of power and skill she used to wield. My smile did not falter at the hollow threat. I believed that I had a good grasp of her personality now. Her bolster and pride were the only things she could hang on to. Her nobility was both her boon and her bane. She believed that she was a living paradox to the rule, a noble that could not cast proper magic. Yes, a delicate rose that has nothing but her own thorns with which to protect her.

"So then tell me…Master…" I slowly stated, making sure to draw out the title that I defer to her with.

"…what does a familiar do?" I asked. Of course, I knew what a familiar is and what they do. The most basic things are to provide an extension for the senses of the magician. The more intermediate things are to provide simple assistance and protection. The advanced familiars could even provide council and fight for their masters to the death. I had known but I wanted to see if there were any differences from what I knew about the intricacies between master-familiar relationships from what Louise knew. I was satisfied when she roughly explained the dynamics in the same way, though she seemed to think that having a human familiar was less than advantageous.

"I think you underestimate the utility of having a human familiar." I responded to her explanation, making a conscious effort not to break down laughing after referring to myself as 'human'.

"What do you mean?" Louise asked, crossing her own arms over her chest.

"I mean, an animal cannot communicate through speech. An animal cannot make conscious, rational decisions. An animal cannot use tools. An animal cannot learn past a certain point. An animal simply cannot do several things that a human can." I stated, surprising myself. When I think about it, humans can do a lot of things that animals could not. They were certainly inferior to me, but they were not helpless either.

"That doesn't matter. You can just hire a servant for that. In fact, what can you even do aside from being a commoner?" The girl asked the question she should have asked as soon as she summoned me instead of dismissing me simply because I looked human. I carefully thought about what I should say in response.

Should I simply state the truth and say that I am an ancient and powerful youkai that has gone through countless of battles against beings of a similar degree of power? No, she wouldn't believe me unless I vaporized this castle before her own eyes.

Should I lie and say that I am simply a commoner with absolutely no skill? No, I am past simply lying to get by. If there was something I had learned in my later centuries as a youkai, it was that the truth is much more fun to use than lies.

Lies take effort, planning, and execution. If you get found out, it was over. The truth can have the same or even greater effect than a lie if you use it wisely. The truth can kill. As a bonus, it is also undeniable. My smile grew wider as I decided to take a third option instead.

"I am quite adept at making flowers bloom." I politely stated. Half-truths, something Yukari is a grandmaster at wielding. I was still a novice compared to her as far as utilizing it goes, but I was not up against a master manipulator. The effect was pretty much what I had expected. Louise put her face in her hands and shook her head in disbelief.

"By the founder…I summoned a gardener." She said to herself. Stone dead silence settled between us after that. I waited to see how she would react to my confession of my talents. I was curious at how she would handle having someone who 'can make flowers bloom' as her familiar, even though she doesn't comprehend the extent or possibilities of that statement yet. I heard her sigh before she finally looked up at me, her expression was like a human who had resigned themselves to their death.

"Fine…I'm too tired to care anymore." She said before she stood up and began undressing. I raised a brow at the action. Did she feel no shame at doing such and act in front of a male? I had always thought that humans held modesty in high regard. I then wondered if she had realized another 'utility' of having a human familiar of the opposite gender. I was pondering such possibilities when I noticed something land on my head. I grabbed the object and held it in front of my eyes. The girl just threw her socks at me. I looked at her and saw that she had already changed into a pink nightgown. Louise climbed on her bed and pulled the covers over her.

"Wash those. Make sure to wake me up tomorrow before dawn." She commanded in a tired tone. I stared at the floor, her discarded clothes littered everywhere, and back to her.

"And where do I sleep, master?" I asked as I knelt down and picked up her tiny skirt. I looked back to her for a response and only saw her right hand point tiredly at a pile of hay beside the bed. I chuckled softly at to what she was implying. The changes in my life seemed to become stranger and stranger. I picked up the rest of her clothes and put them in a basket that was already half-filled with laundry. I held the basket under my left arm as I picked up my parasol and exited the room. I would never live this down if anyone from Gensokyo found out about this.

…

I walked along the torch-lit halls of the castle. The sun had already set and Louise fell asleep early. My master seemed to be very tired after summoning me. I was wondering what I should do about this laundry when I heard voices in the distance. I noted the direction where they were coming from but I paid them no more mind than that. I glanced at corner where the voices came from and saw that effeminate blonde boy flamboyantly performing courting rituals to a girl. The girl was offering gifts to the boy and he accepted them with much gusto. The perfectly grown red rose on the boy's shirt made me raise a brow. Did he buy that at a flower shop? He didn't seem the type to be able to grow them by himself. It seemed that I had been staring for too long when I noticed the girl looking at me. The boy turned to meet my gaze and smirked.

"You there!" He declared while pointing at me, speaking in the same way that Louise had earlier.

"Me?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"You are the commoner that Louise the Zero summoned, yes?" The boy inquired. Louise the Zero?

"So it would seem…" I responded. The girl was staring at me with longing eyes, the boy noticed this and narrowed his eyes at me before turning to the girl.

"Pay him no mind Katie! He is nothing more than a commoner who is out to do his mistress' laundry. He doesn't even have a proper sword so he settles for an umbrella-"

"Parasol." I interrupted the boy's tirade, to which he gave me a questioning look.

"This is a parasol. I do not require a sword as long as I have this." I repeated, tapping the tip of my white parasol on the floor. Some require large bladed weapons to assert their power upon others, all I need is my trusty white parasol.

"Indeed…" Was all the boy replied with. The girl, Katie, seemed to sense the growing tension between us and decided to step in.

"Guiche…" Katie quietly said. The boy, Guiche, turned to her and smiled.

"As I said, pay him no mind my dead Katie." He said reassuringly to the girl before turning to me.

"You may go, commoner." He dismissively said but I barely heard it as I was already walking away. It seemed that snobbishness was a part of the culture here. No matter. A wolf does not care how much pride a rabbit has. It knows what the food chain looks like.

I continued my walk through the castle, trying very hard to find an exit without the need to making a new one through the wall. I then noticed a black haired girl who was wearing a maid outfit walking by. I seized the opportunity to be rid of my current burden and get some directions at the same time.

"Excuse me." I said from behind the girl. She flinched in surprise at my words before quickly turning to me. She regarded me for a moment before calming down.

"You are…the familiar that Miss De Lavaliere summoned?" She asked in a much more polite way that Guiche did, a testament to the submissiveness of the commoner class or simply good manners?

"Quite so. I am Yuka Kazami." I replied, repaying the politeness the girl showed to me. I would like to think that I am a very polite person when not in battle. After all, the politeness of a youkai is directly proportional to their power.

"I am Siesta, a maid in the service of the Tristain Magic Academy. It is nice to meet you Mister You-kha Kha-zaa-mee." The maid said with a bow. She provided me her name and the name of the castle I was currently in with the poise of a professional. She needs to work on the pronunciation of my name though.

"Yuka is fine. It is nice to meet you as well Siesta." I replied, returning the bow with a curt one. Politeness or not, I was not about to give a respectful bow to a human. The maid glanced away for a moment, her face slightly reddening, before glancing at what I was carrying under my arm. Perfect.

"My master requested me to have her laundry taken care of." I supplied. My statement was true, she did tell me to have these washed. She just never stated that I should do it myself.

"Oh! I can take care of that for you Mister Yuka!" Siesta offered. Just as planned.

"Thank you. I was starting to get worried about how I was going to take care of this. I'm still learning where everything is so I was not sure where to go." I explained as Siesta took the load of laundry from my arm.

"Oh! I can give you a short tour of the castle before I take care of these." The maid offered. I accepted and I spent the proceeding hour touring the major locales of the institution. After I was satisfied with the preliminary survey of the new territory, I bid the maid adieu and stepped outside into the cool night air. I took a long breath and gazed upward. Two moons, novel. I walked around, following Siesta's directions, and found what I was looking for.

The first thing I asked the maid when we started our tour was if there was a garden in this place. I was glad to find that there was. I walked to the somewhat simple garden. Six plots of land bordered by simple iron fences. Spring flowers bloomed beautifully in the in the light of the two moons. I took in the fragrance of the flowers and sighed in satisfaction. There was nothing better than appreciating the beauty of flowers. This place will do nicely. I was not about to spend the night on a stack of hay so I decided to do something a bit different. I closed my eyes and focused. I reached out through the ether, through my subconscious, through the border of dreams and found what I was looking for. I raised my closed parasol and pointed the tip directly in front of me. A red flower motif door materialized at the point where my parasol had previously met air. I opened my eyes and smiled at my work. It took a bit more effort but I was still able to call out to it all the same. I noticed that I was no longer alone in the immediate area. I looked up and saw a blue drake land on the ground a short distance from the garden. On the back of the drake was the quiet blue haired girl from this afternoon. The girl was staring at me wide eyed, obviously surprised at what I had just done. I simply smiled at her and reached for the door knob.

"I bid you good night." I said to the girl before opening the door and stepping through it, closing the door behind me. The other side held my dream world, my true home, Mugenkan. Sadly, the mansion here was only a copy of the one I have back in Gensokyo. The dream realm was common no matter where I was, but my mansion was still tied to Gensokyo itself. Oh well, I'll take what I can get. I walked along the yellow brick road on the way to my new mansion while surrounded by sunflowers. I will sleep well tonight.

…

Louise opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of a field of sunflowers. It was still night time and she was sure that she fell asleep on her bed. Additionally, there was no sunflower field anywhere near the academy. The pink-haired girl blinked a few times and grimaced. This was clearly a dream, one that was influenced by her familiar after he explained his 'skill'.

Stupid gardener…

…

Please R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: I am amazed that this fic gained more reviews in one chapter than Touhou Rider Reimu did in six. Oh well…

Because this chapter wouldn't shut up in my head and kept distracting me from playing Dead Space 2...UPDATE!

Also included is a shout out to the best Familiar of Zero fic I have ever read. Cheers!

I own a PS3! Not these franchises though…

…

I closed the door to Mugenkan and let it fade away into nothingness. I took out my pocket watch, one I had taken from my new mansion, and checked the time. Half an hour before dawn, perfect. I checked my new set of clothes before hefting my closed parasol over my shoulder and walking away from the garden. The peace before dawn was something I have always enjoyed no matter the time or the place, the pre-morning cool was very soothing. The flowers in this garden are very well cared for, whoever is responsible for them is on my 'gets to live' list. I was thinking of what I should do before returning to Louise's room when I remembered one thing I needed to check first. I walked to the area of the castle designated for servants and saw Siesta walking with Louise's laundry.

"Siesta." I called out to the maid, who turned to me with a smile.

"Good morning Mister Yuka!" The maid exuberantly greeted. It was rather strange that I wasn't as bothered with being known as a man as I thought I would be.

"Good morning to you as well, and just Yuka is fine. Are those Louise's?" I asked the obvious question. The maid nodded and showed me the newly washed and dried garments.

"Excellent, I thank you for this favour. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wake my master." I said before taking the basket from Siesta and walking off, faintly hearing her say 'you're welcome' as I left. The girl has her uses and she is polite and respectful. It will be advantageous to keep her close. Perhaps I should have her meet Louise?

…

I stepped in front of Louise's room and opened the door. The other servants have already roused and started moving around, attending to their respective responsibilities. The nobles? Still sleeping, as was my little master. I set the basket down on the floor and propped my parasol against the wall before walking up to her bed. The girl who was powerful enough to summon me was currently curled up and clinging to her pillow as she slept. She reminded me of a cat as she continued her journey across the border of dreams.

"Munya~" Louise muttered before shifting in her sleep. I checked my watch again and saw that there was one minute before dawn. As per my master's orders, I began to wake her up before dawn by holding her nose shut with my hand. Louise made some very unpleasant faces before her eyes shot open and I released my grip on her nose as she suddenly sat up in surprise.

"What is this? I don't even—you! You're that gardener that I summoned!" She pointed at me in borderline panic. I folded my arms and leaned back.

"Indeed I am. I did not think that you would be one with a bad memory." I replied. Instead of the angry and passionate words that I expected from her, Louise simply slumped her shoulders and stared at the floor.

"So it wasn't a dream. I really summoned a commoner…" Louise said in a defeated tone. I opened my mouth to say something when she suddenly glared at me. My goodness, is this girl bi-polar?

"Fine! So be it!" She declared before standing up and staring at me.

"Yes?" I asked after a long minute of Louise glaring at me.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Dress me!" She suddenly demanded of me. Dress her? Like a child? Like a doll?

"Are you serious, master? Isn't this something someone does for themselves?" I pointed out.

"A servant should just follow orders! Now, dress me!" She repeated her demand. I see what she's doing. She's trying her assert her authority over me so she can at least feel at ease that I follow her orders without question, like a regular familiar would. Alas, I am not a regular familiar

"Please." I stated simply. Louise shifted her expression that clearly stated 'What?'

"Say: Please dress me like you would a helpless child or a catatonic doll, Mister Yuka." I clarified with a warm smile to match the day's first rays of the sun.

"And why should I ask something so insulting from you?" Louise yelled out at me, obviously upset about what I had just said. She really couldn't tell?

"Because that is exactly what you were asking me to do, I simply put it into words." I elaborated. My master had a look of utter confusion on her face for a few moments before she finally realized what I had meant when I said that.

"Geh!" She suddenly blurted out when she understood my meaning. I decided to drive the point home before she had a chance to mount any sort of rebuttal, logical or otherwise.

"You are a young woman of a higher standing than most. One would expect that someone as mature and sophisticated as you would have no trouble in dealing with something as trivial as putting your clothes on, yes? Very good! I shall wait outside for you then." I stated as I picked up my parasol and walked out the door.

…

I waited outside the dormitory tower for Louise. The sun has already shown in all its glory and I could not help but open my parasol out of habit. It leaned on my right shoulder, the comfortable posture I have with it for so many centuries, as I gazed up at the blue sky and smiled. Yes, a nice day.

"Oh look, it's that commoner that Louise summoned." My gaze lowered to the condescending voice. I found that it came from the redhead that was mocking my master when I when I first arrived, one of the people I had originally offered to kill at a heartbeat. Perhaps she would still take it up if I offered it?

"Come on, you can tell us what really happened. How much is she paying you per day to keep this up? Or is she paying you back with other services instead?" The busty human child said, she was enjoying this far too much. Although, it would be logical to think that this would be the explanation to my summoning after my master's self-admission for being a failure at the art. My gaze turned to the person beside the redhead. It was the blue-haired girl from yesterday, the one who saw me form the door to Mugenkan. I noted that she did not even try to correct her companion's earlier remark about me being a commoner after what she saw me do last night and simply kept her gaze on the pocketbook she was reading. Someone who keeps to herself and does not bother with the troubles of those she does not see importance in. She seems to share that trait along with the love of reading with little Patchouli.

"Good morning to you young rider, I hope the evening chill last night did not diminish the enjoyment of a flight among the stars." I greeted the girl with a polite smile, if only to see if I can get a reaction from her through words instead of actions. All I got in return was a quick nod before she turned the page of her book. The bookish types always had hidden depths in them, this one seemed no different. What those depths are, I have no interest in at the moment.

"Hey, Tabitha, you know this commoner?" The redhead butted in and asked her companion. Really, can't she take a hint? At least I found out the other child's name. Tabitha glanced at her friend and then back to me. I made sure to give her a mild 'don't say anything you'll regret' smile before walking a few paces away from them, my back covered by my tilted parasol.

"Tabitha, what's wrong? You look a bit paler than normal. Hey, wait up!" I heard the redhead say as they left me alone. Good, at least that one can take a hint. I was suddenly alerted by the sounds of stomping from within the dormitory. It seemed that my master has finished.

"Familiar!" She called out while glancing around for me. I turned around and saw her wearing the same kind of clothes that she did yesterday. Did she not have any variety in her wardrobe? Really, wearing the same thing over and over again seems silly. I then had a thought when I remembered what was in my own wardrobe in my new mansion so you can go ahead and call me a hypocrite if you'd like.

Go on. I dare you.

"I am here. Your socks did not give you too much trouble I hope? Or did you require me to fend them off as you tackled the challenge of putting your skirt on while preventing further battles with your shirt?" I said in mock concern. She scowled at me before she glanced at my open parasol.

"I will not be tolerating any further insubordination from you. It is a principle that a noble will not dress themselves while there is a servant on hand and…what are you doing with your umbrella?" She asked as she watched me twirl my parasol in my hands.

"This is called a parasol, I would appreciate it if you give it the proper designation. As for what I am doing…" I corrected my master before thinking of what to say, twirling my parasol a couple of more times before responding.

"It is a principle to twirl an open parasol while it is tilted on your shoulder in a relaxed manner." I said with a smile. Louise made a surprised expression for a moment before she mumbled a few word to herself.

"You do not seem to understand the situation you are in, familiar." She said to me through gritted teeth. I could say the same to you, master.

"Then we can discuss this in further detail after breakfast." I offered. The child pinched the bridge of her nose. It seemed that her apparent threat to me falling on deaf ears did not sit well with her. Louise's grumbling stomach prevented further protests from her.

"Fine. I was going to have you join me in the dining hall for breakfast, but now you will have no food. Wait for me in the courtyard with the rest of the familiars!" She angrily declared before stomping off to the dining hall.

"Whatever makes you feel better, Louise." I said before walking off to the garden while twirling my parasol.

…

One thing you need to know about youkai, after a certain point, we simply stop relying on food to acquire nourishment. We can become so powerful that we can sustain ourselves with simply our own power. Because of this, eating and drinking become nothing more than activities to do simply for the sake of doing so. I still eat food and drink tea on occasion, but that is simply because I felt like it and not because I needed to. Sad that Louise's threats came up short again, she was working so hard to make me subservient to her…just not in the way one would normally go about doing when trying to subjugate a powerful youkai such as I. But as I said, I am not normal.

I walked into the garden and was met with the sounds of song, coming from a familiar voice. I approached the source with a raised brow and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw, Siesta. The maid was happily watering the flowers while signing a soft and pleasant melody that matched the morning sun. I stood quietly out of her line of sight as she continued to water the rest of the plants. I noted the oddity of seeing Bloodroot and Ghost Flowers growing alongside Randor Lilies and Crocus, the two pairs of flowers usually cannot exist in the same kind of climate regardless if they are all spring flowers. Despite their seemingly incompatible traits, they all seem to be living healthily in this place, is it the magic in the air? My contemplation was cut short when I heard the maid end her song. I looked at her and saw that she had finished her work and was carefully inspecting each plot to make sure that each flower was properly watered. Yes, she has her uses indeed.

"That was splendid." I admitted as I walked to her. Siesta was surprised at my presence and whirled around toward me, her flushed faced meeting my own.

"Mister Yuka…I…umm…I thought you would be with Miss La Valliere." The maid did her best to keep from stammering.

"My master had instructed me to wait until she had finished breakfast. I had decided to walk around in the meantime and wandered into the garden where I found you and your lovely song." I said while walking to one of the plots and kneeling in front of a Bloodroot which was shimmering with dewdrops and water.

"You…you heard that? I…that was…I mean….uuu…" Siesta said in pointed surprise and embarrassment. I nodded in response while twirling my parasol. The girl has skill in approximating the required amount of water to quench the flower's thirst for the day. It was good, but not perfect.

"You should not water Bloodroot with more than two and a half glasses worth of water." I stated matter of factly. Siesta blinked at me a few times before realizing that I was talking about the flowers.

"Oh really?" She asked, her curiosity overcoming her previous embarrassment. She walked up to me and gazed down at the white flower.

"Yes. You care for them well, but you need to make sure that the leaves and the flower do not droop after you are done watering them. That would mean that you are putting undue stress of the plant without reason. Other than that though, you are somewhat skilled at taking care of them." I said before standing up and looking at the maid in the eyes.

"Th-thank you. Do you also like flowers, Mister Yuka?" Siesta sheepishly asked me. I could not help but give a soft chuckle before glancing back at the flowers. Do I like flowers? That is like asking if Suika likes Sake, or if Shikieiki likes justice, or if Eirin likes her shady drugs.

"I suppose you could say that. I have a small garden back home, mostly sunflowers." I replied and the maid beamed.

"That's wonderful! But wait…what will happen to them while you are here?" She asked an understandable question. Normally, potted plants can last a few weeks without care. Flowers in full gardens can last for up to a month at most. My flowers? The sunflowers I have in the Garden of the Sun? They were nourished by the magic of the realm itself. My sunflowers will not wilt whilst Gensokyo exists, some are almost as old as I am.

"I have someone looking after them, they will be fine." I assured the maid with a smile.

…

I bid Siesta farewell and walked to the courtyard and found the other familiars lounging about. I eyed the assortment of creatures on display and was quite curious. There were creatures ranging from ordinary animals such as snakes, owls, mice, and others. There were also more unusual creatures such as a giant mole, a salamander, the blue drake from last night, and floating eyeball.

"An evil eye? No, they are almost always hostile and would never survive in a place like this without others of their kind." I muttered as I approached them. For a set of seemingly unrelated creatures, they are very relaxed amongst each other. Even natural enemies seem to be fine with being so close and completely ignoring the food chain. Was this the effect of becoming a familiar? Then why was I not affected? Is it because I was so powerful or is it because I have a more advanced intelligence than them? Most curious. I was about twenty paces away from the gathering of familiars when they all suddenly tensed up and looked at me. At that moment I smelled it. Something that was severely lacking in the humans I have met as of late. Something these creatures instinctively gave off as soon as they knew that they have become noticed by something far more dangerous than themselves. I could smell their fear, and it was sweet.

I took a step forward and all the assembled creatures immediately stood in attention and took a step away from me. Tabitha's blue drake took it a step further and simply flew away. I casually walked to the middle of the courtyard and gazed at each and every one of the creatures, making sure that they did not believe that what they were feeling right now was some sort of mistake. No, I am power incarnate. I am a being that possesses the ultimate magic. I am Yuka Kazami, and you will not forget this. Afterward I simply stood there in silence with my eyes closed, waiting for the tell tale sign of Louise's return from her meal.

"Familiar!" Ah, there it is. I turned to the direction of the voice and saw Louise walking toward me, much less fire in her eyes now but it was still there. The other students started walking out as well, most were worried as to why their familiars seemed to be in distress. The girl, Tabitha, was trying to wave her drake down from the sky. The winged lizard refusing and deciding to stay atop one of the nearby castle towers instead.

"Gardener, I am talking to you." Louise called out. I glanced down and saw her right in front of me. She poked a finger at my chest before continuing.

"You better not be causing any trouble around here." She said. I blinked a few times and mocked innocence by tilting my head to the side.

"I know not what you mean, Louise. I was simply here waiting for you along with the rest of the familiars as you ordered. Does that not please you?" I asked her. It was true, I was waiting for her in the courtyard with the rest of the familiars. I was just waiting for her for a few minutes instead of all early morning.

"Fine. Look, there are no classes today. The whole day will be set aside for the students who just went through the springtime summoning ritual to commune and bond with their familiars." Louise informed. Ah, so that is why they gathered all the familiars in one place. A controlled environment where they can forge their bonds with their masters, supervised by a few of the staff in secret I assumed.

"Excellent. We have much to discuss about the present and future circumstances of our partnership. I hope that it would be prudent to assume that fine tea will be involved in the conversation, yes?" I proposed with a smile as I glanced around for a suitable table for discussion and tea.

"Familiar…do not assume to speak with a noble so casually. You are no more special than a dog!" Louise bit out. My perpetual smile finally dropped and I gave my master a steely gaze for the first time since she summoned me.

"W-w-w-what?" Louise suddenly stammered in surprise at my emotional shift. I sighed and closed my parasol before using it like a walking stick on my right hand.

"Are you really going to keep doing this master? I have already decided to be yours, I have declared such. There is no need to assert your authority any further as there is no reason to. My loyalty will not be questioned as it would question my honor and respect. I am quite particular about respect, Louise. I am offering you an equal chance for a partnership. If you knew me before, you would know that I would not do this easily nor would I take it lightly. Now decide before this goes any further. Do you want a familiar? A partner, as what a familiar truly is. Or do you want a slave that you can use to vent out your frustrations over?" I said in a serious voice. If she will not respect me then I have no reason to try to respect her either. If she insists on being stubborn about this then I will kill her right here and move on to more interesting things. Louise's expression was torn between fear, anger, and frustration. She seemed to be struggling with the situation, good. That means that she was at least considering my words and possibly reflecting on her actions from before.

"Hey now~" Not now…I should just burn that whore where she stood. The redhead from this morning walked over to us and was met with an annoyed look by Louise. I was not pleased with this myself and gave her a genuine glare.

"Hu!" The redhead let out before glancing nervously away from me. She coughed a few times before focusing on my master, making sure not to have eye contact with me.

"Now, now, can't keep a leash on your familiar, Valliere? Is he demanding more compensation for his services or what?" The redhead teased with a vicious grin at my master. Ah, yes…that…

"What are you talking about?" Louise lashed out, still on fire from our previous conversation. I decided to hit the nail quickly and be rid of this distraction before I do something that would complicate things for my master.

"It would seem that your peer believes that I am simply a commoner that you hired for the ritual in order to masquerade as a human familiar." I flatly supplied the details while levelling my gaze at the other girl. She shifted slightly but did not lose her focus on my master.

"That's ridiculous! Kirche, you know very well that I wouldn't desecrate the ritual like that! I performed the summons and this is what came out!" My master stated sternly while poking my chest with her finger. I wondered if this will become a regular thing between us. My gaze drifted to the shape a few paces behind the redhead known as Kirche and I saw a nervous looking salamander. I smiled at it and it moved itself so its master was standing between us. Kirche saw my gaze and my smile and looked back at her familiar.

"What's wrong commoner? Have you never seen a salamander before?" Kirche declared arrogantly while stepping aside so Louise and I would have a better view of her familiar. The red lizard croaked in surprise and its gaze found mine and it simply froze in place. It would appear that its master cannot sense the distress her partner is currently experiencing or she was deliberately shutting it out in order to save face. Either way, my eyes met hers and my previous glare was replaced with a smile.

"Sadly not. There were no salamanders of that kind in my homeland. I have not seen a creature generate flames that way." Indeed, the only flames I know of either came from fireballs from those immortals or from the hell raven's newborn suns. I have not yet seen a creature that could sustain a flame at the tip of its tail like this one does, it was rather cute as it cowered in fear like that. Kirche took this as a cue and knelt beside her familiar before stroking its motionless head, the creature's gaze not leaving my form.

"I see. As you can see, my contract summoned familiar is quite loyal and obedient, a rare salamander from the mountains of fire." Kirche gushed as she showed off her salamander to Louise and take a shot at her at the same time. I felt my master tense up at that, so I decided to diffuse the situation for now. This girl was not worth the trouble my master will get into if I killed her out of spite. I remembered back when I could just kill everything that didn't agree with me. Sadly, that was the old Yuka. This Yuka wanted to try something new, an alternate way of dealing with things like this is one of them.

"Excuse me, Miss Kirche." I called out to the girl. I put out my best smile and the girl flinched in surprise at my demeanor.

"My master and I have things we need to discuss, I assume that a fine student such as yourself would understand the importance of this due to your knowledge of the rules about the summoning." I stated. The girl regarded me for another moment before smirking.

"Not bad for a commoner. So be it, come Flame." Kirche said before she gave one last smirk at us and strutting away. Her familiar croaked one more time before moving as fast as it could away from me.

"Now, where were we. Ah, yes! You were deciding on the future of our partnership or the lack thereof." I calmly reminded Louise. Who gave an annoyed 'urk' before giving me a narrowed glance.

"Tea for the discussion?" I offered before walking off to one of the tables.

…

"So…" Louise started as we sat in silence together, my parasol was leaning on the side of the table. We were in one of the farther circular tables, away from the general bustle of the other students.

"So?" I repeated her statement in question form.

"So, when are we going to start discussing our…partnership?" Louise clarified her question with a hint of hesitation.

"We will do so as soon as we are served out tea." I declared while nodding sagely. Louise stared at me for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"And! Did you ask any of the servants for tea?" Louise added another question.

"Why would I do that? Isn't that already a given?" I asked with a raised brow.

"By the founder…No, it is not! You need to tell them what you want before they can bring it to you. Otherwise, how would they know what to serve?" Louise pointed out. I considered her point for a moment, cupping my chin with my hand and closing my eyes.

"Yes, that would be logical. So, call a servant over to serve us tea." I suggested. That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as I suddenly noticed a spike in Louise's magical power. I could hear her gnashing her teeth and trying very, very hard not to explode. I sighed as I realized why she was upset. Her familiar was giving her an order, even after he declared that he would be a loyal partner to her.

"I'll go get a servant and get us some tea. Please look after my parasol." I stated before standing up and walking toward the more crowded part of the courtyard. It took me a few more steps before I realized that I had just left my dear parasol in the care of a human girl without any hesitation. I smiled. This partnership will be a good one if Louise would look past minor details such as social status.

I quickly saw Siesta serving tea and cake to the students. She will do nicely. I walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Siesta?" I called out to her. The maid quickly turned around and smiled at me. It seemed that she was getting used to my presence.

"Yes? How may I help you, Mister Yuka?" Siesta asks in practiced professionalism. I explained my request for some tea for my master and myself. The maid was more than happy to serve but pointed out that she still needed to serve tea to a few more students. I offered to help her with the task, if only to help move it along faster. We were at the last table to be served when I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Hello again, Familiar of Zero." The blonde boy, Guiche said behind my back. I recognized the voice and the seemingly derogatory title of my master. I slowly turned around before regarding the boy. He had the giant mole I saw before lying down beside him. It was asleep so it did not panic at my presence in the way that the salamander did.

"Eeek!" I heard and turned to the source of the panicked voice. I looked at the source and saw that the boy was not alone. The forehead girl was sitting across from him and was tapping her shirt in panic.

"What's wrong, dear Montmorency?" Guiche asked in concern for the girl. He got his answer when a small frog peaked out from the girl's shirt. Her familiar was not as lucky as Guiche's and it sensed my presence and cowered like the lower life form that it was.

"My, that was a bit of a surprise." I stated, regaining the pair's attention. The girl narrowed her eyes at me slightly while patting her familiar's head with her finger.

"It would for a commoner who is in the service of the Zero, wouldn't it?" Guiche jumped at the chance to insult me and my master at the same time. I smiled and accepted his challenge.

"Not at all. I was simply surprised that you would shift your attention from the girl last night in the brown mantle to this other one so quickly. Were her offerings not up to your standards?" I commented nonchalantly with a smirk and a raised brow.

"You will show me respect if you know what is good for…you…common…er…" Guiche's counter was cut short when I noticed hostile intent coming from the girl sitting across him. This will be lovely.

"What is this man talking about, Guiche?" The girl stated in a flat tone, her finger still stroking the head of her familiar. The frog seemed to find its master's fury much less threatening than being exposed outside her protection while I'm around.

"Don't mind him Montmorency! There is no girl I love other than you! There is no way that I would lie to your eyes!" Guiche vehemently declared before giving me a seething glare. I wasn't looking at him at the moment, but to something beyond him.

"Hello there Miss Katie! Are you looking for Sir Guiche?" I called out to the young girl who was looking around and carrying a basket of baked goods, handmade if I hazard a guess. She heard my call and beamed after she saw Guiche. The object of her affection did not share the sentiments at the moment. I smiled at my handywork and turned away to find Siesta, the two girls should keep him busy for a while. I found Siesta and saw that she was carrying a tray filled with cakes, a pot of fresh tea, and pair of cups.

"Is there something wrong Mister Yuka?" Siesta asked worriedly. I smiled at her and casually poured a cup of tea for myself.

"Not at all. Simply helping to get the truth out into the open as any good citizen would." I stated before taking a sip of my tea. Not bad.

"A bit too sweet for my tastes but it is acceptable." I commented as I savored the tea, the sounds of Montmorency yelling at Guiche echoing in the background before I heard the telltale sound of a slap in the face. I turned around and saw Guiche on his backside with a fresh welt on his cheek. Both girls have already left but for obviously different reasons. The boy glared at me and I raised my teacup.

"Better luck next time then?" I said in response before taking another sip. The boy stood up and walked right in front of me.

"It appears that I will need to teach you the discipline required for commoners when in the presence of nobility." The boy bit out. I heard the tea set clinking against the silver platter that Siesta was carrying. It seemed that such a declaration does not bode well for regular commoners.

"Is that so?" I couldn't help but say those words, it was the perfect response really. The boy pulled out the rose on his shirt, which still had part of its stem attached to it, and pointed the blossom at me.

"A very nice rose, did you purchase it some place nice?" I asked, not fazed by his actions.

"This is a rose grown by my own two hands, commoner. A man of the Gramont clan cannot lead an imperial army if he cannot even make a rose bloom!" He declared proudly. Really now? My opinion of this boy improved just a bit if he could cultivate a rose that pristine.

"As such, I hereby challenge you to a duel! I will carve the respect for nobility that you sorely lack in your very body!" Guiche dramatically declared with a swing of his rose. My opinion of him suddenly dropped back down to rock bottom. I maintained my smile before finishing my cup of tea and setting the empty cup on the tray carried by the stone shocked Siesta. I cleared my throat and levelled my gaze at the boy.

"Could you repeat that, I wasn't listening." I stated. The other students gasped in unison at my words and the boy narrowed his eyes at me.

"I challenge you to a duel, Familiar of Zero! Do you accept?" He repeated, his voice full of misguided confidence.

"Are you sure?" I asked him with a smile. The boy raised a brow but his gaze did not falter.

"Yes, a duel between you and me. One hour from now at the grounds near the vestry!" He declared and even added a time and a place. Strike one.

"Are you really sure?" I asked him again with the same smile. I saw his eye twitch a few times before he gave his response.

"Yes! Are you daft?" The boy yelled in irritation. Strike two.

"Are. You. Absolutely. Sure?" I repeated one more time, making sure to emphasize each word.

"YES! You! Me! One hour! Be there!" The boy snapped at me before stomping off, presumably to where the duel will take place. Strike three.

"And I shall…" I quietly muttered, my smile gone. I could faintly hear my master's yelling come closer and closer. I do hope she at least brought my parasol with her.

...

"Familiar!" I heard my master yell out as soon as I was within her screaming range. Siesta was still beside me and was as white as a sheet after she heard my acceptance at Guiche's challenge.

"Here master. I got our tea and even some cake ready." I pointed out to the still shell shocked maid. Louise walked up to me with a very displeased expression. I was glad when I saw that she was cradling my parasol in her hands though.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Louise asked me in a tone of a human mother would after finding out that their child did something unsavoury.

"Getting us tea for our discussion." I responded. I heard rattling of porcelain against metal again and turned to Siesta who moved on from shock to mild panic. I do hope she doesn't drop the tray.

"Mister Yuka was challenged to a duel by Sir Gramont and he accepted! They will meet in front of the church in an hour!" Siesta blurted out in panic, I swear she looked like she was going to faint. I turned back to my master and saw her expression to be the complete opposite.

"This is Siesta, by the way, very adept at caring for flowers and has a decent singing voice." I introduced Siesta to my master, sad that she probably wasn't listening at the moment because of what the maid just told her.

"You did what?" See? Louise yelled the question at me with an incredulous expression.

"The boy challenged my honor and I saw it fit to defend it. To be fair, I asked him thrice if he was serious about if before accepting." I explained. My master started trembling a bit, clutching my parasol a little harder than she was before. She then held it to her left side and grabbed my hand with her free hand before she started walking away.

"Where are we going?" I asked innocently. My master stopped and glared at me for a moment before turning back.

"To Guiche. If you say that you are sorry then he might just call the whole thing off!" She declared before dragging me off…or should I say, before I let her drag me off. I turned back to the motionless maid who was getting farther and farther away from us.

"Outer table to the northeast! Keep the tea warm!" I yelled out to her before my master yanked me further away from the poor maid.

…

"Master, really now. There is no need to get so worked up about this." I stated as Louise led me through the castle. I heard no more than a few grumbles as a response, she was clearly not going to hear any of this. I decided to stop her right there before anything else could be said or done. I planted my feet firmly on the ground, surprising my master as she recoiled from the sudden resistance. She turned back to me with an expression of anger, frustration…and worry. Ah, I see now…

"Louise, listen to me. I will not lose. I certainly will not be injured by this." I calmly stated with a raised brow.

"You-you-you don't get it do you?" My master suddenly snapped at me before continuing.

"This isn't some commoner rabble you are about to duel with, he is a mage! You can't just expect to defeat him just because you are older than him and better built than him! Physical strength alone can never overcome magic!" I couldn't help but smile at her concern for me. I had to suppress a chuckle building up when I heard her say that physical force couldn't overcome magic. How many have said that to me over the years?

"Are you…worried?" I asked in mock confusion. I got my answer when her hand went across my face with a sharp sound. The action seemed to have hurt her hand more than my cheek as I saw her clench her hand into a fist a few times.

"What kind of mage wouldn't be worried for the safety of her familiar?" Louise solemnly stated, passion and honor. My master seemed to have more to her than I gave her credit for, perhaps a better upbringing than most of the other students here? If she isn't bi-polar then she must be a very conflicted person for some specific reason.

"Quite. Tell me, Louise…is that boy of some worth to you?" I asked her. It was not impossible that my master might be harboring feelings for that boy which is why he is adamant at making me apologize to him.

"What? No! Guiche is a disgusting playboy!" Or not…

"Then you wouldn't terribly mind if he were to die?" I asked another question. My usual warm smile being replaced with my other usual smile, the one I use before the onset of battle. Louise flinched and backed away a half-step.

"What are you saying?" The girl asked back nervously.

"That boy was one of those who were laughing at you when you first called me to this place. I would assume that he is also one of those who have done so before in other occasions as well." I postulated. I got my confirmation when Louise turned away from me.

"I have no talent in magic…" My master supplied with. So she believes that their taunts were justified because of her lack of apparent skill at magic? Children, the whole lot of them.

"Ah yes. One of the things I intend to disprove by the end of the day." I stated before walking off in the direction where my master was originally heading to.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she fell in step with me.

"Let me ask you again. Does Guiche deserve to die?" I calmly asked my master one more time. She gave me a puzzled and worried look before she shook her head.

"No, he doesn't." She stated simply. Rejoice, Sir Gramont! Your life is spared and you now owe it to my master. I grinned evilly as I planned my move. I thought of ways to utterly defeat the child without outright killing him.

Assert my power.

Give my master more confidence in herself.

Educate a pompous brat.

Tea and cake afterwards.

A fine day indeed.

…

"Am surprised that you actually showed up." Guiche said with a smirk as I stood twenty paces in front of him. I merely shrugged before glancing back at Louise. My master was looking on with a grim expression while clutching my parasol close to her chest. I looked around and saw that several students had arrived to see the disciplining of an upstart commoner at the hands of their peer. Among them were Kirche and Tabitha. The redhead was snickering while looking between me and Louise before saying a few words to her companion. The smaller girl did not share her sentiments and was looking right at me with focus. Was she gauging me? No matter.

"Yes, yes, the mandatory taunts before the duel, I know this already. Are you going to begin the duel or should we simply throw unpleasantries at each other?" Step one, make sure to belittle their taunts and posturing. That will make them work harder to try to humiliate you through force of power.

"So be it! Remember this day, commoner! The day that you grovel on the ground and beg Guiche the Bronze for forgiveness!" The boy declared before swinging his rose, making three petals fall to the ground. The petals glowed and three slender metal golems sprouted forth from the ground. Well crafted and instantaneous spell execution. Was the spell already laced within the rose beforehand? An interesting concept if it was so.

"These are my bronze Valkyries! They will make sure that you will never speak out of turn against a noble ever again!" He declared before doing a flamboyant pose for the crowd. The students assembled there 'ohhed' and 'aaahed' at Guiche's display. The golems are well made but they seemed to be hollow, a compromise to maintain mobility despite the weight of bronze. They didn't even look armed. I smiled at the situation, this will be like schooling little Cirno back in the day.

"Three strikes." I suddenly said, bringing Guiche out of his self absorbed posing. Step two, provide a stipulation to the battle that would normally mean complete victory for your foe.

"What?" The boy asked in confusion.

"I will allow you three strikes at me. If you do not fell me by the third, I shall begin my counterattack." I clarified. The boy stared at me for a moment before laughing.

"And what makes you think that you can even last for more than one strike? Very well! I accept!" Guiche got caught hook, line and sinker as he sent one of his golems at me. The bronze construct ran at me before delivering a right straight aimed at my sternum. The blow connected and the result was pretty much what I had expected. The metal gauntlet of the golem was completely crushed, as if it punched a solid steel door instead of a man. I stared at my foe who was in shock at what just transpired. I could hear various gasps and murmurs from the crowd.

"Strike one." I stated, making the boy flinch. It seemed that he has finally realized that this will not go as easily as he had expected. Step three, completely crush all expectations and dominate your foe to the point of despair. Those three steps were the lessons I learned when I faced the Lunarian woman, Eirin. It was a lesson I took to heart.

"How dare you!" The boy yelled out as he sent out his other two golems at me. The one I was currently facing used its remaining hand to grab into my arm and keep me detained. I smiled at the futile gesture but let it do as it pleased for now. The other two arrived and delivered a punch to either side of my head, intending to knock me out in one strike. Both hands that met my skull were crushed in the same way that the first one's hand was.

"Strike two." I reminded the boy, who was slowly backing away. He threw out five more petals and they sprouted into five golems that were armed with bronze swords.

"Guiche! You know that duels aren't supposed to be lethal! There is no need to use weapons like that!" My master screamed at the panicking boy.

"Quiet! I shall not lose!" Guiche yelled back before sending all five armed golems at me. The three who were currently with me held onto me like vices, preventing any movement from me…or so they thought. The five golems converged and swung their swords at various parts of my body.

"Yukaaaaaaaa!" I heard Louise say my name for the very first time. I smiled at her worried voice as the sword strikes connected. The result was all the same, the blades warped and snapped after hitting me. I takes a very special kind of steel to harm me now. A long time ago, bronze would have been enough to damage me, but not anymore. The entire yard was in complete silence at what just happened. They just witnessed eight bronze golems strike at me and fail miserably.

"Strike three." I calmly stated before I reached out at the golem that was hanging onto the left side of my body and grabbed its head. I proceeded to crush its bronze skull and pushed down upon the frame, making it buckle and collapse into a heap of scrap metal. I looked back to the boy, who was looking at me in terror. I closed my eyes and gave him my trademark smile before I was about to attack and he screamed in response.

"My turn." I stated through my maddened smile before I reached for the golem holding me from behind. I grabbed its neck and swung it at the golem holding to my right side, the arms of the golem behind me snapping to pieces at the joints from the action. Both golems crumpled into useless heaps of bronze before I turned my attention to the other five.

"No! No! No! Get away from me!" Guiche suddenly yelled out before dispensing more and more petals to create a wall of fifteen golems between him and me. It seemed that he finally understood the situation he had gotten himself into. Too bad, it was too late. I started to slowly walk toward him, closing the distance between us. The boy panicked and sent all of his valkyries at me. The five in front of me used what was left of their swords to try to attack me in desperation. The first one tried to thrust a broken blade at me and I used an open palm to block it. I caught the broken weapon and pushed against the golem, snapping its arm off at the shoulder. I punched through the golem's chest and lifted it up, doing the same thing to another golem with my other hand. I smashed both golems together, catching another in the middle. The three crumpled and I stepped over their metal corpses, just in time to see that the remaining two joined up with the other ten that Guche just summoned. I smiled and clenched my hands, making my bones crack, before walking toward the group.

Three charged to start. Was he trying to conserve his forces and decided to attack in waves? A suitable strategy to tire out an opponent, he knows basic military tactics. Too bad those tactics do not apply to me. I drove the point home my repeating the same move I did before, with slight differences. I grabbed the heads of the two golems who were trying to flank me and head butting the one who charged right at me, crushing its head. The two in my hands struggled to break free but I silenced them by lifting them up and smashing them down onto the third over and over again, using them like flails. I discarded the broken constructs and started forward again.

"More!" I yelled out at the boy. My word was enough to rouse the remaining seven into action and they all charged at me. I raised my arm and smashed it down onto the first, crushing its shoulder and torso like paper. I casually tossed it into another golem with a bit more force than I intended since it was enough to crush that one as well. The remaining five surrounded me and decided to bull rush me at the same time. Was that boy so stupid or was it because of panic? Regardless I simply leapt up and allowed the five to crash into each other. I dropped myself down and crushed all of them at the same time while they were still tangled together. The impact from my aerial stomp caused a small crater and kicked up some dust into the air. I swatted at the air and cleared the dust away from me in one move. I glared at my opponent who was still holding onto his petal-less rose since he spent all of them in making his golems. I took a step forward and he discarded the bare stem onto the ground on his side before he crafted a bronze sword in his hands.

"H-h-how? You're just a commoner! How can you defeat my Bronze Valkyries so easily?" The boy screamed at me in octaves usually reserved for women. I grinned evilly at him before I took another step forward.

"Now, now. When did I ever state that I was a commoner in the first place?" I asked before glancing at my wide eyed master then back at Guiche.

"It seems that your rose has wilted, sad. Perhaps I could help with it, yes?" I said with a smile. I closed my eyes and reached out in the direction of the discarded flower before opening my eyes again. I could feel my eyes glow red with power and I smiled. I turned my hand over and gestured upward.

"Rise." I declared and the stem that Guiche discarded erupted into a mass of thorny vines that wrapped themselves around the poor boy. The thorns dug into his arms, his legs, and his torso. I shaped my hand as if it was holding something, and I squeezed. Guiche's agonized scream was the only indication that the vines were constricting him. As if fueled by his pain and agony, several blood red roses started blooming amongst the vines.

"I will only ask this once. Do you yield, Sir Gramont?" I asked the boy before squeezing a bit harder.

"Y-y-y-e-" Guiche's answer was cut short as I made the vines squeeze a bit harder for a moment. I could keep this up all day. The boy will have several cuts and bruises but he will not die from this. It was the perfect way to make him suffer while keeping my promise to not kill him.

"Enough!" I heard Louise yell out from within the crowd. I turned around and saw my master in the verge of tears and she clutched my parasol so hard that her knuckles were going white. I glanced around to the other children and saw that they were all in anguish after witnessing what was happening to their peer, some were even outright crying. Tabitha and Kirche simply stood in silence with mouths agape, though Kirche's was wider than Tabitha's. I sighed before turning back to Guiche.

"As you wish." I stated flatly before releasing the hold the vines had on the boy. I let the magic go and the mass of thorns and roses retracted back to their origin before forming into a single beautiful red rose. The boy collapsed and Montmorency quickly ran to his side before casting what seemed to be several healing spells. I walked up to my master, making the other students back away very quickly.

"Now then, master. Tea?" I offered with my usual warm smile.

…

"What…are you?" My master asked with a meek voice. Her previous fire extinguished after the events of the duel.

"I am what is known as a youkai. In my homeland, that is the general term for fantastic creatures that usually have humanoid forms." I stated before sipping more tea.

It was half an hour after my duel with Guiche and Louise and I were currently back to our previous table, my parasol leaning on it between me and Louise. Siesta was standing behind us with a cart that had tea and snacks on it. I was sitting beside my master instead of across from her because we were no longer alone in the table.

"What is wrong, Sir Guiche? You have yet to touch your tea?" I gestured to one of the new occupants of the table. I invited Guiche and Montmorency to our table for tea with a smile after he stopped writhing in pain. The two were very wary of me at first but I assured them that I bore no more ill will towards the boy anymore. They didn't seem convinced so I elaborated that if I wanted them dead, I would have already done so. That got them on their feet rather quickly.

"I'm sorry…I am still in pain and cannot enjoy the tea as I am at the moment." He quietly said, avoiding my gaze. The discarded rose was back on his shirt on my insistence due to the fact that it was his rose and it would be a shame to leave such a nice specimen on the ground.

"Nonsense! That is no more than a scratch, I assure you!" I declared with a friendly smile before pushing the neglected cup of tea closer to the boy.

"He said that he didn't want tea!" Montmorency snapped at me with a glare, making the other occupants of the table wince. I sighed and leaned back into my chair.

"So be it. It seems to be a waste of good tea though." I commented with a smile before taking another sip.

"Why did you invite them along anyway?" Louise questioned. I looked to the sky and chuckled.

"You could say that it is tradition to have tea after a battle where I came from." I admitted. My master tilted her head to the side and gave me questioning look.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll get a headache." I admonished her. She shook it off and drank all her tea in one swig before asking for a refill from Siesta.

"You lied to me…" Louise said in slight irritation. I raised a brow at her and gestured her to continue.

"You said that you were a common gardener. You never said that you were a powerful magical creature." She bit out with a pout. I simply shook my head and sighed.

"I never said I was a commoner, that was something you and your peers assumed. I also said that I was skilled at making flowers bloom, I just never embellished my methods or the magnitude of my skill at it. I did not lie to you." I said with a wry smile. Louise just gave me an unsatisfied grimace before sighing.

"So, a youkai is a fantastical creature right?" Louise asked in clarification, changing the subject. I nodded in response.

"Usually they are animals or items who have gained magical awareness, being reborn as a youkai. Others are simply born into the world as youkai. There are several kinds of youkai that exist and each of them are considered as monsters by humans." I explained further. Louise nodded, trying her best to understand what I was saying.

"So, what kind of youkai are you?" Siesta was the one who asked that question. I turned to her and smiled.

"I am unique. I am simply Yuka Kazami. I am the only one of my kind." I declared. I glanced at my master and saw that she had yet another expression of surprise.

"Yes, master. That means that you have summoned a powerful, one of a kind familiar." I said to her and she beamed. I continued before she could even start gushing.

"As such, it is unfair to say that my master is untalented at magic. Afterall, she summoned a powerful magical creature and not a commoner, yes?" I said to the two blondes, who nodded in agreement.

"So where did you come from then, Mister Yuka?" Siesta supplied another critical question. The girl was either very curious or she was planning something.

"I come from a realm very different and very similar from this one." I responded cryptically.

"Similar but different?" Guiche was the one who asked this time. His previous fear of me was replaced with wonder and curiosity.

"Indeed. My realm only had one moon to start with. Additionally, there was the realm I came from and the outside world-"

"Wait! Stop right there!" Louise interrupted. I looked at her and saw that she was rubbing her eyes in frustration before looking at me.

"There are two worlds on your homeland?" She finally said, completely lost in my explanation.

"Yes and no. My realm, Gensokyo, is a hidden place on the world known as Earth. Gensokyo is surrounded by a powerful barrier that isolates itself from the rest of the world, that is why it is called the outside world." I elaborated.

"Why the secrecy? If you are as powerful as you say, then why do you need a barrier to hide yourselves from the rest of the world." Montmorency finally joined the conversation with a valid question.

"Good question. The reason why is the difference of magic between Gensokyo and the outside world. Earth developed in a very different way from your own world. After a certain point in its history, the magic in the air suddenly vanished. All magic eventually died out centuries later. Thanks to the barrier, Gensokyo was spared the same fate as the rest of the world." I explained, all four children with me gasped at the prospect of a world without magic.

"Why? Magic doesn't just…disappear! What happened?" Montmorency once again asked.

"I have asked the same question before, I have yet to find a good answer. Regardless, Gensokyo became the last sanctuary for all magical species that can access it. It eventually became known locally as the eastern wonderland because it was located eastward and a virtual cornucopia of magical beings." I supplied.

"Amazing…" Siesta muttered.

"So you are the strongest one there?" Louise asked with an uncertain tone of voice.

"Louise, if you knew what I have been through for the last sixteen hundred years, you would not be asking that question." I said with a smile. The little pink-haired girl gulped at the prospect of having to find out.

"Now the question becomes, why would someone as powerful as you be summoned by someone like Louise?" Montmorency asked once again. My, she's quite curious for someone who just snapped at me moments ago.

"Hey!" Louise yelled out at the blonde girl who put up her hands in defence.

"It's a legitimate question! You've never been any good at any kind of magic you have ever tried, then out of nowhere you summon a powerhouse like him as your familiar! I mean…how in founder's name does that even work?" Montmorency yelled back. Louise flinched for a moment before glancing at me, understanding her train of thought.

"Tell me something, what are the usual criteria for summoning in this realm?" I asked. Guiche raised his hand and spoke up.

"Usually, the summoned creature fits the element of the summoner. It is the easiest way we know of to determine the element of a particular mage." Guiche supplied. It made sense. Guiche is an earth mage so he summoned a mole. Kirche has a salamander so she's fire. Tabitha summoned a drake so she must be wind. I turned to Montmorency and saw her tiny frog, water.

"Yes…that does make sense." I muttered to myself before gesturing to Siesta for a refill.

"Does that mean that I'm an earth mage? I mean, plant manipulation is earth magic right?" Louis asked Guiche, who shrugged helplessly.

"Normally, yes it would. However, Mister Yuka here should be more than the sum of his parts. After all, I cannot remember having the power to make flowers bloom to be something a powerful magical being would use." Guiche pointed out. I couldn't hold it in any further and I simply started laughing.

"I'm sorry. However, any talent…no matter how mundane, can become formidable with polish and creativity. You are correct in saying that there is more to me than that. However, I want to put things in a better perspective for you. Look around you. What do you see?" I said and the four of them looked around and responded with 'castle' at the same time.

"To be young again. No, look beyond the obvious. When you walk in a field, when you traverse a mountainside, when you go through a forest, what do you see?" I asked again with more emphasis.

"Plants." A new voice spoke up. We all turned to the source and saw that it was Tabitha and Kirche. The blue-haired girl was holding a large crooked staff, her foci of choice it would seem.

"Very good, Miss Tabitha. Tea?" I offered and she held up her hand and politely refused. I turned to Kirche and offered the same. She obliged and Siesta served her a cup. The two newcomers pulled up their own chairs and it quickly became much more crowded than it normally would be. I sat with Louise to my right and Guiche to my left while Tabitha sat next to Louise and Kirche beside Montmorency.

"Now, to elaborate on Miss Tabitha's point, you need to understand that this world is covered with plant life. It is what sustains every other life form here. Imagine the kind of power you would posses if you could manipulate them to a degree wherein you can make flowers bloom without any restrictions to size, number, or species?" I proposed and Guiche gulped at the realization.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed Louise. Your familiar is very impressive." Kirche chimed in and Louise stared at her with her mouth agape.

"What's your angle?" She quickly bit out at the redhead.

"No angle. Just giving credit where credit is due. Now if you could only apply that to regular magic." The redhead said with a smirk, beginning another bout of taunts and counter-taunts. Tabitha ignored the girls on her side and simply stared at me intently the whole time. I raised a brow at the girl but I thought nothing of the gesture, she was probably trying to figure out what I really was.

"Compatibility." Tabitha stated, making the two arguing girls quiet down.

"Excuse me?" I asked the girl.

"It's another one of the criteria for summoning a magical creature." Kirche supplied. I nodded toward her to continue.

"Aside from elemental affinity, you can also summon a creature that would be most suited for your needs as a mage. The concept is old and is superseded by the elemental affinity factor because there has been little proof of the theory in the history books. I mean, the last time a humanoid familiar was summoned was back during Brimir's time" Kirche clarified, earning looks from everyone at the table.

"You don't suggest that Louise is a mage on par with the founder do you?" Montmorency asked the redhead with an incredulous expression. I looked at Louise and saw her opening and closing her mouth while her body was as stiff as a board. Oh dear, I think her brain broke.

"Just calling it like I see it." Kirche said with a shrug.

…

When Louise went to sleep that night, she was equal parts exhausted, exalted, and embarrassed. She had offered Yuka to share her bed for the night, but the man politely refused and assured her that he had adequate means of sleeping comfortably. She truly had called out a familiar that was noble and powerful!

And when Louise slept, she dreamed of sunflowers and battle.

There was her Familiar, but it was strange. Instead of the confident and well-built man she had summoned, she saw an elegant and slender woman instead. No matter, Louise felt like giggling all the same. This was amazing! It was wonderful!

So it was when she saw her Familiar face off against countless winged beasts, demons as her mind supplied her with. Spectacular! Her noble Yuka will bring forth divine punishment to those beasts!

It was not as she had expected.

The woman, her familiar in her dream, went into a mad cackling rage and started firing countless bolts of magic at the oncoming horde. Those unlucky enough to come too close were ripped apart by her bare hands. When she saw the spray of blood rain upon the field of sunflowers, when she saw the sky become dyed black and red, when she saw the six purple wings of a being so powerful that even her familiar could not defeat it on her own, when she saw the maddened lustful anger of the one whom she had summoned, she knew for a fact that it really was a nightmare.

And so Louise dreamed of sunflowers and battle.

…

Yuka smiled at the tiny form of her master who was currently curled up into a ball in the middle of the sunflower field of Mugenkan. The Flower Master of the Four Seasons noticed strange sounds coming from the sunflower field when he entered the dream realm for the night. He approached the source and found his master sleeping amongst her flowers. Yuka's smile grew bigger when he realized what this meant.

It means that he can train Louise in the use of magic here without inflicting any harm on her actual body. Perhaps he could teach her basic Danmaku dodging techniques first.

…


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: So here it is! Chapter three of the story. I've read the reviews and a lot of people have been wondering why I genderbent Yuka. This goes back to the first chapter. The Yuka in my fic is from a Gensokyo several centuries in the future, if you haven't noticed it yet. If you live that long, you tend to get bored with the same routines if you live in the same place.

Glances at the witches from Umineko.

That being said, Yuka stated that she wanted change in her life. Yukari decided to use the moment when Yuka was being sucked into the summoning portal to do just that…and troll.

Also, the dream sequence in the previous chapter is homage to both Sir Gabriel Blessing's The Hill of Swords as well as Touhou Five: Mystic Square. The six purple wings and the demons descending to the Garden of the Sun is a memory of Shinki and the residents of Makai from that particular incident.

Aside from that, nothing much to say except to enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing that would get me in trouble with the law.

...

"So…" Louise muttered as the two of us walked across the halls of the castle. I walked a step behind her and was once again using my parasol as a walking stick, my preferred use for it in small spaces when not in battle.

"So…" I repeated, the students who were in the way suddenly parted like lambs when confronted by a wolf. In the span of one day, my master went from the joke of the school to the harbinger of death. Granted, I was the one who was doing the harbinging but it was the thought that counted. Yes, harbinging is a word because I said so.

"…why are you following me, Yuka?" Louise said in a slightly nervous tone.

"Because I'm your familiar and partner, Louise." I simply said with a smile. Louise quickly spun around and held my arms while looking down on the ground.

"Look…I'm going to class. The stuff they teach there is probably very boring for a being as ancient and powerful as you so you don't really have to accompany me anymore if…you…don't…want…to. Umm…yeah." I raised a brow at her reasoning. True, the magic that they teach second years, of which my master is one of, might not bring anything new to the table for me but I wanted to observe all the same. You never know what you might pick up along the way.

"Nonsense, I am always open to learning new things. I'm sure that your classes can offer a different perspective on how magic works at the very least." I reasoned.

"Uuuu…" Louise let out before releasing her grip on me. She turned around and continued walking with me in tow. I must say that Louise has gotten much more comfortable in calling me by name instead of 'Familiar'. It took her a few days to be able to say my name with a straight face, or without butchering the pronunciation. Also, I have been seeing her appear in Mugenkan whenever she goes to sleep. Granted, she appears at random locations in the dream realm and she doesn't appear there every night. I'm still trying to figure out how to control her entry to my dream world but I can never detect her entrance into it, very strange.

After a while, we settled into a routine. I would wake her just before dawn, nose pinching is no longer allowed for some reason. Afterward, I would prepare her uniform as she stretches and blinks away any remaining drops of sleep in her eyes. I would wait for her outside while she prepares and trade small talk with Guiche and Monmon. Yes, I know her name is not Monmon but it is infinitely easier to say. They butcher my name, I butcher theirs. I must say, Guiche is much more skilled at growing flowers, roses in particular, than I had imagined. It seemed that it is an ingrained tradition in his family to be able to cultivate top-class roses as a rite of maturity. I traded notes with the boy and he seemed intrigued at the idea of using magic to help plants grow in places they normally wouldn't be able to. On my part, I came away with the system that his family had used to lace flower petals with spells. Those will be very useful later on. Monmon did her best to keep her patience as we discussed about flowers and the like but she usually gives up and heads back into the dormitory tower to fetch Louise. Dare I say that those two have become closer as of late? At the very least, Monmon has shown more respect and kindness toward my master though Louise was hesitant about Monmon's insistence of a tea party during the afternoons at first. My insistence on the idea was what convinced Louise to give into it. She enjoyed her time speaking with Monmon and it gave me and Guiche time to talk more about flowers, with Siesta chiming in every now and then.

I sometimes run into Tabitha and Kirche as well, though I try to avoid the latter if I could. After my duel with Guiche, the redhead seemed to start looking at me with lustful eyes. Understandable for a young woman her age but I was simply not interested, I was not Marisa. Sadly, Kirche once again shows that she cannot take a hint and continues her attempts to seduce me. The quiet girl, Tabitha, has become much more relaxed around my master and I, though her drake…Sylphid if I recall, was still dead scared of me. Then again, every other familiar still is. There isn't much to say about Tabitha aside from the fact that she clearly listens in on conversations even when deeply concentrating on her books. Again, like Patchouli but much more outgoing. As for the rest of the school…well, none of the students have tried to insult or belittle my master anymore. It has become more peaceful now because of it but don't really mind it that much. I have experienced this sort of thing before, the calm before the storm.

"Why is it that you've been following me to class so often now? A few days ago, you'd just be in the garden with Siesta during classes." Louise pointed out as we entered the classroom. The first time I did this was a sight to behold. It was always nice to hear the dead silence that came as soon as I entered a room. It warmed my heart to see that the children were as afraid of me as the 'killer golem' that Louise told me about one night, the stuff of nightmares for small magelings in this world I supposed. I had a hearty chuckle when Louise told me of the story. The killer golem was nowhere near as imposing as Alice's Goliath Dolls or the Moriya Shrine's Hisoutensoku. Louise still couldn't believe all the destruction that the battle against Hisoutensoku, when a wayward spirit possessed the giant construct, caused. Good times…

"I am currently trying to figure out an answer to a certain question and I require more information about this world's magic system before I can make any further postulations." I cryptically said, the question being 'what is Louise's element?' After the discussion we had post-duel, I became curious as to what my master's element was. She had said that she could not use any of the four base elements commonly found here, the only other possibility was Void and that has not been used in millennia. Add to that the theory that a mage's familiar should point to the mage's primary element and things get very complicated. I do not have an element per say but I can use manipulation of flowers or wield raw magical power to fuel my battles. This does not help to answer the question. If my abilities are to be the basis for Louise's element, then she would be either 'an element of growth and life' or 'a non-elemental magic type'. I would note that having an element of growth would be very ironic for my master considering her physical lack thereof.

"A question? What kind of question?" Louise asked as we both took our seats at an available area in the room, the rest of the class giving us some breathing space, though Guiche, Monmon, Kirche, and Tabitha were sitting behind us.

"Something that you will find out when the time comes." Was all I said before the teacher entered the room. She was a middle-aged woman wearing brown robe and had a witch's hat similar to Marisa's back in the day. As the lecture went on, I went over what I already knew as my master took down notes.

Instead of using spell cards to store, focus, and shape magical energy into completed spells, the mages in this world use some kind of foci instead. It can range from simple wands to staves, anything they can use to focus their magical energy into really. Guiche has already demonstrated that even rose petals can become foci for spells, very creative compared to most I've seen so far. In addition, a mage's power is directly proportional to how many single elements he or she can wield, the limit seems to be four. That is the reasoning for their mage rank system of dot, line, triangle, and square.

"Louise." I muttered as I nudged my master. She simply gave me a grunt, telling me to ask my question. This has been the thing between us during class, I would nudge her with a question in mind and she would do her best to answer it.

"Just to clarify, the application of magical elements by mages can be stacked for stronger spells, right? Does that include element redundancy?" I asked, Louise glanced at me for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, that is the basis for the stronger single-element specialists. Instead of adding a new element to their next level spells, they just add the same element over and over again to make it stronger instead of making a new effect." I had to suppress a grimace when I heard Kirche's voice answer the question and not Louise. I shook my head and simply ignored the redhead, opting to process the information instead. The stacking of elements would be similar to stacking spell cards to make stronger versions of the original spells. Examples include combining two Master Sparks to make a Dual-Spark or Final Spark depending on your use for it, that would be the equivalent of a line-class spell. A Final Master Spark would be a triangle class spell and a Twilight Spark would be a square class spell. Of course, the scale of magic power between this world and Gensokyo is completely different but the concept seems sound. I wonder what class of magic my 'Reflowering of Gensokyo' would rank as? Regardless, their concept of magic is very intriguing at least. I wonder what the top-tier mages are capable of? I wonder how long until they break by my hands?

"Now then, would you like to try transfiguring these stones into something else Miss Valliere?" The elder woman's words broke my train of thought as I felt my master tense up, along with the rest of the class.

"Umm…are you sure you want to do this Louise?" Monmon whispered to my master, her voice tinged with worry. I looked around and the rest of the students started hiding behind their desks, Tabitha opting to leave the room altogether.

"I'll do it!" Louise declared as she stood up and walked toward the front of the class where several pebbles were piled up on the teacher's desk. I glanced back when Guiche tapped me on the shoulder.

"You should take cover as well Mister Yuka." The blonde boy warned me right before he was pulled behind his desk by Monmon, Kirche hiding behind hers as well. I ignored them and decided to focus on my master instead. She has never tried magic in front of me since her 'silencing spell' when we first met. I was not paying attention at the time, so I didn't know the actual nuances of her casting. This time though, I planned to sit and observe my master through all of her casting process to determine what could be going wrong whenever she casts her spells. I leaned in closer when I saw my master begin the incantation. If her stories and the reactions of the class is to be believed, then the result should be a rather impressiv—

…

"Most intriguing…" I muttered, lost in my own thoughts, as I fell a step behind the silent Louise as we walked. We left the smoking remains of her classroom and the severely disoriented occupants in order for Louise to change her clothes.

"What is? My complete and utter failure at casting magic?" Louise sarcastically let out, I shook my head at her words. This girl…

"Haven't we already been through this? You are not a failure as a mage. If you were, I wouldn't be here." I reminded her. My words made the girl stop and spin around to look at me right in the eye.

"Then why can't I ever cast a spell properly?" She bitterly asked me. That is indeed the question.

"Tell me, what were you trying to turn those pebbles into?" I asked my master as I walked past her, prompting her to start following me instead. Always better to make her think of something else than let her wallow in self pity, no girl that summoned Yuka Kazami is permitted to feel sorry for herself.

"Brass…just like the professor did." She said, confirming my observations. Right up until the point where Louise let her spell out, everything was working fine. The gathering of magical energy, the focus of the magic to the tip of her wand, and the manipulation of it to the spell she wanted to cast, all were done correctly as far as this world's system goes. However, at the point of release, the spell simply…collapsed. As soon as the spell was cast, everything that held it together suddenly broke down and caused a violent magical reaction resulting in the explosion. The strange thing was, the explosion wasn't even harmful. All it did was dispense the energy it gathered into magical debris, soot in this case. Was Louise subconsciously sabotaging her own spells? That's not right. If that was the case, then someone in the teaching staff should have already noticed it by now.

"And what did you feel as you cast the spell?" I asked her while I opened the door to her room, letting her in first. The girl hummed for a few moments while I put my parasol on her desk and fetched a change of clothes for her.

"It was like any other spell. It felt fine until I actually cast it, then it felt…wrong." Louise explained as she removed her clothes to change into her new ones. I sat on the chair and mulled over the information, ignoring Louise momentary state of nudity. Spell Destruction? Was Louise simply overloading the spell at the last millisecond without anyone noticing? No, if it was that then the spell would have either fizzled out before it was fully cast or all the humans in the room would have died. Not Spell Destruction…but Spell Breaking, like in Danmaku battles. Strange, the only way for someone to break a spell is to either attack the caster until they can no longer maintain the spell or overwhelm it with their own. However, both methods take time and Louise's spell break was instantaneous. The only way you can do it that fast without killing anyone is by taking away something critical from the spell that would otherwise make it work. Going by that logic, the only way you can do that is by making small and subtle augmentations to the spell via Border Manipula-

It can't be…can it? My little master is a developing border manipulator?

"No…I'm over thinking this…" I muttered before Louise's yelp caught my attention. I noticed that she was half-dressed and was looking at me with a very embarrassed expression while covering her chest with her hands.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" I asked with a raised brow, making Louise flinch and take another step back.

"W-w-w-what d-d-o you thing you're doing? Watching me undress while glaring at me with such predatory eyes? Y-y-you're not going to do anything to me are you?" Louise babbled. Predatory eyes? Oh…

"A misunderstanding…" I said while holding up my right hand, that didn't seem to convince her.

"I was trying to figure out what has been causing your spells to end up as explosions. I did not realize that I was looking at you with such…intensity while I was trying to unravel the mystery." I explained. The mention of me trying to figure out why she keeps failing at magic seemed to perk up her curiosity.

"And?" She suddenly leaned in closer, eager to hear my findings about her spell casting issue.

"And…I suggest that you get fully dressed first. You wouldn't want to catch a cold or have me watch you with 'predatory eyes' again hmmm?" I teased, making quotation gestures with my hands at the words 'predatory eyes'. The effect was instantaneous and my master quickly got herself dressed while I picked up my parasol and opened the door.

"The usual spot. I'll call Siesta for some tea while we discuss this." I told her before leaving the room. I checked my pocket watch and walked to the garden where Siesta was tending to the flowers during this time. When I arrived I found her speaking with another human, a male human noble who was at least twice her age. Judging by how the man was looking at her, it would seem that he lusts for her and that just won't do. I casually opened my parasol and walked toward the two humans.

"Greetings Siesta!" I gave her a hearty greeting, making both humans turn to me.

"Mister Yuka!" The maid exclaimed before looking between the noble and myself.

"And this is?" The man asked with a sneer.

"Oh! This is Mister Yuka, he's Miss Valliere's familiar." Siesta explained to the man, making his brow rise.

"Familiar? A commoner? And to a Valliere of all people? Surely you jest dear Siesta" The man said before laughing at me. Oh my…

"Um-um-um…well…t-this is Count Mott…and um…" Siesta nervously tried to introduce the man who was inching closer and closer to becoming paste on the castle wall.

"Palace Messenger and Count of Tarbes. Consider it an honor for you to even be able to speak to one such as I." The man known as Mott said with another sneer.

"Yuka Kazami. A pleasure, Count." I politely said while standing up straight and leaning my open parasol on my right shoulder. The man snorted at me before turning his attention back to Siesta.

"We will continue this later then. Till next time dear Siesta." Mott said before taking Siesta's hand and kissing the back of it, making the girl blush. He sneered at me one more time before going to the direction of the castle.

"Umm…Mister Yuka…that was…I mean…" Siesta babbled while making gestures with her hands as if they were visual aids or something.

"Pay no mind. My master and I have things to discuss, can you serve us some tea at the usual place?" I went back to the reason why I sought out the girl in the first place.

"Oh! Of course! At once Mister Yuka!" The maid happily said before trotting off to prepare our tea. I turned back to the direction where Mott disappeared to. You might be wondering why I didn't kill him in the onset of his insults. The reason is simply because, if I killed him, it would mean that he was worth killing in the first place. No, I will not waste my time with such garbage while I still have matters to iron out with Louise.

If he ever becomes a liability to my current lifestyle though…

…

"Well, what did you find out?" Louise anxiously asked me, completely ignoring the cup of tea in front of her. Siesta had to leave after serving us the tea and some pastries because of her other duties. The other members of Louise's little circle of acquaintances also had other business to take care of, so it was just me and Louise at the table.

"A few things but nothing final yet. I am not made for fine analysis so all I can provide are observations and conclusions based on my own experiences." I set the expectations to our talk before savoring the aroma of the tea.

"Fine, fine…out with it then!" Louise quickly responded, eager to find out what conclusions I have drawn on. I took a sip of tea and gathered my thoughts. Where should I begin?

"Hmmm…first, I would like to point out what I noticed whenever you try to cast a standard spell." I stated, making Louise lean in closer.

"Yes…" Louise said, urging me to continue.

"Your spells immediately self-destruct at the moment of release." I clearly stated before raising my left hand in front of her before she could respond.

"Normally, that result is because the caster simply cast the spell wrong or put in inappropriate amounts of power. You however, do not violate either condition. I have observed you in class and you are very studious in your lessons so I highly doubt that you would make any mistakes in the theoretical aspects of your world's magic." I assured her. The unexpected praise made Louise lean back into her seat and stare at her cup of tea, her cheeks coloring slightly. This was the first thing I had to deal with. I had to make sure that Louise does not immediately assume that the failures were all her fault. She has been doing that all her life and it always made her stop thinking and exploring other possibilities. Louise's methods in casting were not wrong, it is just that something else keeps happening whenever she tries to use magic.

"At the point of release of the spell, something breaks down the spell structure and causes violent magical reactions between the components. Normally, there should be a conscious effort in order to do that. Additionally, you had to have an intimate understanding of the underlying theories about each spell." I expounded. Louise was listening intently at my explanations while nursing her cup of tea.

"Wait…what do you mean about conscious effort and intimate understanding of underlying theories?" Louise asked. Good, she has started thinking.

"Conscious effort is simply what it says: It is the conscious desire to make the spell fail and acting upon it." This made Louise place her cup down on the table a little harder than one would normally would.

"I would never want any of my spells to fail!" Louise yelled out at me and I nodded in agreement while pouring myself a new cup of tea.

"Indeed. Even if it was unconsciously, I would have noticed that you were trying to sabotage your own spell. I found no evidence of the sort during your demonstration in the classroom. Besides, it takes something special for you to be able to destroy each and every spell the exact same way." I continued, making her raise a brow.

"What do you mean by that?" Louise voiced her wonder.

"That ties in to the second thing, having an intimate understanding of the underlying theories about magic. What that means is that you have an absolute understanding about how each and every one of your spells work to the point that you can dictate what element is needed to be added to another element and provide the exact amount needed of each to be able to create a certain spell. It is like memorizing all the recipes in a cookbook." I explained. Louise considered this for a moment before shaking her head.

"I have no idea how I could know all of that, half the spells I have tried to cast were first time spells for me. I simply did what I was instructed by our textbooks or teachers and they all ended up the same way." Louise said with a resigned shrug, I gave her a few moments to realize what she had just said. Her eyes suddenly widened when she made the critical realization.

"They all ended up the same way…" She muttered before looking at my smiling face. That's right Louise, don't stop thinking.

"Indeed. It is very difficult to make completely different spells fail in the exact same way. You can make fire spells go out of control and burn uncontrollably. You can make water spells spray liquid right in your face. You can make earth spells cause an earthquake instead of forming a pillar of stone. You can make wind spells produce tornadoes instead of a gale. However, it is extremely difficult to make them all result in an explosion, not just any explosion either." I said, making my master blink a few times.

"What do you mean? An explosion is an explosion right?" She asked and I shook my head in response.

"Regular explosions have the result of heat and fire as well as a shockwave from the sudden energy released. Your explosions are mostly non-lethal and produce non-elemental concussive blasts, the smoke that it produces is left over magical energy that was not converted to the correct kind of energy for the spell. Haven't you ever wondered why you haven't died or killed anyone with your explosions yet?" I asked an obvious question. Louise opened her mouth to respond but she quickly closed it started rubbing her chin with her hand

"You know, I never really thought about that…." She admitted with a grimace. She was probably too caught up with her failure to notice it outright and I am sure that her classmates did not help the situation either.

"And now you are. The reason why your spells keep breaking is not because you are casting them wrong. It is not because you are deliberately destroying them either. It is because a phenomenon known as spell breaking keeps happening." I continued with the next point.

"Spell Breaking?" She repeated questioningly, unfamiliar with the terminology.

"It is the act of deliberately destroying someone else's spell. In Gensokyo, this was the primary method to settle fights. Two combatants would duel and they would cast spells against each other and try to break the other's spell in the process. A contest of magical might, creativity, and nimbleness." I said, making Louise give me a 'what' look.

"Nimbleness?" My master asked with a tilted head.

"Would you be willing to simply stand there while your opponent casts magic intended to break your own?" I rhetorically asked Louise. I waited until she stopped grumbling to herself before continuing.

"I will explain the intricacies of Danmaku battles at a later time, you can be sure of that." I assured her with a warm smile. She smiled at me and nodded, such sweet ignorance.

"But what about when I cast Explosion for real? That gets cast correctly right?" She asked me with the same smile.

"Unfortunately not. It looks the same but it is still subject to the same effect as the others. Your real explosion spell is not lethal either, right?" I pointed out. Louise smile faded at my words and she once again started staring at her tea with eyes of self pity.

"Louise, this is no time to feel sorry for yourself. Haven't I said before? We are here to discuss why your spells keep failing. Once we find the heart of the matter and rectify it, you should be able to cast magic just like any one else amongst your peers." I reminded her with a smile, somewhat lifting her spirits again. Although the kind of magic my master will eventually wield could very well be like nothing her peers have ever seen before.

"Going back on topic…" I started while pouring my master a new cup of tea.

"The reason why your spells keep failing at the absolute last moment is because spell breaks keep occurring whenever you cast them. The question now becomes…why?" I continued, making sure to pause for a few moments to let the words sink in and let Louise think about this herself.

"Because I'm using the wrong element? But that's impossible! I've tried all the elements and all of them ended up as broken spells!" Louise reasoned. Well, it was a start.

"You left out one more element." I casually said before taking a sip of my own cup of tea.

"I am not a Void mage." My master stated in all seriousness. I chuckled while shaking my head, Louise seemed to take offence to this and she stood up before she slammed her hands on the table.

"You don't have any proof that I am a Void mage!" She yelled at me, trying her best to intimidate me even though she knew better. She is brave, no doubt about that.

"And you have no proof that you are not. Besides, you didn't let me finish. Being a Void mage is not the only possibility here." I explained. Louise sat back down and narrowed her eyes at me.

"What are you talking about?" She voiced her concern.

"You believe that you are not a Void mage even though you cannot control any other element, fine. Let us explore other possibilities instead. There are only three other possibilities I can think of as to why your spells will not work the way they are designed." I stated, holding up three fingers.

"You have discovered an entirely new element altogether." I stated before ticking down a finger.

"You need a completely different way of casting your spells." I continued before ticking down another finger.

"Or…you have an ability that will allow you to become the most powerful being in this world." I concluded before ticking down the final finger. The revelation seemed to have been too much for the girl and she held the sides of her head with her hands.

"By the founder…" She muttered to herself.

"We will have time to discover the true secret of your power. I suggest that you look into the Void angle of this and I will take care of the others." I stated while Louise was slowly shaking her head.

"So…it's between Void, a completely unknown element, developing a brand new casting style, or…what was the last one?" She asked me. Of all the times for her to start thinking…

"Something far too powerful for you to wield in your current state. It is a power that would allow you to shape the world as you wished. Don't think about it too hard at the moment, the other possibilities are far more likely than that last one." I stated in all seriousness, making Louise gulp. I know what power is when I see it and Border Manipulation is one of the highest there is. If Louise is a manipulator then she and this entire world are in a very precarious situation. I shook my head as I started to think the way she was moments ago, there are still other possibilities. Do not stop thinking.

"Regardless, I would like you to check the books in your library for anything about humanoid summonings. That should be your first clue to finding out more about the Void." I advised as I finished the last cup of tea for the afternoon.

"Why humanoid summonings?" My master curiously asked.

"Kirche stated that there hasn't been a human summoning since the days of your Founder Brimir so it is logical to think that it is the best place to start." I reasoned, my master nodding in agreement.

"Is that all?" Louise asked to make sure.

"For now, yes. Those are the possibilities I can see from what I've seen so far. Again, only the first three are the realistic ones so we will focus on those. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?" I asked Louise and she nodded.

"Yes, tomorrow is the day of the void and everyone gets a day off. I want to visit the city and do some shopping and I want you to get yourself a sword." She stated and I very nearly gawked at her.

"You want me…to acquire a sword?" I asked to make sure that I heard it correctly.

"Yes, at the very least it will offer some protection." She said while nodding to herself.

"Louise…you should already know that I don't need a sword to fight." I clearly said. I may have been a little too soft lately if she had already forgotten about Guiche.

"I know that! This isn't for your protection, it is for everyone else's." Louise clarified, making me raise a brow.

"A deterrent then?" I postulated and got my confirmation with a nod from the pink-haired girl.

"You are the familiar of a Valliere. I don't care if you are powerful, you should at least look ready to defend yourself and your master." She reasoned, making me smile and shake my head.

"Louise, I have never cared for what humans think of me. You should also know that I am more than capable of defending you and myself." I reminded the girl.

"I know that…I know what you are capable of, but other people don't. If they see a noble girl walking with someone who looks like a gardener of all things, they would think less of her. It might even tempt robbers or kidnappers to try their luck with me. Do you want to have to face bandit after bandit every time we leave the academy?" She stated her true reason. Human prejudice, something the Yama has had countless headaches over. Although…

"Is that even a question?" I asked her with a bit of an evil grin. A few bandits should serve as a minor change of pace from what has been going on as of late. Louise sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose at my response, she really should have known better.

"Look, we are going to the city tomorrow. You will help me with some shopping and you will get a sword while we're there, okay?" Louise asked with a hint of finality. It was not an order, but a request to her partner.

"Very well. I shall grant you that favour if you grant one of mine." I said with a warmer smile.

"Name it." She immediately responded.

"I am thinking of getting a straw hat. Think of me as being nostalgic, but the lack of hats here has unnerved me as of late. I seek to rectify that." I said with a smile. Louise looked at me with a curious expression before agreeing. Maybe I should get one for Siesta as well, it would be useful while tending the flowers.

…

"Surely you are not serious about this Louise." I stated with an obvious amount of apprehension as my master showed me our means to get to the city, a pair of horses.

"What do you mean? Riding horses is the best way to the capital short of taking a carriage or a flying beast. Sadly, we can ill afford to hire either one so we get to use the next best thing, unless you plan on making your master walk all the way there?" Louise noted with a hint of sarcasm. While I was glad that the girl has been opening up to me, thus becoming more candid in our conversations, the very idea of riding animals as a means of transport did not sit well with me. It just seemed so…backwards.

"Please don't tell me that the mighty Yuka Kazami is afraid of riding a horse." My master deadpanned as she looked flatly at me. I cleared my throat and shook my head.

"No, I fear nothing. I am simply a bit put off to think that you would resort to such…primitive ways of travel." I admitted with no small sense of distaste.

"Well excuse me, princess." My master once again took a jab at me as she rolled her eyes at my words, cheeky little thing.

"If you are so adamant about travelling to the city in the quickest way available then I should be able to help with that, come with me." I said while gesturing to a more open space inside the castle grounds.

"Now then, please hold this." I said as I handed my parasol to Louise, who held it in her arms like she did during my duel with Guiche. She raised a brow when I walked away from her and stopped some distance away. I closed my eyes and focused. I admit that I have not needed to use this in a while as I have never needed to fly faster than I leisurely do. I grunted as I felt them form before quickly opening my eyes when I released them from their bindings. Louise shrieked as she suddenly saw a pair of large dark green, nearly black, feathered wings spring out of my back. I noted with slight disapproval that I should have taken into account the damage the sprouting wings would do to my clothes. Oh well…

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what in the founder's name are those!" Louise panic stricken voice yelled out as she pointed at my new appendages.

"Why, they are wings. Have you not seen them on flying creatures before?" I rhetorically asked.

"I know that! I've just never seen them on a human bei-" Louise started but…

"I am not human…" I interrupted before…

"You know what I mean! Why do you even have wings anyway?" Louise quickly countered with a question.

"Funny story to that. I got these when I ran into a maid who was out shopping for her master, there were many explosions that happened during this span of time." I provided and Louise simply gave me another 'what' look.

"I'll tell you about it some other time." I assured her as I folded my large wings and walked up to Louise before picking her up in my arms.

"H-h-h-hey! Wh-wh-what do you think you're doing? Stupid familiar!" Louise suddenly started to protest as she struggled to get free, thankfully keeping my parasol in her hands..

"Tell me Louise," I started, making my master stop struggling for a moment before looking into my eyes.

"Have you ever wondered what its like to fly?" I asked before flapping my wings and ascending. Louise suddenly yelped in surprise at the sensation and curled up as best she could in my grasp. I smiled at the sight of my tiny master. Such a vulnerable child who managed to summon me. A child who had nothing of herself to believe in. A child who suddenly realized that she had the potential to shake the very foundations of her world in time. I shook my head at the strange similarities my past had with her present. Of course, Louise is no monster.

"Open your eyes, child of Valliere. Open them and witness the beauty of the skies." I said as I slowly flew higher, taking note not to go too high or too fast. My master heeded my words and opened her eyes.

"Huwaaaa…" Louise muttered with ever widening eyes as she finally realized that we were indeed flying in the sky. She turned her gaze down and shrieked before curling up closer me.

"I knew I forgot something…don't look down Louise." I belatedly warned the girl, who shot me a dry look.

"Don't look down, only look up and forwards." I suggested. My master turned her head to the horizon and I could notice the smile forming on her face as the wind flowed on her face.

"We're flying…" She said to herself in awe. I gently ascended when I saw some low clouds and flew close to them.

"Go on, touch them." I said. Louise turned to me for a moment with a confused look before seeing what I meant. She quickly adopted a wide smile before gently reaching out and touching the clouds.

"This is…amazing!" She exclaimed as she turned back to me with the biggest smile I have ever seen her have, a very rare smile that she must not have shown in a long time. It was at that moment that I decided that I much preferred a smiling Louise. Not that I would ever admit it to anyone…

…

The capital of Tristain was a rather large city in my honest opinion. Granted, it is the only city I have yet to see in this world but I believe my point would still stand. Louise began our shopping spree by purchasing various reagents for her spell work, something about doing some homework I believe. I tried to remind her of our earlier discussion, stating that she may not even need those in the practical sense if my theory is correct. My master would not hear any of it and insisted that it is still important for her to learn how the magic of her world works regardless if she really is capable of using a kind of magic that has not been used for millennia or magic that has never been used ever. I could not argue with the point she raised and simply decided to let her do what she wanted, you never know when all those volatile ingredients would come in handy someday.

After Louise's primary objective was completed, she had her reagents arranged to be delivered to the academy in the following days, she saw it fit to see to my request. Thus, we found ourselves inside a rather well stocked hat shop.

"I must say…" I muttered as I looked around the various headgears available in the shop. They had all manner of hats and even ribbons and other head accessories.

"They have a very nice selection." I finished as I took a top hat and tried it on, earning a snort from Louise. The attendant of the shop was a young woman who seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties. She was wearing a plain green dress and it seemed that she was not a noble from the way she carried herself.

"Thank you very much, we try to make sure that our shop has everything one could need. Are you looking for something in particular, sir?" She asked me as if I was a noble. I guess that being accompanied by a young woman from the magic academy made me seem like I was her guardian or something, an eccentric guardian from the awkward look the attendant gave me for a moment.

"Yes, do you have straw hats? Particularly ones with a wide brim and…" I detailed the kind of hats I wanted for Siesta and myself. I was trying to get a hat that was as close to the straw hat I had back in Gensokyo as possible. I admit, I would have been able to conjure up hats by the thousands if I wanted to, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of explaining to Louise that I made them in Mugenkan. I was not ready to tell her about that yet, nor was I ready to wake her when she drops in again. At worse, she might accuse me of stealing the hats, which would be utterly preposterous! Stealing would imply that I did not want the owner to know I had acquired the item in fear of being found out. I do not steal, I take.

"We have those kinds of hats in stock. Please wait here while I fetch them for you." The attendant said before going to a back room. I glanced around and saw Louise trying out various hats in front of a mirror. At the moment, she was trying on a black bowler hat which didn't really suit her. I looked around and picked up a particular hat and walked up to Louise.

"That really does not suit you, Louise." I said as I stepped into view. My master glanced at me before shrugging and removing the hat.

"I was just curious…" She said before taking off the bowler hat and returning it. I took the chance to put the hat I found on her head and grinned. The pink-haired girl touched the thing on her head before looking at the mirror and giving an 'urk'.

"Your faith is strong, Louise. Burn the heretics." I teasingly said as I grinned at the sight of my master wearing a red Commissar Hat that was two sizes too big.

"Very funny, making me wear a Germanian Military Hat. How'd they get this anyway?" Louise asked as she took off the hat and looked around at the various others. I gave a thoughtful hum as I wondered the same thing at the moment. I could see assortments of berets, witch hats, turbans, baseball caps, really…even things that aren't even supposed to be here like the head dress of a shaman. I glanced back at Louise who was eyeing a particular item. I walked over to the hat in question and raised a brow.

"Now this is interesting…" I said as I studied the hat. At a glance, it seemed like a western hat, a black leather hide cowboy hat to be precise. It had a black leather belt with a circular metal buckle that kept the top secure if needed. The brim was pointed at the front, which drooped slightly down at the end, but somewhat rounder to the sides and back, which was folded up by a couple of inches. I turned it over and saw that the underside was lined with frilled cotton like a witch's hat. It basically looked like a cowboy hat that was mixed with Marisa's old witch hat. I turned back to Louise and handed her the item.

"Try it on." I offered. She hesitated for a moment before taking the hat and putting it on, a perfect fit. The brim of the hat was enough to block out the rays of the sun without compromising vision. Louise looked at herself in the mirror and checked out how she looked from different angles. I stepped forward and shifted the tip a bit to the right side, making the buckle on top more visible if viewed from the front.

"I approve. It looks good on you." I stated with a satisfied smile.

"You really think so?" Louise glanced at me from the mirror as she tilted the hat a bit to the right.

"It really does, ma'am." We both turned to the voice and saw that the attendant had returned with my orders. I was satisfied to see that the straw hats she brought were up to my standard as I put mine on and looked at the mirror.

"So, what do you think? Do I still look like a gardener?" I said with a satisfied smirk. Louise huffed and gave me her own smirk.

"No, you look like a farmer now." Louise responded. Such spunk, my master has.

"Will you take the three hats?" The attendant asked us expectantly. Louise and I looked at each other before she touched the sides of her cowboy hat.

"Take it. It really does suit you." I said with a warm smile.

"Okay, we'll take all three then." Louise said, much to the delight of the attendant. Louise paid for the hats, her own hat was much more expensive for obvious reasons, before we left the store. We were both wearing our newly acquired headgear so I only had Siesta's hat wrapped up.

"Why do you need two hats?" Louise asked as she adjusted her new hat with her hands, trying to find the sweet spot that would make it the most comfortable to wear.

"The other one is for Siesta. Think of it as a gift from a fellow flower enthusiast." I said simply, making my master raise a brow.

"Don't tell me that you are starting to fall for the maid." She asked. I blinked a few times before chuckling at what she was implying.

"Nothing like that, Louise. I am simply showing my appreciation to her dedication at caring for the flower garden at the academy. You know how I am when it comes to flowers, yes?" I explained and Louise nodded at my question.

"I harbor no such feelings for the girl, I assure you. I have never even felt that particular emotion yet." I admitted as we walked through the streets.

"Really? You've never been in love…ever?" She asked in surprise.

"Not since my birth as a youkai, no. I have never felt the need to feel that kind of thing, so I never really thought about it." I said while shaking my head.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Louise muttered as she walked on a step ahead of me. A first time for everything, eh? I admit, coming from my experiences, such words are true. But love? I highly doubt it, especially considering I was female several days ago. Then again, nothing is impossible. I know that much from living in Gensokyo for so long. I shook my head of such trivial thoughts and simply continued to follow my master through the crowded streets.

…

"Are you sure this is a weapon shop?" I asked as we stood in front of a non-descript building. Louise finally got around to dragging me all over the place to get me a sword for 'protection purposes'. We had already tried other weapon shops but all their wares were far beyond my master's budget limit. We eventually made it all the way to the poorer part of the city and found this place.

"It has a sword and a shield on the sign, what else could it be?" Louise asked as she pointed at the wooden sign above the door.

"Point taken. Shall we then?" I asked as I opened the door for her. Louise walked inside, making sure not to get her hat caught on the door frame.

"Welcome custome-" The owner of the shop stopped mid-greeting when he saw us, probably not what he expected for those looking for implements of death.

"We're looking for a sword, one for him." Louise stated simply with her hands on her hips. The middle-aged man looked at my master then back to me. I tipped my hat to him as a greeting and he nodded back in acknowledgement.

"Anything in particular you are looking for?" He asked. I merely shrugged and Louise suddenly interrupted by asking for the best sword the shop had. I noticed the glint in the shopkeeper's eyes when he heard that and he quickly walked to the back room.

"The best in the shop!" He stated as he set the blade on the table. I heard my master give an 'ooohhh' of approval as she looked at the blade. I gave the piece of metal a cursory glance before silently determining that it would probably break if I swung it with any amount of force that I usually use with my parasol when in combat. I quietly smiled while squeezing the handle of my trusty parasol, which I was once again using as a walking stick. It probably contributed to my appearance of 'someone who probably has never been in a fight before'. Good, I always love the look on their faces when I finally let loose.

"Hand crafted by Germanian master alchemists! This beauty will cut through iron like a scythe through wheat." The shopkeeper proudly stated, my master nodding in approval and her eyes adopting a glint of its own. I sighed and shook my head at the sight.

"Amazing…how much is it?" Louise said the magic words and the man grinned.

"Three thousand new gold." The man replied, Louise's smile dropped at the price. It was once again far beyond the amount of money she had on hand.

"You could buy a mansion with that much gold!" My master shot back. The man took it in stride and shook his head before giving Louise a knowing smile.

"A fine blade is more than its weight in gold if you intend to use it to defend your life." The man stated as he nodded to himself sagely. Louise looked at the blade again, her hat blocking her face from my view, before looking back to me with an uncertain look.

"Well?" She asked me expectantly. She was probably going to try to buy the blade anyway if I had said yes. This was the last weapon shop we could find and it was late in the afternoon. If we tried to look for any more shops, we would be stuck here all night. Not good since Louise has classes tomorrow. I sighed and glanced at the blade once before looking at the man straight in the eye, my expression was completely serious.

"Too tacky, do you have something more practical? Something that would actually be useful in taking another being's life, human or otherwise?" I stated coldly, making the man flinch under my gaze. He cleared his throat before glancing away and eyeing the other weapons in stock. He glanced back to me s few times but he found that my gaze had not left him for a moment. He was starting to shift uncomfortably under my constant glare when I heard the sound of metal clanking together. I ignored it and kept my gazed firmly locked at the increasingly frightened man.

"Hahaha! Starting to sweat just by the man's stare? You're losing your touch!" Said a voice from the same direction where I heard the disturbance moments ago. I turned my head and saw that some of the swords were moving around inside a barrel. I raised a brow before approaching the blades.

"H-hey, don't just walk up to it." Louise cautiously said from behind me. I looked down at the barrel and blinked a few times.

"Something wrong, friend?" One of the sheathed blades said. Yes, said.

"This is a talking sword." I said as a statement and not a question since it was fairly obvious as to what it is.

"Seems like it…" Louise replied with a somewhat subdued voice, I am assuming that talking objects were not common here. I reached for the handle of the sword before pulling it out of the barrel.

"Easy there, partne-" The sword's words were cut off when I suddenly pulled part of the blade out in one smooth motion.

"Oowww! Watch it!" The sword said, its quillion acting as a makeshift mouth as it moved up and down as it spoke.

"Interesting…" I said as I inspected the sentient weapon. It was rusted over most of its edge, requiring much cleaning that I wasn't willing to perform. Still, a talking implement of death…

"I'll take it." I said with a particularly wicked grin that made the man, the girl, and the sword gulp at the same time.

…

"So…" The blade, Derflinger as it introduced itself as, spoke up as it was held by my master along with my parasol and Siesta's hat. We were flying back to the academy and the trip was mostly quiet due to Louise getting tired from the day's activities.

"So…" I repeated as I flapped my wings once to maintain our speed, Louise stifling a yawn.

"Why are we flying?" Derf asked, again, easier to pronounce than its full name like Monmon.

"Because it's faster than riding horses…" Louise managed to say before yawning. It's also safer for my master if she was already this tired.

"Right…but why is it that partner here can fly?" The sword followed up.

"My name is Yuka, not partner." I stated, the sword making what seemed to be a grumble from within its scabbard.

"To answer your question, I can do many things. This is simply one of those things." I answered. Derf didn't seem satisfied with the answer and slightly popped out of its confinement. How it managed to perform such a feat without any outside force is a question I intend to answer at a future time.

"I figured as much. You're…not human, are you?" The sword asked, even though it should already know the answer.

"No. I am a being that ill needs a sword. However, I will keep you as I promised my master that I would acquire a sword by the end of the day." I explained, Derf making a thoughtful noise before I grinned at the blade.

"Besides, this is the first time I have encountered a rusted over magical blade that could talk. A very interesting find at the very least." I added with the same grin I used before, making Derf quickly hide back into its scabbard.

I made my touchdown on the field in front of the dormitory tower. The sun had long since set and Louise had already fallen asleep during the trip. Derf and I had an agreement not to wake her as I carried her in silence to her room. I gently set my master down on her bed and she instinctively reached for her pillow and hugged it, uttering a 'munya' before she settled down. I didn't change her clothes since that might wake her, but I did put her new hat on the table and removed her cloak. I set both my parasol and Derf against the wall as I picked up Siesta's hat and reached for the door.

"Stay here and watch over my master, I just have something to drop off." I said before stepping out, not waiting for a response from Derf. I seriously doubted that a rusted sword could defend my master, magically sentient or otherwise, but it gave the blade something to do while I was away. I started walking through the halls with Siesta's present under my arm when I noticed Kirche's salamander peaking from the corner. I raised a brow as the creature repeatedly tried to emerge from its hiding place before cowering back as I continued walking in its direction.

"Yes?" I asked the familiar and it gave a panicked croak before scurrying away. I sighed at the sight and decided that it was probably another one of the redhead's childish schemes to try to seduce me. It wouldn't surprise me if she was in her room, clad in nothing more than silk laces, waiting for her familiar to bring me to her.

I managed to get to the area where the servants lived and asked for Siesta. The servants there either avoided the question or gave me vague answers at best and I was getting a bit irritated at the whole thing. I walked out to the garden in hopes that the maid was there. She wasn't.

"Siesta is…gone." A voice said from behind me. I turned and saw the head cook of the academy looking at me with a somber expression. He was a large man who loved to cook as much as Siesta loved to tend the flowers, though I didn't bother to learn anything more than that about him.

"Explain." I simply stated as I walked up to the man. He gulped before finally speaking.

"Siesta was taken away to Count Mott's estate this morning. They said that she was transferred there to become one of his personal servants." The cook explained, my eyes narrowing at the revelation. Count Mott…that man who was eyeing Siesta yesterday, he took her away? He actually dared to take something of mine? I smiled at the thought.

"Where is his estate?" I said with an ever growing sinister smile. The cook backed away a couple of steps from my reaction.

"It's in the village of Tarbes, he governs that region." The cook quickly stated.

"Tell me how to get there…"

…

I flew through the night sky, on a straight line towards Tarbes. I flew high and I flew fast, the way that Aya does. The old adage that Yuka Kazami is the slowest youkai in Gensokyo is nothing more than a farce that I instigated on a whim. It was not that I could not move fast, it was just that I chose to move slowly. It was to lull the enemy into a sense that I was an easy target and it made it more satisfying to destroy them as they found that they couldn't even defeat the slowest youkai in the realm. Now, however, I have no reason to keep that image. I was not out to rescue Siesta per say, I was merely out for an evening flight and I just happened to head in the direction of Tarbes. While there, I would say hello to the good Count Mott and ask very nicely for him to allow Siesta to return to the academy. If he accepts, then there won't be any problems. I would give the maid her present and we should be back by dawn.

If he refuses…

…

I managed to reach Tarbes and easily found the estate of the Count in short order. It was hard to miss since it was the only building that didn't look like a hovel. I dove in hard and fast before flapping my wings once in a powerful motion that killed my speed immediately and allowed me to drop to the ground inside the premises relatively easily. Normally, that would have alerted the guards in the area because of the wind my wings kicked up. Sadly, I dove hard and fast right on top of a guard and subsequently crushed him from the force of the wind carried by my dive. I shrugged it off before retracting my wings and tossed the lifeless body of the guard down a nearby well before walking up to the front door of the manor. I made sure to check that Siesta's hat was undamaged during transit before I knocked on the large wooden doors. I waited a few moments and was considering on kicking the door open when I heard a clicking sound and one of the doors opened slightly.

"Yes?" A familiar voice asked from within the manor.

"Siesta?" I asked to confirm, the subsequent gasp from the girl proved my assumption.

"M-m-mister Yuka? W-w-what are you doing here?" The maid asked, peeking her head outside with an embarrassed expression.

"I heard that the good Count Mott has acquired your services as of today, is that true?" I asked, wanting to hear it from her directly.

"…yes. As the Palace Messenger, the Count has a certain amount of influence in the kingdom. Getting a new maid out of a whim is nothing special for one of his stature." Siesta explained while avoiding my gaze. I made a thoughtful hum when I noticed something.

"Siesta, what are you wearing?" I asked and the maid gave a short yelp. She was about to close the door when I forced it open, nearly making the girl fall over. It was then that I saw that she was wearing a black, sleeveless French maid outfit. The whole thing was cut very short, leaving little to the imagination. I raised a brow at her attire and Siesta looked away in obvious embarrassment.

"I-i-it's not like he's doing anything wrong…" Siesta half-heartedly said. I sighed and removed the wrappings of her straw hat, trading it for the maid bonnet she was currently wearing.

"What?" She muttered as she touched the hat while I tossed away the piece of cloth in my hand.

"A gift, for a fellow enthusiast. It should shield you from the sun while tending the flowers at the academy." I simply stated. Siesta looked at me with a surprised expression before turning away and seemingly biting back tears.

"I…cannot go back." She responded.

"Yes, you will. Where is the count?" I asked while glancing around.

"No! You must not provoke the Count! You may have been victorious against Sir Gramont, but Count Mott is a triangle water mage!" The maid said in panic, sensing what I was intending to do.

"What is this racket about at such an hour?" Ah, there he is. The man himself said as he walked down the steps leading to the upper floors of his manor. He caught sight of me and Siesta and scowled.

"Siesta, what is that man doing in my home?" The man said in a threatening tone of voice, enough to make Siesta cower.

"H-he, Mister Yuka was just…I mean…" Siesta panicked as she tried to think of an explanation for my presence in the home of her new master in the middle of the night.

"I was simply here to make sure that my friend has acclimatized to her new surroundings, as well as dropping off a present." I politely explained to the man who was walking down the steps.

"I see. Siesta, go back to the servant's room." Mott commanded, making the maid give a very fearful expression.

"B-b-b-b-but…" Siesta started, I placed my hand on her shoulder and she turned to me.

"I'll be fine. I'll just need to have a gentlemanly discussion with the good Count." I said with a smile. Siesta hesitated for a few moments before bowing to the Count and I and leaving. The only ones left there were me and Mott.

"So, tell me. Are you Siesta's lover?" The man asked. Why does everyone think that?

"No. I am simply a fellow gardening enthusiast who would very much appreciate it if she would be returned to the academy post haste." I stated to the man with a smile, who simply scoffed at me.

"Do you have ANY idea who are you speaking to, mongrel? I am the Count of Tarbes! I am the Palace Messenger! I am a Triangle Class Mage!" Mott declared as menacingly as he could while whipping out a wand.

"I am well aware of who you are, my request will not change. Siesta will return with me to the academy, whether you want it or not." I responded.

"Guards!" The man said and a dozen armored men armed with halberds stormed in and surrounded me.

"I need not spend any effort with a commoner who is too stupid to realize who he is dealing with. Dispose of him!" Mott said before turning around and walking up the steps. I smiled as the dozen guards charged at me, twelve halberds ready to skewer me in the next few seconds. Too slow…

I moved between the gap the halberds in front of me made as they closed in before reaching for the heads of the two guards closest to me. I gave a murderous grin as I heard the sound of crunching metal when I squeezed my hands around the men's helmets. I glanced up and saw that Mott had turned around, no doubt wanting to see me run through. The result was not what he expected. I used the two guards as flails, smashing their bodies' right into their comrades'. One of the guards tried to finish me with an overhand swing of his halberd. The blow connected to my head…and the blade snapped off and flew right into a wall where it stayed. I turned to the utterly horrified guard and gave him a smile before hitting him on the head with the body of the guard in my left hand. I dropped the lifeless bodies of the two guards on the floor and eyed the three remaining guards who were standing in a defensive position in front of Mott.

"Brave but foolish. Tell me…have you ever heard of a plant known as a body snatcher?" I asked the men who gave me confused but frightened looks.

"It was a common misconception that the plants were giant pods that trapped hapless victims underground while the plants made organic doubles of the victims. The doubles would track down and capture more victims of the plant to feed off of." I said as I folded my arms and leaned back.

"However, that is not true. That system would be too inefficient since it would take a substantial amount of organic mass and time to be able to make a perfect copy of the victim that the body snatcher just took. Instead, the real body snatcher is a tiny plant that is no larger than a dandelion seed. It would creep into the host's ear and make its way into the brain where it would take over all body functions aside from higher thought processes. This means that the host would still be fully conscious of his surroundings even though it cannot control its own body anymore, essentially becoming a prisoner in his own body. A very unfortunate fate…" I finished before smiling warmly at the men, who were still pointing their spears at me.

"Wouldn't you say so, Count?" I added before three icicles impaled the three guards in front of me. The men made gurgling sounds as they all gazed at the thick piece of ice running through them before expiring and crumbling to the ground. I smiled at my work as calmly walked up to the count and patted him on the shoulder.

"The plant will remain in you for a week. In that time, you will witness it ruin your reputation to your people and your peers. You will watch helplessly as it denies you all necessities for living. You will watch as your body continues to move even though it should have expired long before. You will watch as the plant slowly dies in your brain, giving you one moment of control over your body before your brain shuts down as well. Have fun." I stated as I walked in the direction where Siesta ran off to.

"Come." I commanded the body snatcher and it followed dutifully. I should remember to command it to dispose of the bodies after Siesta and I have left.

…

"Siesta, pack your things. We're going back to the academy." I stated to the surprised maid. I managed to find Siesta's room by asking the other servants there. The presence of their Count made them much more amicable than the servants at the academy when I asked them the maid's location.

"B-b-but what about the Count?" Siesta asked nervously as she clutched her straw hat in her hands.

"The Count and I have come to an agreement and he has decided to free you from your duties here." I stated as I stepped into the room with the body snatcher walking right behind me.

"Count Mott!" Siesta suddenly said before she bowed to her master.

"It is true, what you have heard. You are free to go back to the academy. Mister Yuka and I had a discussion about this and I felt that you would be more suited to serve at the academy." The body snatcher stated to the shocked maid.

"I will also provide a carriage for your return. Please accept it with my good graces." The body snatcher said before leaving the room. Not bad for a plant the size of a seed.

"The Count…he seemed…subdued." Siesta pointed out as she looked at me with a worried expression.

"I assure you, I did not strike against the Count. He and I simply came to an understanding about things." I assured her but she didn't seem convinced.

"I don't know…it doesn't sound like him to back down just like that…" Siesta was proving to be more perceptive than I thought. Then again, she tends to the flowers well, being perceptive is a given for someone like that.

"One can only look away when faced with one's mistakes." I stated with a smile.

"What?" The maid responded with confusion.

"Something I read about once." I stated before helping Siesta pack. Hopefully, we would be back by dawn and Louise won't have to know that her familiar was gone all night. I'd better make sure that Derf and I are in agreement about that once I return.

…

Louise opened her eyes and found herself in the same sunflower field that she had dreamt about for the past few days. The grumbled a few times before standing up. This was the first time she actually bothered to stand in a dream so it was somewhat of a unique experience for her. She looked up and saw the endless night sky lit up by countless stars. Louise wondered for a moment why she couldn't find the two moons in the sky but simply shrugged it off. After all, this was just a dream.

She walked around for a while and noted that she was still wearing her school uniform minus her cloak and new hat. Such a dream she was having if she could notice those details! Louise eventually found a yellow brick road that seemed to lead to somewhere. She eyed it curiously before following it to where it goes. Along the way, she encountered a lifeless Scarecrow, a motionless golem made of tin, and a stuffed lion. Louise rubbed her eyes and shook her head, this was a very strange dream she was having.

She eventually made it to a large mansion that she had never seen before. She walked up to the front door and turned the knob, it was locked. The girl walked around the mansion and found that the back door and all the windows where locked as well, such a strange dream. Was this her mansion in the dream or someone else's? If it was someone else's, where did the owner go?

…

Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: A few more things I want to clear up before the chapter after reading some reviews. First, the lack of spark attacks. The reason why I didn't have Yuka throw sparks left and right is simple, I didn't want him to. Yuka is known as the Flower Master of the Four Seasons, I want to use that aspect of him more than his spark attacks. That said, expect him to utilize his flower manipulation and overall physical strength to settle fights instead of using sparks. Of course, that does not mean that he will not use sparks when the need arises.

Another thing is something that a friend of mine pointed out when he read the story thus far:

Why no Tsundere Louise?

I would like to believe that Louise's Tsun-Tsun tendencies are directly tied to her inferiority complex. She acted like a Tsundere because it was the only way she could cope with her conflicting feelings with Saito. On one hand, she is attracted to the guy so her dere side will inevitably shine through as evident in the show. On the other hand, she still sees herself inferior to other women because of fact that Saito openly still goes after other women even after he declared her love for Louise, hence the Tsun.

Yuka avoided all this for the most part because he made it a point to try to pull Louise out of her inferiority complex issues due to her lack of self-esteem. It also helps that Yuka does not have any open interest to the female cast thus far.

Of course…this does not mean that Yuka will be immune to tripping Louise's Tsundere tendencies. They're very much still there, it's just that Yuka has avoided flipping the right switch. This won't last forever of course…

By the way, Louise's hat is based on Marisa's hat from the Koumajou Densetsu games, better known as the Touhouvania games.

Lastly…Holy Crap! The story is on the FoZ recommended fic section of TV Tropes! My life is complete~!

Other than that, I want your reactions on how I handled this chapter…particularly the first encounter with Foquet. Please enjoy~

...

"Wait! No…okay! What about you…show your wings and do some acrobatic flying above the crowds?" Louise enthusiastically said as she spread her arms out to emphasize the kind of excitement that display would make.

"I refuse." I immediately responded before taking another sip of tea. My master pouted in her seat beside me but I chose to pretend that I did not notice.

"Why not?" Louise complained. It was another day and another afternoon, meaning it was time for our routine tea party with Guiche, Monmon, Kirche, Tabitha, and Siesta. My master and I were our new hats but Siesta refrained from doing the same, saying that she will use it on special occasions such as when she visits her family back home. I am proud to say that Louise has been getting compliments with her new hat, that should help her with her little issues with self-esteem and whatnot.

"Because you are asking me to fly around like a pet for the entertainment of strangers I have never even met, Yuka Kazami is no item for entertainment." I pointedly said to my master, who made a disapproving sound.

"Wait a second, you can fly?" Monmon voiced the unasked question for the rest of the occupants of the table.

"Yes, I can do a lot of things. Flying is simply one of them." I provided.

"That doesn't even bother me that much anymore, I can't believe that I'm getting used to this." Monmon said while rubbing her ever shining forehead.

"Seriously though, the Evaluation Fair is pretty important for second years. That means that it's important to your master too." Monmon continued, standing up for Louise.

"Monmon…" Louise muttered her name with teary eyes. It took a while for Monmon to get used to her nickname. At first she was irate that we would shorten her name to that extent and said that it was insulting to her actual name. Her defiance was cut short after Guiche said that he liked the nickname and that it sounded very cute. As of right now, only Guiche and Louise were allowed to call her Monmon. I call her Monmon too but she knew that she couldn't stop me from calling her that, so she just didn't bother to try.

"It's true though, Mister Yuka. We are all working hard with our familiars to make sure that we perform our best during the fair." Guiche spoke up next with a bit of an awkward smile to me. He was still rather apprehensive towards talking with me on subjects other than flowers, but he says that he's working on it.

"Why is this so important to all of you anyway?" I asked, intrigued as to why they were all putting so much effort into this whole thing. I have seen several of Louise's classmates, including her friends here at the table, practicing a sort of routine during their free time, but I never understood why they all seem to be so…enthused about it.

"Princess." Tabitha spoke up without removing her gaze from her current book, turning all eyes toward her.

"Princess?" I asked the blue-haired girl.

"Yep, the Princess of Tristain will be personally coming here to witness the evaluation and grant a prize to the winner." Kirche elaborated with a warm smile toward me. I was still very much ignoring her advances to seduce me, but she was a good influence toward my master in a way. By that I mean, my master has been doubling her efforts in trying to figure out her element if only to finally silence Kirche's incessant teasing.

"A Princess and a prize…" I muttered thoughtfully while sipping my tea. I saw my master's hat bob up and down, indicating a nod even though I could not see her face.

"Yes. This is my first real chance to show everyone, including the Princess, that I am not a Zero…that I have an amazing familiar." She muttered. I glanced around the table and saw that everyone else, including Siesta, were looking at me with pleading eyes…except for Tabitha who was just blankly staring at me. I sighed and put down my empty cup before clearing my throat.

"Give me until the end of the day. I will…arrange something." I finally conceded, eliciting smiles from everyone…except Tabitha who went back to reading her book. Louise looked up at me with an expression of disbelief.

"Now that I think about it, I guess it is time for your world to find out just how amazing of a familiar I am." I added with a cocky grin, making Louise light up with a smile that could make sunflowers turn her way.

…

After the tea party was over, I quickly ducked out and made my way to the garden before entering Mugenkan through the door there. I made sure that there were no witnesses when I did so, Tabitha was quiet enough but I didn't want anyone else from finding out about my dream world just yet. Think of me as being paranoid but I've had it with children suddenly breaking into my realm unannounced and suddenly making a mess of things. Granted, that happened several centuries ago, but still…

"Now where did the mansion materialize it?" I asked as I rummaged in my room in my new mansion. I left my parasol with Louise before I came here, no reason to bring it here and I could simply conjure up disposable spares if the need arose. I was currently looking for the item I would use for my…performance in Louise's little evaluation fair. I sighed as I realized the kind of effort I was putting into this simply for the sake of my master. Was it because I was being affected by the familiar contract or because I genuinely wanted to do this for Louise? Regardless, I was not going to be able to do anything about it until I found that missing item.

"Looking for this?" A very familiar voice said from behind me. I suddenly regretted not bringing along my parasol. Severely damaging my new mansion would be worth it if it meant that I could get a Master Spark off right in her face.

"Quite long ways from home aren't you?" I raised a brow as I turned toward Yukari who was leaning through one of her borders. In her hands was the item I was looking for, a violin case. I felt a very powerful urge to cringe when the border youkai looked up and down my frame before giving me one of the smiles that Kirche had been giving me.

"I could say the same to you, Yuka. I must say, you turned out to be quite the specimen." Yukari said slyly with a glint in her eye.

"Don't even think of going there. So, how did you even get here?" I asked her while folding my arms and leaning back, changing the subject.

"I'm currently inside your mansion in Mugenkan, the one in Gensokyo anyway. Since your dream world is constant no matter where you are, all I had to do is look for a mansion like this one. Chances were that you would be there, and here we are." Yukari explained, I nodded at her words. So Mugenkan was still connected to Gensokyo thanks to my other mansion. Convenient but…

"I'm assuming that the actual distance between the two mansions is rather significant." I postulated since I have never been able to sense the presence of the other mansion while I was in this mansion.

"That's right. I can't even begin to imagine how long it would take to travel between your mansions if you used normal flight. I only managed to get there myself because of my power." Yukari affirmed. I unconsciously scowled when she mentioned her power, she must have noticed this and tensed up.

"Hey now. I'm sorry for turning you into a man, well not really considering how nice you turned out, but you know what I mean." Yukari said while waving her hands in front of her, my violin still in her right hand, as she misinterpreted my reaction.

"Not that, I was just thinking of something. Tell me…" I started while I reached out and took the violin case from her. I laid it down on my bed before turning back to the border youkai.

"Aside from you, is there any possibility of another border manipulator to surface? A human border manipulator in particular…" I asked, once again Yukari tensed up. Did I hit a nerve or did I get lucky?

"A…human border manipulator you say…hehehe…" She said uncomfortably as she suddenly took a keen interest at staring at my plaid wallpaper.

"So it is possible then…" I answered for her. Yukari sighed before shaking her head.

"It happened way back when Reimu and Marisa were still alive and young. It was a very…unique circumstance, but yes, that one girl from the outside world could manipulate borders to a degree." Yukari confirmed my suspicions. Then was it really possible for Louise? I rubbed my chin with my right hand as I contemplated the news that it was possible for a human to be a border manipulator.

"As nice as it is to stare at you while you look all serious like that…" Yukari's words snapped me out of my thoughts and made me turn to her.

"…anything you'd like to explain?" The border youkai asked with a sense of interest in her voice. I weighed my options in regards to answering here. On one hand, this is Yukari Yakumo we are talking about here. Getting her involved with Louise could result in anything, especially if she finds out that I suspect my little master to be a manipulator like her. On the other hand, Yukari is the expert in the matter I was thinking about and her advice on how to deal with Louise would be invaluable. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was doing it again, focusing on only one possibility even though it was not the only one available.

"For now…I will say that I managed to find change in my life. Not what I was expecting, but it has been quite the novel experience thus far." I stated with a hint of a smile.

"Ooooh? Tell me more~" Yukari said as she leaned in closer, more interested with my current state of living than me becoming a member of the opposite sex. I cleared my throat before delivering the news.

"I have become the familiar of a young female mage in the world I am currently on." I said while showing Yukari the familiar runes on my left hand.

…

"Are you finished?" I asked Yukari who was still laughing while clutching her sides. Somewhere close to twenty minutes had passed since I told Yukari about me being a familiar and she had been laughing at me since. If I hadn't expected that reaction from her, I would have punched her in the face on the spot.

"I-I-I'm so-rry…but that was ju-ju-ju…" Yukari stuttered out before looking at me and laughing again.

"You can stop now, I have things I need to ask you about my master." I stated seriously, it didn't seem to deter her. In fact, my seriousness seemed to make her laugh harder.

"M-m-master! Y-Y-Yuka Kazami! Said Ma-ma-mast-! Oh! Oh! My sides! They hurt so!" Yukari said as she continued to laugh at me. I growled at her, losing my patience. I walked right up to her, grabbed the back of her head, and mashing my lips on hers. I drew back and looked at her absolutely shocked face. Yeah, that shut her up.

"Enough. I need to ask you a few things and they are quite important." I stated before walking up to my bed and sitting on it. Yukari cleared her throat, her face still very red from what I just did, before looking at me with a more serious expression.

"You suspect you master to be a manipulator of borders." She stated, piecing together the hints that I have laid out earlier in our conversation, I nodded in affirmation.

"Her name is Louise, she is the third daughter of a prestigious family of mages from this world. However, she cannot perform any magic native to this world properly…none that we know of anyway." I explained Louise's circumstances. Yukari simply shrugged at my words before waving her gloved left hand at me dismissively.

"So she's the black sheep of the family of mages, nothing particularly special there aside from the fact that you master seems to be a failu-" Yukari cut herself off when she realized what she was going to say. She made a thoughtful sound as she contemplated about Louise's circumstance. Yukari is wise, no matter how much she plays the fool. She knows that if Louise was a failure as a mage, then she shouldn't have been able to perform a summoning ritual…especially one that could pull me, of all things, into a summoning portal.

"I need more information…" Yukari stated with a professional tone. Yes, this was the Yukari I was looking for. She was showing interest in Louise now so I would be a gamble on how interested she will be with my master. Too little and she won't be able to give me any help. Too much and she might decide to interfere with my master's life.

"Whenever she casts any conventional spell from her world, they break at the moment of release. I have confirmed the phenomenon with my own eyes. Eyewitness reports from her peers and even herself support the theory that all her spells completely break at the final millisecond. As to why, I am not sure." I gave Yukari the abridged version of my earlier discussion with Louise. She nodded at my words before humming.

"And the same thing happens for all spells? Regardless of casting method or spell element used?" Yukari asked for clarification.

"Yes, ever single time. There is one more element she hasn't tried yet, but that element is ancient and hasn't been used for millennia, hence we lack the information to actually try it. As for casting method, they only have one casting system here, using foci such as wands to focus magical energy and shape it into the spell they want." I supplied, eliciting another few nods from the border youkai.

"An ancient element, a new casting method, a completely new element, and border manipulation. I suspect you reached the same conclusions?" She said with a smirk, I sighed and shook my head. I cannot believe that we thought of the same thing in the end.

"Yes, I couldn't think of any other possibility. So, what do you think? Could my master be a border manipulator?" I asked Yukari, who gave me a lazy shrug.

"I can't really say until I see one of her spells in person. I'm thinking that the ancient element angle is the most likely possibility. No matter how ancient it was, it still existed. That means that it can happen again and is far more likely than having to come up with a new casting method, which could take decades mind you, or trying to figure out a new element, which could take centuries." Yukari pretty much affirmed my earlier suspicions about Louise's power.

"Your little master has a lot of magical power to be able to bind you into a summoning contract but it doesn't prove that she is a manipulator. Even if she can make spells break instantaneously, it does not mean that she's manipulating the border of magic to do so. If she is as inexperienced as you say she is, then manipulating the border of magic and creating an accidental spell break should have resulted in something much more…messy." Yukari added, confirming that border manipulation, no matter the degree, requires significant control to pull off…control that Louise simply does not have as of this moment.

"I understand, I'll look into it further then. Thank you for your input." I stated before standing up and picking up my violin.

"Leaving already~?" Yukari said with a teasing voice, back to her old self again I see.

"I still have to prepare for something for the sake of my master." I simply said before opening the door to the hallway of my mansion.

"My, my. Such effort the mighty Yuka Kazami makes for a mortal human girl!" Yukari said in mock disbelief, I simply shrugged before replying.

"What can I say, I wanted change after all." I admitted before leaving Yukari in my room alone.

"Indeed…" I heard her say before I completely closed the door.

I walked out of the mansion and walked across the yellow brick road leading to the door back to the academy. I was not worried about Yukari following me outside or even fully crossing over to this side of the dream realm at all. Ever since the Lunarian invasion on Gensokyo several centuries ago, the border youkai has been more protective of her realm. I smiled at the memory, the battle that ensued because of some stupid power struggle on the moon. That was the very first incident that Reimu's daughter, Reimi, was involved in. Quite the trial by fire the young shrine maiden was put through. Luckily, she and her mother had a lot of help. That was also the incident that took Reimi's father's life. It took Reimu months to recover from that, leaving Reimi to keep the peace in the meantime. Though again, she was not alone.

Would Louise ever experience a large scale battle as what had transpired during that incident? Will she ever have to experience the pain of losing a loved one in the middle of a battlefield? Will she be able to overcome the challenges she will face in her life once we confirm what power she truly possesses?

"Of course she will…" I muttered to myself as I opened the door to the garden.

After all, she has me.

…

"So…" I stated as I looked at the odd sight of my master and Derf sitting across from each other with a round table between them, Derf wasn't as much as sitting as being propped up on a chair. Louise was drinking tea and was likely waiting for my return with what I was going to do for the fair.

"So…" Both sword and magician said to me. I sighed and closed the door to the room.

"I am rather surprised that you would get along so well with a sword." I said with a slight smirk, eliciting a grumble from said sword.

"An ancient, talking, magical rusted sword." I corrected, making sure to emphasize the word 'rusted'.

"I'm only rusted because you won't clean me!" Derf shot back in defiance, shaking in its scabbard as it did.

"What is that?" Louise asked as she pointed to the item I was carrying, changing the subject at the same time.

"This is a violin case, it is typically used to store a violin and its bow when it needs to be carried." I explained as I held up the case for both of them to see. The two of them looked at each other…well, Louise looked at Derf…then back to me.

"And what are you planning to do with an instrument?" Louise asked me. I raised a brow at the strange question. Louise was not stupid, she should already know my intention if I had-

"Probably going to bash someone's skull in with it." Derf followed up, I then saw something very strange. Louise looked back to Derf and smirked, if the sword had lips it probably would have smirked back. I shook my head at the sight. It was surreal seeing my master and my 'sword' work together to take a jab at me. It was far from being the strangest thing I have ever seen, but a surreal sight is a surreal sight.

"Well played, however…" I stated as I placed the violin case on Louise's desk next to my parasol before turning back to the two other occupants of the room.

"Have you gotten anywhere with researching about the Void?" I asked Louise, who immediately gave an 'urk' which meant that she still had nothing on the matter.

"I've been looking everywhere in the library, from history to folklore to magical theory. I still can't get any leads on what exactly Void is and what it can do, much less how the founder managed to cast them." Louise admitted with a defeated sight, I expected as much. The legend of the founder Brimir was over six thousand years old, far longer than the existence of Gensokyo as I know it. The actual facts of the mechanics of Void magic would either be too diluted in legend over the millennia to be useful or would be locked in some ancient grimoire or artifact, and those tend to be highly coveted, guarded, or lost to the sands of time.

"Hmmm…Void, eh?" Derf suddenly spoke up, making both Louise and I look at the ancient blade in curiosity. Has in heard something about Void before? It was conceivable as it was an ancient artifact and…wait…

"Please don't tell me that you were an enchanted blade that was once wielded by one of Brimir's familiars, the Left Hand of God: Gandalfr, and simply forgot about it because of how distant in the past it was." I postulated, my master was giving me an incredulous look after I said that. Louise had given me a run through of the current version of the legend days before. The mighty Brimir wielded Void magic and was aided by four special familiars with unique abilities depending on the required situation. Gandalfr was the combat specialist, a humanoid familiar said to be capable of wielding any weapon like a grandmaster. I could have asked why she was looking at me like that, but she had a tendency to speak her mind about things when in the presence of people close to her.

"That's awfully specific of you to say, Yuka." My master voiced her opinion, see?

"Still, are you really the sword that was wielded by the Gandalfr?" Louise asked the blade, a tiny glimmer of hope and awe in her eyes.

"Who knows, I can't remember if I was nor not, six thousand years is a very long time you know." Derf said casually while giving the best impression of a shrug a sword could possibly do. I heard Louise give out a heavy sigh of disappointment. It was a long shot, a veritable miracle if Derf really was a blade that was somehow associated with the very man Louise was researching about. Sadly, the only miracles I know of are the ones that demand great effort and sacrifice to achieve.

"I am assuming that you have mostly exhausted the resources available in the academy on the subject?" I asked Louise as I pulled up a chair and sat on the table with them.

"Everything available to the students. There's an old rumor that there is a hidden library somewhere in the school that houses an unbelievable amount of books. What we are looking for might be there but…" Louise trailed of, frustrated that she was reduced to relying on a baseless rumor for her research.

"Don't give up, we've just started delving into this." I pointedly said, making Louise glare at me for a few moments. The fire in her eyes tells me that she knows that but…

"Do you have any idea how frustrating it is? Knowing that you have power but you can't control it properly? That you don't even know what it is?" Yes, actually I once did. And since I did, I simply gave Louise a warm smile.

"That simply means that you are determined to find out. Do not forget that you are not alone in this, I will help with that as well." I stated softly to my master. Sadly, it seemed to have the opposite effect as I saw her eye twitch.

"And what kind of help have you done so far? You said that you'd look into the other possibilities about my magic but you come here as empty handed as I am." Louise bitterly said.

"Not really. I managed to at least confirm that the Void element angle is still our best possibility." I stated before pouring tea for myself. It had cooled somewhat, but still consumable.

"Elaborate…" Louise flatly stated, very nearly commanded.

"I have it on good authority that figuring out a new casting style that would be compatible for both yourself and the elements of this world could take decades." I started. Really, I thought about teaching Louise how to use spell cards when I remembered that their system of magic is drastically different from ours and could result in some very unique accidents, far worse that what Louise had been able to do so far.

"Discovering a new element would either take centuries or would not be possible at all. Otherwise, someone else would have already discovered it by now." I continued. I had asked Guiche and the others about what they thought of Louise's magical failures and the possibility that she had a completely new element that she needed to perform spells. The students had replied with varying degrees of 'no', stating that the system in use today was what was used by Brimir in the first place and it would be impossible for a human to be able to discover a new element out of nowhere. Tabitha had even opted to simply state that it was impossible. What about the so called 'elves' then? They are supposedly capable of wielding magic far beyond what humans are capable of. That would not make sense either since that would mean that Louise was not human and I know for a fact that she was very much human.

"The last possibility would be flat out impossible since you should have destroyed magic in the world altogether if one of your accidents got out of hand when you tried to use a spell with that particular ability with no control whatsoever." I was met with stone dead silence in the room and a shocked Louise and Derf. It was true though. Manipulation of the border of magic was more dangerous than I expected, especially after Yukari's uneasiness at the thought of what could happen if an inexperienced human child had an accident with it.

"I told you that ability was dangerous…" I simply said with a shrug. It took a few moments for Louise to compose herself before sighing again.

"So Void is the best possibility? The magic that hasn't been heard of since the time of the founder is the best bet that I have to actually be able to use magic. Haahahah…" Louise bitterly said before going into a bout of mocking laughter.

"No matter how ancient it is, it still existed. If it existed once, it might exist again. It is better than trying to do something that does not even exist as far as anyone knows." I stated objectively. I assumed that Louise understood this but was still too broken up about it to affirm.

"Changing the subject for a moment…" I said before slightly grimacing at the sensation of drinking cold tea that was not meant to be served cold.

"You mentioned before that the princess of your country is arriving for the fair, yes?" I asked, making Louise perk up immediately and start nodding vigorously.

"She actually arrived this afternoon! Sometime after you disappeared! It was wonderful!" Louise gushed as she told me about the entrance of her beloved princess. I had surmised from the girl's flowery description of the arrival of the princess that Louise was a fan of hers, or at the very least, someone who admired her greatly. It seemed that the beloved princess of Tristain had arrived in grandeur befitting her title, a parade of colors and carriages that were pulled by Unicorns. I have never seen a Unicorn before…

"And then! And then! She even waved to the students! To us!" Louise explained in giddy delight, showing the same smile she gave me when she flew with me.

"I wonder if there's something in the tea that caused this reaction…" I heard Derf say offhandedly considering how quickly Louise shifted from despair to exaltation at the mere mention of the princess.

"You are quite fond of her aren't you?" I asked, fully amused at my master acting like a child many years younger than she is.

"Of course! She's the princess!" Louise stated matter of factly, as if all princesses deserve the same praise. Sadly, my only dealings with princesses were with Lunarians. None of them elicited the kind of reverence from me that Louise was currently showing for hers. Especially Kaguya…

I was about to ask Louise to calm down when I sensed something outside. The aura was not hostile but it belonged to a very strong spell caster by this world's standards…and it wasn't Tabitha or one of the teaching staff. I inhaled and found the sweet odor of fine perfume, female then…or a man as flamboyant as Guiche. I slowly stood up and gestured both Louise and Derf to remain quiet. I walked to the desk and picked up my parasol, hefting it over my right shoulder as I stood in front of the door. If the person on the other side of the door was an assassin, and alone, it would be over in a second. Although, I wondered who would want to kill Louise and for what ends. I also briefly though of what kind of idiot assassin would try to kill someone by going through the front door. I swiftly opened said door, shocking the intruder into letting out an 'eek', before I pointed the tip of my parasol right between her eyes. Yes, it was female, wearing a simple dark brown cloak and hood.

"You have five seconds to give me a very good reason why you were standing outside this door in the middle of the night like a thief or assassin." I coldly stated to the figure that trembled for a moment before instantly calming down. Interesting, I made sure to let my killing intent flow out freely when I said those words. Whoever this was, she was used to dealing with great pressure.

"Umm…Louise Francoise?" The woman stated softly before lowering her hood to show us who she really was.

"Princess Henrietta!" Louise exclaimed in sheer surprise. The princess? Here? Sneaking around like a thief in the middle of the night? Just to visit Louise?

"How can I be sure that you are really who you say you are?" I continued to point my parasol between her eyes, ready to impale her head with it if she twitched the wrong way. She was still a powerful magician and Louise has her guard completely down. It would be easy for a shape shifter or a master impostor to take advantage of such a situation and strike. Not that I'd allow any sort of hostile action toward Louise past me of course.

"Yuka! Don't deny the validity of the claims of the Princess!" Louise immediately yelled at me, missing how absurd her words sounded. I sighed and lowered my parasol, making way for Princess Henrietta to come in. I closed the door and placed my parasol back on the desk. The princess quickly made her way toward Louise and embraced her. She was only able to make it that far alive because I did not sense any ill intent at all coming from the woman.

"I can't say I expected this." Derf piped up, making the princess stare at the sword for a few moments while still having Louise in her arms.

"Did that sword just talk?" Henrietta asked the room at large, possibly doubting her own sanity for a moment.

"Yes…a lot has happened, Your Highness." Louise sheepishly said as Henrietta finally let her go. My master saw my raised brow as I chose to lean on the door with my arms folded, my expression asking the unvoiced question: 'Why does the princess of your country know you?'

"I had the honor and the privilege of becoming a royal playmate in my youth." Louise stated shyly while glancing at me, making the princess look between the two of us. My master talks as if she was no longer in her youth…

It was then that I noticed the glint of understanding in the princess' eyes. I sighed and shook my head at what she was probably going to say.

"I would rather think of us as childhood friends, Louise Francois…" Henrietta said before glancing back to me for a moment.

"Although, I do apologize for ruining your rendezvous with your lover." There it was…and predictably, Louise reacted to the notion that she and I were romantically involved in the most appropriate way she could.

"Lo-lo-lo-lover? He's not my lover! Look at him! He looks like a gardener! Do you honestly think that I would fall in love with someone like that? I can't even imagine how anyone would think that I would be romantically involved with that man! He and I are not lovers! He is my familiar that I summoned during the springtime summoning ritual weeks ago! Did I mention that we're not lovers?" By blabbering incoherently and blushing as bright as a red sun, making her look even guiltier of what the princess was implying.

"Wait…familiar?" Henrietta thankfully chose a safer subject to talk about with my master.

"I am Yuka Kazami, Your Highness. I was summoned by Louise and am currently her familiar and partner." I stated with a polite bow, enough to save face for my master but not enough to imply that I regarded the princess with the same amount of subservience that her regular subjects did.

"It is a pleasure, Yuka Kazami. I experienced first hand how much you take Louise Francois' safety seriously. I am impressed with your concern and loyalty toward her." Henrietta complimented my earlier display instead of taking offence to it. She is also officially the very first person to get the pronunciation of my name correctly on her first try. I like her already.

"Not at all. I will protect Louise from all who would do her harm. Even in the face of Armageddon itself, I shall not compromise." I boldly stated, eliciting another blush from Louise and a whistling sound from Derf.

"If only those in my court were as dedicated as you…" Henrietta said with a tinge of sadness before quickly adopting a warm smile and offering her hand. I pondered for a moment on what she might want me to do before I blinked at the realization. She was either offering me a handshake or asking me to kiss the back of her hand. Considering she was royalty and a lady, I was going to assume that it was the latter. I took her hand and kissed her knuckles lightly, using the grace I have honed through countless years of life. I took it a bit further as I glanced up at the princess while my lips were still on her hand, giving her a serious and noble gaze. The light pink that appeared on her cheeks showed that it had worked. I learned that one from the man who had captured Reimu's heart so long ago. I let go of her hand and the princess immediately turned back to Louise and gave her another hug.

"It has been wonderful to see you again my old friend, even better now that I know that you are in good hands." She said as she let my master go before glancing at me and Derf with a smile.

"I wish you luck in the fair tomorrow." She said before pulling up her hood again and headed for the door. I opened the door and made way for her exit. I made sure that she had cleared the hall before closing the door and turning back to Louise who looked absolutely exhausted.

"The princess was here. She came here just to see me. Hehehe…" Louise muttered to herself as she made a silly smile while staring blanking into oblivion.

"Has to be something in the tea…" Derf concluded to itself as I sighed one more time before helping my master prepare for sleep. She and I have quite the day ahead of us. That reminded me…

"I wonder what I should play?" I muttered I helped the still dazed Louise into her nightgown.

…

I stood in front of a crowd of nobles and commoners alike. I glanced to the side where my master was looking on expectantly along with her friends. I nodded toward the teaching staff and the princess who were acting as a panel of judges. I looked up to the clear blue sky at took a breath.

"My name is Yuka Kazami. I am the summoned familiar of Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere. Allow me to play to you a song of my people." I said while tipping my straw hat toward the crowd at large before putting my violin in position and readying the bow. After pausing for a few moments, making sure that everyone's attention is firmly situated with me, I began playing. This was a song that I came up with during a certain midsummer's day, a year after Reimu passed away. It was a song that made me recall the past and revel in the present. It was a song reminded me of a constant throughout everything that has happened so far.

Gensokyo Past and Present ~ Flower Land

It was a song that I played in the middle of the Garden of the Sun. It was a somewhat slow melody that evokes a sense of nostalgia in me, reminding me of where I came from and how I came to be who I am today. I chose this song for that very purpose. I wished to see if it will draw out the same feelings from Louise that it did to me, to reflect on your past and appreciate what you have in the present.

Yes, I can be surprisingly philosophical if I was bored enough.

I opened my eyes as I wound down the song, lifting the bow from the violin and removing the instrument from its position. I gazed at the crowd, at Louise and the other, at the judging panel. The entire place was absolutely in silence for several moments before they all erupted in cheers and applause at the same time. I smile and tipped my hat to the crowd one more time before exiting the stage.

"Th-Th-That was amazing!" Louise gushed before she ran to me and embraced me where I stood, very nearly throwing her hat off her head. I will admit that it was a very odd experience for me. After all, this was the first time someone ever hugged me in joy.

"That was a superb piece, Mister Yuka! I was in tears at the beauty of the melody." Guiche said as he flamboyantly expressed his feelings about my performance. The expressions of Kirche and Monmon were those of admiration and joy as well. Even Tabitha put her book away during the performance, though she left immediately afterward to prepare for her own performance. I turned my gaze to Siesta and saw that she had a bit of a complicated expression under her straw hat. I was wondering why when I saw Kirche leering at me with a very amused expression.

"Aren't you being a bit too close with your familiar, Louise~?" The redhead teased, making my master blush as red as Kirche's hair. That girl and Yukari would probably get along well enough…not that I would ever let that happen.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about?" Louise let out as she quickly pushed herself away from me and grabbing the rim of her hat. It was a new thing for Louise ever since she got her hat. Whenever she gets embarrassed, she would grab the rim of her hat and pull it slightly downward. Very cute but I was glad that it was made of leather, I doubt that a cotton or wool hat could take that kind of abuse for too long.

"Louise, your resistance only makes my teasing harder~" Kirche quickly followed up and suddenly found herself being chased around by my master.

"Ignoring what just happened, I'm honestly impressed by your skill with that instrument." Monmon complimented me on my performance.

"Thank you. I don't really care for winning but if it helps Louise then I don't really mind it." I said with a shrug, earning a genuine smile from the blonde girl.

"I really hope that you win though, that was beautiful." Siesta suddenly muttered, making Guiche, Monmon, and I turn to her.

"Ah! Did I just say that out loud?" The maid suddenly said in surprise before clutching my parasol tighter. I had Siesta hold onto my parasol before I went on stage instead of giving it to Louise. It was to prevent Louise from thinking that I was using her as someone to carry my things for me and to show her that having Siesta around is very convenient.

"Yes, and I am very happy that you feel that way. Can you put this in Louise's room for me?" I asked as I gave the maid my violin, now back in its case, and traded it for my parasol.

"Of course!" Siesta happily said before trotting of toward the dormitory tower.

"I have to say though, you have that maid wrapped around your finger." Monmon commented with a bit of a smirk.

"Good help is hard to find, especially one like Siesta." I honestly said and the blonde simply nodded in agreement.

"Umm…maybe we should stop those two?" We heard Guiche say as he pointed to the skirmish between Kirche and Louise. It was starting to devolve into a shouting match between two children as Kirche started poking the tip of my master's hat and I was sure that it would regress into physical violence if nothing was done about it.

"I'll take care of it…" I said with a bored tone as I opened up my parasol and let it lean on my right shoulder before I walked toward the two young magicians.

…

"Honestly though…you are too easy to provoke." I said while shaking my head. Louise and I were walking back to the dormitory tower at my insistence. My master had wanted to stay until the very end of the fair, saying something about watching the princess awarding the winner, but I managed to convince her to return when I pointed out that half the class were still due to perform and she would be stuck with Kirche in the meantime. We agreed to come back after a while, hopefully before or soon after the awarding. It was a very sound plan…if it wasn't for the sudden spike in magic I sensed in the distance. I raised a brow at the sensation. It was not something that was unusual to feel in a school such as this, Professor Colbert and the headmaster easily had enough magical power to make that spike, but the situation was too unusual for them to do so. Also, it was coming from a completely different direction from where they were judging the participants of the fair.

"Louise…I believe that something just came up." I muttered as we rounded a corner, just in time to hear the sound of the castle wall being hit by the fist of a hundred foot tall earth golem. Why so specific a description? Because we were currently watching a hundred foot tall earth golem do just that.

"Wh-Wh-What the heck is that?" Louise stuttered in panic as she pointed at the golem before it hit the wall with another punch.

"I believe that is what you would call an earth golem, very well made too." I commented. It was much larger than Guiche's golems and looked much tougher even though it was made out of packed dirt. Although…

"The castle wall is holding up surprisingly well, I wonder what is on the other side..." I muttered as I watched the golem hit it one more time. It was strange, if the wall was made out of stone, it should have been broken to bits by now considering the repeated pummelling it was being subjected to. The only explanation would be that it was magically reinforced. Usually that would mean that someone or something important or valuable would be on the other side of that wall. It would also mean that whoever that cloaked figure was, who was standing on the golem's right shoulder, is trying to get to it.

"Why are you wondering about something like that? Someone is destroying part of the school! Do something!" Louise yelled at me. The golem stopped and it turned to us, along with its rider. I narrowed my eyes as the cloaked figure smiled and pointed at us and the golem quickly aimed a punch to crush us. I closed my parasol and picked up Louise before jumping clear of the fist.

"Eeeek!" Louise shrieked in surprise as we narrowly missed getting hit by the golem, though construct did not retract its appendage even after it was obvious that we managed to evade it. I got the reason why when the ground surrounding the fist suddenly erupted into a wave of stalagmites. The wave managed to reach us but the patterns were too predictable and I was easily able to weave through them before jumping up and clearing them altogether.

"Stay here…" I said to my master as I put her down a safe distance away from the golem. I gripped my parasol with my right hand and ran to the side of the golem, flanking it and keeping it away from Louise. The golem retracted its fist from the ground and wound up its other fist to try to punch me even though I was far beyond its reach at the moment. I found out why when the golem's fist separated from the arm after it threw its punch.

A projectile attack, very creative.

I was easily able to jump away from the fist just as it impacted the ground like wet mud. I was suddenly taken slightly by surprise when the dirt that made up the first reshaped itself into a stalagmite that burst out at me. I was able to twist out of the way from the tip of the earthen spike and was able to land safely on the ground. So, this is the power of the more experienced magicians of this world? I like what I'm seeing so far. I smiled at the prospect of actually having a fun fight dropped onto my lap and charged right at the behemoth. The golem took a step forward before throwing another punch straight at me. However, I was already close enough so it didn't have to toss its fist at me anymore. I met the golem's fist with the tip of my parasol and the earth parted in the face of my trusted weapon. The golem's fist, along with a good portion of its arm blew away as I made my parasol dig deeper into the construct. I saw the rider grimace after seeing its creation take that much damage. I was also close enough to notice something…perfume. The rider was female? I did not manage to confirm this because the golem sent its other fist at me. I was able to lean my shoulder toward the blow to absorb the impact. The fist that hit me shattered but it had enough force to send me to the ground. I skid a few feet away from the construct and saw that the golem's legs were shifting in place. I realized why when the arms that I had just destroyed started growing back. The golem was using the earth beneath its feet to restore itself.

"Most impressive…" I said with a smile. I admit, this was the very first time I had fought against someone specifically tuned to weaponize earth. Sure, I had fought against creatures that can throw around entire mountainsides, but I have never been able to have the pleasure of facing an actual manipulator of earth. I must say, this human magician was proving to be worth the fight. I charged at the golem once more and it once again threw another punch at me. I was ready for it and met the fist with my own left fist. I raised a brow when my fist felt like it was seeping into mud. The magician changed the density of the earth that made up the fist, seemingly trying to trap me into part of the construct. It was very clever and I saw that the other fist was already headed straight for me. I noticed that the rider was smiling at me, seemingly certain of her victory. Good, I gave a smile of my own. Long before the fist reached me, I let my flowers bloom. From the arm that caught my fist, six plants suddenly burst forth. They were flowers that I had encountered before, flowers that I had grown fond of using as time went by. The blossoms were not your ordinary kind. Instead of petals, each one had a single red spherical bulb with white dots of varying sizes. The most interesting about them is that each bulb was actually a head, each head had a gaping maw with teeth made of thorns. The flowers had neither eyes nor ears but they can sense another's presence. These were predatory plants, affectionately known as piranha plants.

I saw the rider's stunned expression at what had just happened but it was not over yet. The six piranha plants all turned to where the rider was standing and opened their jaws. The rider's expression went from surprise to fear when balls of fire came from within each plant. The magician quickly redirected the golem's other arm to block the oncoming blasts. Once again, the magician demonstrated that she can change the consistency of the earth that made up her golem by making the blocking arm as hard as granite. The magician countered my sending a wave of spikes across the surface of the arm that had my plants, impaling four of them in the head. The remaining two kept belching out fire until the other arm of the golem smashed into them destroying the arm that was holding onto me. I dropped down to the ground and considered making more piranha plants when I caught the telltale pink of my master's hair. She was behind the golem…and she was pointing her wand at the rider.

"Fireball!" I heard her yell out. The rider quickly made her golem turn around and use its arms to block the magician. Several moments passed and nothing happened. A failed spell? No if that was a failed spell then...

On cue, an explosion rocked the field where we were fighting on. Louise's concussive blast went wide to the right, taking out the wall that the golem had been trying to destroy with one shot. It was also strong enough to blow a good chunk of the golem's left shoulder and arm. My master had a look of fright when she realized what she had just done. The momentary pause was enough for the rider as she quickly leaped into the hole made by Louise, the golem covering the newly made entrance like a sentry. The construct did not stay still though. As soon as the damage it took regenerated, it quickly aimed a punch at my master. I dashed toward my master who was still frozen in place, mesmerized by the promise of certain death from being crushed under the golem's fist. I managed to make it in time and pick up my frozen master, who did not even react when I suddenly carried her over my shoulder. The golem's fist hit the ground and it once again sent a wave of stalagmites our way. I easily avoided them like last time but the golem also threw stone spikes at us from the surface of its shoulder. I did not have enough room to try to graze them without endangering Louise. I opted to drop my master onto the ground, making her grunt at the sudden action, before opening up my parasol and using it as a shield. The spikes were either shattered or deflected by my parasol but the golem just kept throwing them at us. It was buying time for the magician.

I suddenly noticed a familiar presence coming from the sky. I smiled when I saw several large icicles rain down onto the golem. I glanced up toward the direction where the ice came from and sure enough saw Tabitha riding Sylphid. The quiet magician girl gestured with her staff and sent another wave of icicles at the golem. The construct blocked the projectiles with both arms before retaliating with stone spikes from its shoulders. The blue drake easily managed to maneuver away from them as it let its master continue with the barrage. Tabitha's distraction was enough to get the golem's attention away from us so I took the time to check on Louise.

"Are you hurt?" I asked Louise who was still wide eyed and on the verge of tears.

"I…failed…again…" She muttered over and over again as she sat on the ground, staring into oblivion. I'll need to take care of that later. I turned back to the golem who was shrugging off the rain of icicles made by Tabitha. I briefly entertained the thought of finishing the battle with a Master Spark when I remembered that such an attack would probably destroy much of the school. My master probably wouldn't approve of that. Instead I opted to use other means…

I gestured my left hand upward and the ground beneath the golem's feet erupted into masses of vines and flowers that entangled themselves around the legs of the construct before working their way up the body. I saw the rider come back out the hole in the wall and glanced at my handiwork. She turned to me and smirked before climbing onto the golem's shoulder. The entire upper torso of the golem suddenly reformed itself and enveloped the rider in a sphere made of earth. A barrier? No, a magician that can fight that well can't be so stupid to trap themselves using their own power. I got my answer when the sphere suddenly shot our and slammed into the ground. I thought that it was going to roll away but I was mistaken. Instead of using the sphere as a bowling ball to knock down the walls, the clever made it meld into the earth on the ground. It almost looked like the sphere was dissolving into the ground, when in fact, it was shifting the earth to make way for the magician to make her escape right under everyone's feet. I felt the presence of the magician fade away into the distance until it could not longer be sensed.

Not bad, human…

Once I was certain that the threat was gone, I turned back to where Louise was still sitting on the ground. The girl was holding onto the brim of her hat as she trembled where she sat. I knelt down and placed my hand on her head.

"We really need to work on your evasion…" I softly said to my master, ignoring the shouts of the late arriving human guards. I felt the presence of Tabitha and turned toward the blue-haired girl, her drake opting to fly circles above us.

"Unnecessary?" She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. It was then that I noticed that she had a small bronze crown on her head. I ignored it for now and shook my head.

"Perhaps…" I replied before looking back to my trembling master.

"Scared…" Tabitha commented when she noticed Louise's current state.

"Her first battle and her first brush with death." I supplied the quiet girl who walked to the other side of my master and started gently rubbing her back. It was nice to see that people were starting to care for Louise.

…

"Have you calmed down?" I asked my master who was sitting across from me. All the students were sent back to their rooms following the skirmish with the earth magician. Princess Henrietta was quickly extracted from the academy grounds by a large group of griffin knights, probably a bit twitchy after something like that happening so close to where their sovereign was located. Louise had not said a word since the incident, even after being visited by her friends. Monmon and Siesta had wanted to stay with her longer but the teaching staff was strict in enforcing a lockdown of the academy for now.

"First near-death?" Derf asked me from his seat beside me. I found it a bit odd that Louise still propped up the sword on a chair next to us as Siesta served us some tea at my request.

"Yes, a particularly close one." I said while nodding, the blade humming in understanding.

"That happens a lot times to those who haven't fought for their lives before." Derf commented, earning another nod from me. A six-thousand year old sword would know a thing or two about that wouldn't he?

"Is it always…that…" My master quietly started, her eyes covered by the brim of her hat.

"Fast? Fierce? Frightening?" I asked, prodding my master to continue. Louise was quiet for several moments after that. Derf was about to say something but I gestured him not to. The first step needs to be taken by Louise herself.

"Close…" She finally answered, lifting her gaze up to the point where I could see her still scared expression.

"Yes, particularly if both sides were serious about killing each other. That is how fights usually are." I said with a shrug.

"Sure, you can say that so easily. You're a powerful youkai that managed to go barehanded against the most well constructed earth golem I had ever seen. I'm just a squishy wizard who almost got myself killed." Ah, so it wasn't fear that was the ruling emotion. It was frustration due her apparent powerlessness during the battle.

"Even Tabitha was able to hold her own. All I could do was fail miserably again and be a burden to everyone. I'm completely usele-" I cut the girl off right there by slamming my left palm on the table, making the tableware, the girl, and the sword suddenly shake.

"And that is as far as your little episode of self loathing will get." I firmly stated before picking up cup and taking another sip of my tea.

"But…"

"Why did you do what you did?" I asked Louise before she could start anything.

"What?" Louise asked in seemingly genuine puzzlement. I heard Derf sigh before slipping back into its scabbard. It seemed that the blade knew where I was going to take this and decided not to be involved.

"At the time of the battle, you were witness to me fighting toe to toe with 'the most well constructed earth golem you have ever seen', yet you still stepped forward and tried to fight it anyway. Why?" I clarified for my master, putting down my cup before crossing my arms across my chest.

"I didn't want you to fight it alone…" She admitted.

"Even though you knew that something like that couldn't possibly kill me?" I asked, Louise did not answer.

"Even though you knew that I had the fight under control?" I added, still no response.

"Even though you knew that I would have won?" I continued, leaning back.

"Even though-"

"I didn't want you to fight it alone!" Louise screamed her earlier answer at me.

"Even though I knew that the golem wasn't strong enough to kill you. Even though I knew that you had the fight under control. Even though I knew that you would have won. Even though what I did would have been unnecessary. I still wanted to help you…" Louise said as she bit back tears, I merely remained quiet and allowed her to get it all out.

"You've been around for a very long time…you have fought against beings I can't even begin to imagine. But you almost always fought alone, even though you're in a completely different world now. Even though you are already my familiar…you still fought that golem alone. I didn't want that because…" Was as far as Louise got before she started crying. Was that how she saw me? Was it merely something she was latching onto in the hopes that she and I would have something in common? I smiled at the thought, a tiny human magician crying in front of me because she was worried about me being lonely. Sixteen hundred years and this was the first time someone has cried for my sake. I stood up and walked over to Louise, my body moving before I even registered what I was really doing.

"Yuka, what are you-?" Louise yelped out after I knelt before her and gave her a gentle hug. It was not something romantic or familial. It was merely a hug to comfort my master…my…friend. Louise was quiet for a few moments before returning the hug.

"I couldn't even hit it…my spell missed and broke the wall…" She muttered, recalling her missed attack. Her words made me blink a couple of times before I made the realization. Of course! I pulled away from her and stared at her intently, making her blush furiously before turning away from me.

"You missed…" I muttered, making my master turn back to me with a glare. Her previous embarrassment turned to anger as she pushed me away.

"Yes I did! Louise the Zero missed the broad side of a hundred foot tall golem! Rub it in my face more!" She yelled as she raised her arms up, exasperated.

"No…you don't understand Louise…" I muttered before standing back up and returning to my seat.

"I don't understand what? How much I have failed?" Louise sarcastically asked me in self contempt.

"Think…" I stated, holding my right hand up to prevent further protests from my master.

"Your spell went wide to the right and destroyed the castle wall and a good portion of the golem's left side…" I started, hoping the gears in her head start turning soon.

"A castle wall that was hit three times by that golem without as much as a dent on it and a golem that shrugged of Tabitha's icicle attacks." I pointed out, making Louise's eyes go wide.

"You missed but you managed to produce enough power to damage two things that I'm pretty sure were meant to be resistant to magic in the first place..." I said with a smile.

"I did…" Louise affirmed, recalling what she had done earlier.

"And that proves it, my master has immense power within her. The only issue would be control, awareness, and a bit of evasion." I muttered to myself.

"Evasion?" Louise asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Had you not frozen up and got out of the way of the golem's counter, you could have had another shot at the thing." I simply stated, making my master do another 'urk'.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? That was my first battle!" Louise said as if her words justified her actions.

"Usually, the ones who act like that in the battlefield ended up with that as their final battle." I said with a more serious tone. Louise gulped at what I was implying before clearing her throat.

"So…what are we going to do about it?" She asked me.

"I already have something in mind…although…" I trailed off as I saw my master yawn.

"You need your sleep. Today has been exciting for you to say that least." I said with a smile before standing up and walking to Louise's wardrobe to fetch her nightgown. My master grumbled a few times but eventually complied. She quickly got to sleep and I picked up my parasol before walking to the door.

"Watch over her?" I asked Derf.

"Not like I'm going anywhere…" The sword replied with another of its sword-shrugs. I smiled at the sight of my sleeping master before walking out. Time to get to work…

…

Louise opened her eyes and saw that she was in the middle of the sunflower field again. Great, another one of these…

"Hello Louise." A familiar voice startled the pink-haired girl, making her turn to the voice. She saw her familiar standing in front of her, with his parasol open even though the sun wasn't out anymore. This was just a dream so it didn't strictly have to make sense.

"Continuing where we left off…" Yuka trailed off as he produced a tall glass of red wine in his hands. He walked up to Louise before giving the glass to her. He stepped back a few steps and three of those piranha plants burst from the ground.

"As I stated earlier, you need to work on your evasion to prevent you from freezing up whenever something threatening suddenly approaches you. Thus, this exercise..." Her familiar trailed off and Louise glanced at the menacing looking plants as they swayed from side to side.

"You are to try to evade the fireballs generated by my plants as best you can…without spilling a drop of wine from the glass." Yuka said with a wicked smile. Dodge fireballs while keeping the wine in the glass? What kind of crazy training is that supposed to be?

"Don't worry about dying if you get hit…this is just a dream after all." Her familiar said in a sickeningly sweet voice before the piranha plants opened their maws and fired.

It was at that moment that Louise decided that she didn't like this dream…

…

Please R&R~


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Here we are! Chapter five! Not much to say aside from asking you guys how I handled the Fouquet situation.

Additionally, yes, Reimu and Marisa are long dead by the time this story happened. The reason why is simple, I had to make the story happen after a significant amount of time from the present to give Yuka enough time to finally get sick of her current lifestyle and want change. And yes, the Hakurei line still maintains the Spell Card rules even after Reimu passed away.

Other than that, please enjoy~

I own nothing!

...

"Munya~ Munya~ Munya~ Munya~ Munya~ Munya~" Louise kept repeating like a mantra as I looked down upon her sleeping form. She was currently sleeping on her back while both of her hands were reaching upward and seemingly trying to claw at something. Strange...her training for the night had already ended and I went off to wake her. I blinked a few times when I realized something...

I may have forgotten to stop the piranha plants from firing at her before I left.

"Louise..." I called out to her as I shook her shoulder. I heard the telltale sound of rattling metal that indicated that Derf was once again emerging from his scabbard.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The ancient blade said with a concerned tone.

"I have to wake her up." I replied before I shook Louise's shoulder again, making my master scowl harder at my action. Derf simply did another one of his sword-shrugs before slipping back into its scabbard.

"Master, wake up. You're going to be late for school." I urged Louise from her slumber, she was not usually this hard to wake. Did the training in Mugenkan have something to do with it? True, Cirno did have trouble adjusting to the training regiment I gave her after I agreed to mentor her in regards to Danmaku Battles. However, Louise simply had to avoid getting hit by fireballs from three piranha plants and not have to survive for eight hours of me firing dual sparks at her. She did surprisingly well for a first timer too, only getting burned to a crisp around twelve times before she finally figured out the patterns. Judging from her screams of unbridled agony, Louise seemed very surprised at how flammable red wine was.

"Loui-"

"WRYYYYYYYYY!" Louise screeched as she suddenly grabbed her pillow and smashed it into my face with all her strength...while still apparently asleep. I was certain that I saw her eyes light up with the fury of countless white stars for a split-second there.

"Haha! Oh wow!" Derf exclaimed from within his scabbard. My master's 'attack' did not hurt in any sense of the word, her explosive spells had more force, but it was still a rather...unique experience to be a direct object of her hostility. I would imagine that Louise would be quite the little demon if she ever consciously becomes extremely infuriated.

"Umm...Louise?" I called out to her, my voice still muffled by the pillow on my face.

"Agaa~" Louise muttered, I'd imagine she was still in a dazed state since my current circumstance prevents me from actually seeing her.

"Wha...what happened?" Louise asked to the room at large. I was about to calmly ask her to put down the pillow but Derf promptly cut me off.

"Something that highlights humanity's dominance over nature." The blade sagely said before giving a low chuckle.

"Yuka?" Louise called out, finally realizing that I was in the room.

"Yes?" I said through my master's pillow.

"Why am I holding my pillow against your face?" My master asked in a deadpan voice, probably being affected by how surreal the situation she woke up to was.

"You struck me with your pillow as I was trying to rouse you from sleep. Apparently you were having a nightmare and lashed out at whatever was trying to disturb you." I explained the event that transpired mere moments ago.

"Nightmare...yes...I remember..." Louise muttered in response. I couldn't see her expression but I could feel her hostile intent and her magical power gradually build up. She might be upset...

"Oooh boy..." The six-thousand year old blade muttered in a nervous tone as I observed the continued rise in Louise's magic power. It would seem that my master's emotion is a predominant factor on how much power she can focus at any given moment.

"I had a dream last night...a very strange dream..." Louise slowly said, the pillow against my face was starting to tremble a bit as she went on.

"I was in a gigantic sunflower field in the middle of the night...there were countless stars in the sky but the two moons were nowhere to be found..." Louise ground out, I opted to stay quiet since I was curious on her reaction to last night's training session.

"I turn around and found you, familiar...you gave me a glass of red wine and told me to avoid getting hit by fireballs coming from your chomping flowers..." Louise continued and...

"They are called piranha plants." I quickly corrected, my master responded to my interruption by pushing her pillow harder against my face.

"Chomping Flowers..." My master emphasized, enforcing her own naming scheme for my plants.

"I was supposed to keep avoiding those great balls of fire without making the wine spill...I didn't understand...what did spilling wine have to do with catching on fire?" Louise asked as she finally pulled the pillow away from my face. I was unable to resist the urge to gulp when I saw my master's expression. She was giving me a flat stare but her eyes burned with the anger of a thousand suns. Without the pillow acting as a dampener, I was completely exposed to her rather massive aura of hostile intent. It wasn't anything I hadn't already been accustomed to during my many centuries of fighting but the fact that it was coming from Louise, the same girl who could give such expressive embarrassment and joy, was what truly unnerved me.

"I finally found out why after I spilled about half the contents of the glass all over my clothes...I got hit by one of the fireballs...then...then..." My master said before she dropped her pillow and grabbed the sides of my head. She leaned in closer and closer to me until our noses touched and I could feel her increasingly ragged breath on my face.

"It. Burns." She declared, emphasizing each word as she stared right into my eyes.

"It burned my clothes and my flesh...I screamed and I screamed...I begged for it to stop...after so long it finally did... and I was back to normal at the snap of your fingers...then you told me to try again...the glass of wine was mysteriously refilled and the chomping flowers fired upon me again...over and over and over and over again..." Louise continued before she narrowed her eyes on me.

"After countless repeats of that torture...I suddenly started hallucinating about you doing stupid effeminate poses before you started saying weird things in some weird language...things like...Toki wo tomare...and...Soshite toki wa ugokidasu..." I was amazed that Louise registered that while she was on fire. Yes...I really did do those poses and Louise was not hallucinating. I got bored and decided to emulate one of those characters from those books that came from the outside world.

"So many times...I can't even remember how many times I had to go through that...hell..."

"Twelve." I quickly answered.

"What was that?" Louise snapped at me, her wand was in her right hand in an instant and was pressed against my cheek. She has already unconsciously improved that much with nothing more than the beginner fairy course? Impressive.

"Depending on your answer I may have to make you explode!" Louise yelled at me, her wand punctuating her threat by crackling with magical energy once. If she decided to unleash a broken spell anywhere near the magnitude that she used against that mystery golem then this entire room would likely be destroyed along with several others. I doubt that Louise would like to hear about that after she has come back to a more stable state of mind.

"Louise, calm down and let me explain." I said in the most soothing voice I could manage under the current circumstance.

"No." My master replied immediately and her wand once again crackled with energy. I sighed and activated plan-b, a plan which involved removing Louise's wand from her grasp by virtue of a vine whip that I flicked from my left hand. The vine did not hurt Louise at all, it simply plucked the wand from her hand and thus made the readied spell fizzle out of existence.

"Yes. You. Will." It was my turn to remind Louise just who exactly she was speaking to. Oddly enough, the girl did not back down. Her amber eyes met my red ones and neither showed signs of backing off.

"Traitor..." Louise said simply, her gaze not leaving mine.

"On what grounds?" I asked her with a raised brow.

"You said that you were my familiar, my partner. You even told the Princess that you would never allow me to come to harm even at the face of Armageddon itself. But what did you do to me last night? You made me burn! Over and over again, I screamed in agony and you just watched!" She yelled out at me.

"And?" I asked with a thinly veiled smirk.

"What?" Louise asked back, her brow twitching at my response.

"And, are you currently harmed? Do you have incurable burns all over your body? Do you still feel the unbearable flames of death that came from my flowers?" I clarified. I saw Louise's eyes widen before they narrowed at me. My master refused to answer my questions so I answered them for her.

"What you went through was a special kind of lucid dream. You did not actually experience any of that, but at the same time, you did experience all of it." I sagely said, rendering the entire room stone dead silent.

"You planning on making sense any time soon, buddy?" Derf asked after once again emerging from his scabbard. Louise made no comment about what I said and merely nodded at me to continue, her action reminding me of our proximity because her forehead bumped against mine when she nodded.

"The dreamscape that you were in last night...and several nights before...was my dream world, Mugenkan." I started. Louise was finally beginning to calm down when I pointed out that she had been in my dream world before.

"Mugenkan was something I came up with back home many centuries before, it was something I created partially on accident while I was trying to get a lot of sleep." I explained, earning another bout of silence across the room.

"Again...start making sense..." The six-thousand year old sword repeated. Louise settled on blinking at me several times, probably surprised at my sudden admission of having my own realm.

"Let me explain, there are several ways for a youkai to gain power. The means differ for each kind of youkai but the most common way to do so is to sleep and gather magical power. Since you are not doing anything, you don't expend any magical energy and it just ends up building up as you sleep..." I explained. I then noticed a dangerous gleam in Louise's eyes so I decided to cut off any delusions she might have.

"...and before you get any ideas, no, it will not work with humans. Trying to do what I did will just end with you dying in your sleep." I quickly added before Louise did something she will not live to regret.

"Back on topic...I created Mugenkan to ensure that I remained safe as I slept. As time passed, I even hired some help to make sure that no one comes in uninvited." That was Elly, my lazy scythe-wielding gatekeeper.

"So, the place where I kept waking up to sometimes when I sleep was this...Mugenkan?" Louise asked me.

"Yes, normally humans shouldn't be able to enter the border of dreams in such frequency as you have. I suspect that it has something to do with my summoning contract with you." I replied with a shrug.

"And you immolated me twelve times in your realm because..." My master went back to the heart of the matter, regaining some of her previous fire...pardon the pun.

"Tell me...what started happening after the twelfth cycle?" I asked with a smile. It seemed that Louise was becoming exponentially irritated at my complete refusal to give her a straight answer, too bad for her. This was something I wanted her to learn and figure out by herself.

"I finally started dodging everything those chomping flowers threw at me. The wine didn't even spill that much anymore either...then I woke up." Louise recalled her final cycle of the beginner fairy course. I decided to drive my point home by quickly by quickly grabbing the pillow on the ground, hopping back, and throwing the object at my master. Louise reacted immediately by twisting her body clear of the pillow's trajectory, the whole thing lasted about less than a couple of seconds.

"Wow..." Derf commented after witnessing what Louise had just done.

"Wha..." Louise herself seemed to be in disbelief at what she had just done. She turned to me and I gave her a warm smile.

"And therein lies the 'why'." I simply said. Louise moved her body back to the more comfortable position of sitting on the edge of her bed while I put her wand on her desk alongside my violin case and pulled up a chair.

"The whole...process...that you went through last night was to address your concerns from yesterday. You were greatly concerned about your inability to move while in the face of certain death and I decided to do something about it. You just experienced your first lesson under Yuka Kazami's School of Danmaku Battles." I pointed out before folding my arms and leaning back into the chair.

"That was...Danmaku?" Louise asked hesitantly.

"Yes, the very basic of basics. The higher-end battles usually consist of hundreds upon hundreds of projectiles being shot between the participants until a winner is decided or until we simply run out of spells." I pointed out before checking my pocket watch.

"We shall continue our discussion later. I suggest that you start preparing for classes lest you wish to be late." I stated before I stood up and walked over to Louise' wardrobe to fetch her clothes.

"What are you talking about, there aren't any classes today." I froze at Louise's words. I slowly turned around and saw her looking at me with a raised brow.

"Excuse me?" I asked my master while raising my own brow.

"Because of what happened yesterday, Headmaster Osmond canceled all classes until further notice. I was half scared to death yesterday and I still managed to get that and you didn't?" My master asked me with an incredulous expression, I could faintly hear Derf snickering.

"Well..." I muttered before Louise's face turned a certain shade of red all of a sudden.

"And put down my panties when you talk to me!" She suddenly yelled out. I blinked a couple of times and looked down at my hands. It would appear that I was currently holding one of Louise's lace panties in my hands absentmindedly after my surprise at her previous declaration, Derf's snickering suddenly became louder. I sighed before putting the underwear back into its original place in the wardrobe.

"As I was saying..." I said before clearing my throat and sitting back on the chair I was previously using.

"I...may...have overlooked that minor detail due to my concern over your emotional state after the incident." I calmly stated while nodding to myself. Clearly, that was the reason. I looked at my master and she really didn't seem convinced.

"Fine...I wasn't listening to whatever the silly humans were talking about after the fight." I flatly stated, thus earning a sly smirk from Louise.

"Oh founder~! Yuka has overlooked such an obvious announcement by the teaching staff~! For lorn~! All hope for salvation is gone~!" Louise poetically wailed in mock panic, even so far as pretending to almost faint.

"Save the children! Someone save the children!" Derf joined in the mockery. I simply shook my head as I rubbed my eyes with my left hand. I have to admit though, Louise recovers quickly for someone who just went through something like that.

...

"Are you sure you are well enough to be up Louise?" Guiche asked in concern as he took his seat next to Louise at the communal table in the academy's grand dining hall. I had accompanied Louise here because I was also concerned about my master's condition so soon after that incident. I had left my parasol in her room since I doubt that I will need to fight anything during breakfast which would warrant its use. She offered to have the servants serve me breakfast as well but I politely declined and simply stood watch behind her.

"I'm fine Guiche." Louise replied simply as Monmon sat at Guiche's side. Tabitha and Kirche were also already at the table but they were seated across us.

"But still…" The blonde muttered in a concerned tone. I was willing to give the boy the benefit of the doubt that his current actions was just part of his more chivalrous side, the need to protect the women that he knew. He and Monmon have become something that Louise could consider as friends after all.

"Hey Guiche, aren't you being a bit too nice to Louise? Don't tell me that there's something going on between you two~?" Kirche suddenly pointed out. She just had to, didn't she?

"What?" The three friends yelled at the same time. Guiche and Louise were as red as apples from embarrassment. Monmon was getting red as well, but because of a completely different reason.

"Guiche…Louise…don't tell me that…you two…" Monmon stated as she narrowed her eyes at her lover and her friend.

"We're not!" The two people in question emphatically denied the allegations set by the redhead. Obviously, their synchronized defensiveness in the matter only made them more suspicious in the eyes of Monmon.

"Oh this is way too good." Kirche said to the ever silent Tabitha who was smartly ignoring the proceedings and was simply eating her breakfast while reading another book.

"I can't believe it…Louise and Guiche…why?" Monmon asked the two as she switched gears from anger to sadness. I shook my head and sighed, this was getting out of hand and it was just the start of the day.

"Monmon…" I called out to the blonde as I placed my hand on her shoulder. The girl turned to me with tears in her eyes, being emotionally vulnerable as she was, before she placed her own hand on mine.

"Mister Yuka…you won't betray me right?" Monmon asked me, looking for any sort of assurance. Wait…this situation…

"Louise and Guiche! Montmorency and Yuka! This is too good! Hahahahaha~" Kirche started laughing as soon as it happened. Monmon blinked at the redhead before tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Romantic situation." Tabitha supplied. Monmon raised a brow and looked at where her hand was again…she promptly went crimson and pulled her hand away. I decided to prevent any further misunderstandings from happening.

"Monmon, I can assure you that Guiche is not cheating on you…" I stated before looking at my master and Guiche who were looking very relieved at my words.

"…with Louise." I quickly added, making Kirche laugh a bit harder. Guiche's previous smile turned into a look of horror, I simply shrugged at his reaction.

"I cannot guarantee Monmon that you haven't." I told the boy and honestly, with his track record with other girls, it was entirely justified.

"Guiche…" Monmon narrowed her eyes at her lover for the umpteenth time in who knows how long. I was no expert in matters of the heart but, practically speaking, if Guiche couldn't stick to one girl then Monmon should either find a way to get him to become loyal to her or simply leave him. A bit tough on Guiche if it was the latter, but still.

"Monmon, please! You know that I-" Guiche promptly cut off from defending his honor by Monmon.

"Could never lie to your eyes? That you are the only girl that I will ever truly love? That all others pale in the presence of your beauty and charm?" Monmon listed out Guiche's most frequently used lines, making the boy gulp. I noticed that Louise, being acquitted from Kirche's earlier allegations, was ignoring the lovers' spat and was starting on her breakfast. I looked at the redhead that started all of this and shook my head.

"I hope that you are proud of yourself." I said to her in a disapproving tone.

"I sure am, darling~" She replied with a wink before starting on her own meal. Tabitha had already finished her breakfast and was already completely absorbed into reading her latest literary interest.

…

"And…why is everyone here?" Louise asked in barely concealed irritation. By everyone, she meant Monmon, Guiche, Tabitha, and Kirche. The six of us were currently inside the office of the Academy Headmaster, an old human magician named Osmond, along with several of the academy's teaching staff. The man exuded the appearance of 'old' by having long gray hair, beard, and matching robes too. However, the old man cannot hide the fact that he still had the aura of a powerful spell wielder, possibly the strongest in the academy until Louise master's her own element…whatever it may be.

"Because we all followed you?" Kirche answered sarcastically. It was then that I noticed a small mouse run out from under the old man's robes. I raised a brow when said mouse stealthily made its way behind the old man's assistant and…started looking up her skirt. He's actually using his familiar to look up women's skirts?

"After extensive investigation by Miss Longueville, we have acquired some information about the thief, Fouquet." The old man announced to the room at large and making the instructors in the room suddenly tense up. I made sure to keep one eye on the mouse that was currently running a circuit around the room, narrowly avoiding detection every time. Knowing the room like the back of your hand helps.

"Miss Tabitha, Miss Valliere…" Osmond called out to my master and Tabitha while he unfurled a scroll and showed the parchment to the two girls.

"Was this the thief that you encountered yesterday?" The old man asked seriously, leaving me out of the questioning even though I was the one who fought the intruder directly. Typical, dismissing me simply because I was a familiar. No matter, I simply waited for Louise and Tabitha to confirm what they saw.

"Yes, this was definitely Fouquet." Louise replied, her voice carrying the tension she felt the moment she recalled what had happened the day before. Tabitha merely nodded to the old man but it seemed that it was enough of an answer for him. I glanced to my side and saw that both Guiche and Monmon had worried expressions when they noticed Louise tone of voice. Kirche, on the other hand, was simply looking on in keen interest. A sudden movement on the ground alerted me that the mouse was on the move once again, headed to the direction of the woman, Longueville I suppose. The woman in question was glancing at me from time to time, probably in curiosity on what I was supposed to be. I found it strange that I felt something nagging at the back of my head. There was something familiar about that woman but I couldn't place it. Her magical power seemed above average on the surface but not as powerful as the old man, strange indeed. I had never met her before but maybe I caught a glance of her somewhere and simply dismissed her presence as I what I was doing with most of the teaching staff here.

My pondering was stalled when the old man started condemning the actions of the thief and declaring that the stolen artifact, designated as the 'Staff of Destruction', must be recovered at all costs. I narrowed my eyes when the mouse finally made its way toward Louise after it snuck a peek under Kirche's skirt. I wasn't about to let a dirty rat think that it could look up the skirt of the girl that summoned me so I decided to teach it, and its master, a little lesson in proper respect.

The old man abruptly stopped his tirade by suddenly coughing. One of the instructors, Colbert, went to his side and asked the old man to calm down. Of course, that wasn't the reason why he started coughing in the first place. As soon as the mouse started to get closer to my master's skirt, I silently sent it a pressure of hostile intent. The familiar froze in its tracks, like every other familiar I have encountered thus far did, and the old man's eyes narrowed at me. I simply gave him a polite smile before releasing my terror hold on his familiar. The only other person that noticed the silent battle was the assistant, Longueville. The mouse's eyes locked onto mine and it got my message: 'Louise is out of bounds'. The rodent quickly ran back to its master and promptly hid under his robes again. The assistant saw the whole thing and gave the old man a dry look. It seemed that she had to deal with that mouse before.

"Well? Will no one step forward to claim the glory of catching the thief that broke through our triple-square protection spell and made off with the Staff of Destruction?" Osmond declared but the entire room was completely silent. I did notice Louise fidget a bit when she heard that the wall she blew up had triple-square protection, apparently a very powerful kind of spell. Kirche softly coughed, making Louise narrow her eyes at the redhead. Said redhead simply smirked at my master, she knew about what Louise did to the castle wall from Tabitha, much to my master's chagrin.

Louise sighed and turned to me, I could see the fire in her eyes. She probably felt partly responsible for letting the thief get what she wanted and letting her escape, so she wanted payback. Good, I was looking forward to a rematch with the magician when she isn't distracted by a different objective. I smiled at my master, giving her all the answer she needed. She turned back toward Osmond and stepped forward.

"My familiar and I will go!" Louise declared, earning varying degrees of shock from the room.

"Louise!" Monmon called out, surprise and worry in her voice. I glanced to the side and saw Kirche step forward with a smile.

"You have my wand!" Kirche declared, making Louise turn to the girl with her own surprised expression. That was not the end of it as Tabitha stepped forward as well.

"And my staff…" The petite girl declared. Kirche smiled at her friend while Louise wasn't sure what to think about Tabitha's involvement.

"And my rose!" Guiche declared in the way only he knows how. I turned to Monmon who was looking at me with eyes that said 'help me, everyone has gone insane.' I simply gave her an awkward smile and shrugged. The blonde sighed and stepped forward as well.

"And my potions and healing…" Monmon said with less enthusiasm as the rest of the group. Osmond nodded at each of their declarations with a proud smile.

"Then let us count on you five!" The old man declared. The instructors in the room quickly declared protests against sending out students to face a magician as powerful as Fouquet but Osmond silenced them all with a stern gaze.

"Miss Tabitha has the title of Chevalier despite her age. Miss Zerbst is well versed in flame magic befitting her Germanian heritage. Mister Gramont is quite eloquent at earth magic and has a particular skill at creating bronze golems. Miss Montmorency is very skilled at creating magical potions and adept at the use of water magic. And finally, Miss Valliere…" Osmond paused for a moment when he got to my master, probably trying to find something positive to say about her.

"…a daughter of the Valliere family, who are well known for having produced several outstanding mages and…" Osmond went on before glancing at me and smiling.

"And has an outstanding familiar! A familiar that earned second place in yesterday's evaluation fair no less!" Osmond declared. I got second place? I didn't really care for the pageantry and the competition of the fair. All I knew was that Tabitha's drake won in the end because of its high-flying acrobatics. Of course, once again, the old man left out the part where I fought toe to toe with the very thief they were trying to catch.

"That's right! He is the legendary hea-" Colbert suddenly cut himself off by coughing awkwardly. I narrowed my eyes at him. It seemed that yet another lead on Louise's magic has presented itself.

"Please allow me to accompany the children to the location where the thief was last seen." Longueville proclaimed, earning an approving nod from the headmaster. I pushed aside the nagging at the back of my head as I raised my hand to get everyone's attention.

"Allow me to speak." I said, more on declaring it than asking for permission, which got me a few glares from the teachers.

"Yes?" Osmond asked for me continue.

"In what state would you like the thief to be recovered?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" The old man asked in mild confusion.

"Do you want the thief dead or alive?" I clarified with a cold smile.

"Alive if possible. However, if there is no other choice then…you may do what you must." Osmond answered with a bit of hesitation at the very end. And with that, the meeting finally ended. The instructors filed out of the room followed by my master and her friends. I opted to leave last when I noticed a very familiar scent. I stopped at the door and inhaled. Yes…this perfume. I never noticed it with all the other women in the room before because of their own perfumes. I consciously repressed the urge to start cackling like a madman.

"Louise, we need to talk." I told my master after I closed the door. She was eyeing me suspiciously when she saw my barely concealed smile.

Fouquet, you clever little thief.

…

"Yuka..." A voice I chose to ignore called out my name. I merely sighed and closed my eyes, trying to tune out the noise.

"Yuka..." The same voice called out again. This time, the person whom the voice belonged to decided to start nudging me as well.

"Yuka!" The person yelled out before slapping me at the back of the head.

"Yes Louise?" I flatly said while looking at her with a bored expression.

"Look, I know that riding in a wagon pulled by horses isn't your ideal method of getting around..." Louise admonished me in a soft tone.

"...but you can't just ignore everyone else and huddle in a corner like that." My master's voice changed from kindness to deadpan in the span of a sentence. Here we were, on the way to where Fouquet was last seen according to the investigations of 'Miss Longueville'. I have to say, her method of getting away and avoiding detection was both daring and cunning. Of course, Louise and I have a bit of a surprise in store for the thief as well. Normally, I would me more enthused about being able to smoke out a rat. However, as Louise stated, our current means of transportation prevented me from enjoying the little things. I mean, really? Sitting in a cramp box on wheels pulled by horses? How backwards can you be? I ignored my master's words and glanced at my companions. I was seated at the right end corner of the...box...with Louise sitting to my right side. Across us were Guiche and Monmon. The former was currently taking a nap on the latter's lap. Judging from how Monmon was gently stroking the boy's hair, she didn't seem to mind it at all. Kriche and Tabitha rounded up our group and they were seated next to each other at the other end of the box. Predictably, Miss Longueville was the cart driver since she was the one who knew where Fouquet was...ironic as it sounded.

"Louise, please..." I muttered to my master as I glanced up and saw Sylphid circling overhead. Aside from myself, the only other familiars that came along were Tabitha's drake and Monmon's frog. Guiche's mole was too big to bring along and Kirche's salamander would have likely burned down the cart with its tail...which was why I tried to insist that we bring along the lizard. Sadly, the creature seemed to still be deathly afraid of me so I was forced to scrap that idea. I also left behind Derf since I felt that the rusted old sword would be useless in a battle against the earth magician. That, and Louise and I discussed our plan in her room which meant that Derf heard everything. I wasn't about to risk having the blade ruin the whole plan because of a slip of the tongue...or steel or whatever. How I wish I could just break out my wings and fly for the rest of the way. Unfortunately, that would ruin part of the plan if I allowed our target to know that I had such an ability.

"Please nothing! I'm not going to have you sit there like a pathetic whelp when we have an important mission to do!" Louise yelled back while making the brim of her hat poke the brim of my straw hat.

"You two have a pretty nice relationship, huh?" Miss Longueville commented from the front of the cart with a giggle. This was the first part of our plan, make sure that she does not suspect anything from us. The woman already knows that I can take on her golem one on one. On top of that, she will need to deal with six other magicians as well, one of whom was a Chevalier...the initial designation for an aspiring magic knight I suppose...and was in command of a flying lizard. She had a plan, a woman that smart had to have a plan. Too bad for her, I've had experience dealing with the shady plans of Yukari, Eirin, Lunarians and the Moriya shrine, so I'm not too worried about it.

"Blasphemy! To think that I would have any kind of 'relationship' with this gardener!" Louise shot back to Osmond's assistant before continuing to use her hat to poke mine.

"Ora…Ora…Ora…Ora…Ora…" She repeated every time she struck my hat with hers. The girl is enjoying this part of the plan far too much, possibly her own form of payback for burning her so much in Mugenkan. The older woman giggled a bit more before glancing at us and up at Sylphid, probably reassessing everyone's threat level to her. Good, what we are looking for is that she believes that Louise and her companions were nothing more than a bunch of meddling kids who were biting off more than they could chew.

"So, how do you all plan to deal with Fouquet once we find him?" The woman asked our group. Louise was the only person I made the plan with so the others didn't know that the thief was a woman. This was a precaution against things like this. Longueville was fishing, both for our plan to apprehend the thief and to find out how much we know about Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt in the first place. Longueville turned to us when no one answered and started blinking when she noticed that we were all looking at each other awkwardly. I saw her lips quirk a bit when she realized that we didn't have a plan of engagement for the thief. Surprisingly, this was the moment when Guiche roused from his slumber. The young man rubbed his eyes to clear his vision before he yawned and turned to Miss Longueville.

"The thief is cunning and skilled, he got around everyone's backs during the evaluation fair even with all the people there not to mention Princess Henrietta's personal guards." Guiche started saying while stifling down another yawn. I nodded at the assessment that the boy made. It seemed like a given in face value, but a lot of people overlooked that fact in the face of the result of the thief's raid.

"And?" The secretary asked, prompting Guiche to continue.

"And, since we are facing an enemy that can outwit royal guards, coming up with our own intricate plan to capture him would be waste of time." The general's son replied, earning surprised looks for everyone except Tabitha and myself. I made a thoughtful sound as I continued to observe Guiche's deduction.

"What do you mean?" Guiche's lover asked the unvoiced question.

"Just as I said, my love. It would be pointless to try to outwit Fouquet so we need to be more...direct with our approach." The blonde explained. Not bad, sir Gramont. Since we had next to no information about Fouquet aside from our previous experience in fighting her and the unhelpful reports from her other hits, there is no possible way to effectively come up with a countermeasure against her...normally. I saw Louise made a sideways glance to me before she raised a brow, I merely shrugged in reply. Whether he realized it or not, Guiche just helped our plan along.

"Direct?" The masquerading thief poked further into Guiche's non-plan. The boy merely shrugged and gave an awkward smile.

"Avoid any traps that Fouquet might have in store and hit him with everything we have once he shows himself. Mister Yuka has shown that he can keep Fouquet's impressive earth golem in check so the rest of us can focus on taking down the thief himself." Guiche explained.

"I like that plan. It'll give us a chance to show off our combinations~" Kirche chimed in with a smile while nudging Tabitha, who was focusing on her book. I could appreciate the

"I see...I worry about such a plan though." Miss Longueville said in concern like any good member of the teaching staff would. Louise shot her a dry look before quickly looking away. It seemed that my master interpreted the woman's worry a different way since she already knew who the secretary really was.

"I mean, Fouquet is a very experienced thief and supposedly a square-class earth mage as well. Even with Miss Valliere's familiar and the numeric advantage over the thief, it is not wise for a group of students to battle an experienced mage like him." The secretary made her case. If she hadn't been the very thief that we were after, Louise and I would have appreciated the gesture. Sadly, it seemed that the warning came off as more of a threat to my master.

"Regardless..." Louise ground out and getting everyone's attention while trying very hard to keep her cool.

"Fouquet stole something important from the academy, something particularly dangerous if it was called the 'Staff of Destruction'. We all volunteered to go after her and recover the stolen artifact and capture her in front of the headmaster himself. And I really, really, reaaally want to pay her back for almost squishing me with her golem before." Louise said with a nasty edge to her voice. Her wand was already in her hand as she was talking and it was already starting to crackle with magical energy. She'd likely try to blow up Longueville right here if she was pushed a bit further. We can't have that since we are technically playing by the rules. We needed to catch her in the act and recover the stolen object. If Louise killed the woman now, we would not only lose our lead to where the Staff of Destruction could be located, Louise would also be charged with killing part of the teaching staff for no reason. No one would possibly believe that the long-time secretary of Osmond would be the infamous thief with only my nose as the basis for incrimination. That being said, time to change the subject.

"Wouldn't we also have you to help us out, Miss Longueville?" I suddenly said, making my master glare at me while getting the attention of everyone else...particularly the woman in question. I decided that it was my turn to do some fishing. Fouquet already had the item that she wanted and managed to get scott free from any possible pursuers, there was no reason to come back later and resume her cover unless she had something else to steal or she had some unfinished business. The former seemed unlikely since it seemed that the Staff of Destruction was the only real artifact of value that was being kept at the academy. As to why such a thing was being kept in an institution of learning, I'm not too sure. Regardless, there had to be a reason why. What motivated her to stay there even though she should be long gone by now. I had my suspicions about her during our battle but I wanted to be certain about what kind of person she was outside the killing field. Besides, outwitting opponents is fun...especially if they are caught unaware that anything was going on in the first place.

"What ever do you mean?" The secretary asked, taking the feigning ignorance route to start.

"I meant that will you not fight alongside the students and protect them from the infamous Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt while I face his massive golem?" I asked with a smile. The rest of our party , sans Louise and Tabitha, seemed to realize this and looked at the woman expectantly. Honestly, I really was looking forward to fighting her again. Her resourcefulness and creativity in using her golem and earth manipulation was the most skilled means of use of this world's magic thus far and I want to see more of it. Whether our rematch will end in her death or not will be up to her own skill and luck.

"Sad to say that I might not be of much use in actual combat." Longueville sheepishly admitted, prompting several sighs of disappointment from the group.

"That's too bad, we could use all the help we can get." Monmon said with worry in her voice. The girl was the designated healer of the group since she was the only one who actually excelled at the craft. Of course that meant that she will need to save her energy in case someone got hurt and will not be directly involved in the battle itself. It was easy to read what the girl meant by what she said. She would rather have as much help against the thief as possible rather than have to experience healing her friends from possibly life-threatening injuries.

"I would disagree..." I interjected. Everyone looked at me curiously, sans Tabitha and Louise again, after I made that declaration. Longueville in particular was looking at me with a bit of surprise and worry.

"W-what do you mean?" The woman stuttered but quickly recovered. The second part of the plan is to give her something to mull over, a red herring if you will. Make her worry about something that isn't really there.

"Exactly what I said. I can sense that you are quite the talented magician yourself, Miss Longueville." I said with a smile. The compliment was also a snare, one that the woman in question didn't have to trigger herself in order to work. Tabitha must have gotten wind of what I was doing, or at least wondering why I was being keen on Osmond's secretary, as she put down her book and paid attention to the conversation in earnest.

"You can tell how powerful a mage is?" Kirche asked in keen interest before leaning forward and, possibly on purpose, gave me as good a view of her cleavage as possible without taking off her blouse. Regardless, she managed to trip the snare for me. I suddenly heard a yelp from Guiche and found that Monmon had pinched the boy's hand after he was seemingly mesmerized by the redhead's display.

"In a way. My nature allows me to be able to tell, to a degree, how much raw power a magic wielder has. Unfortunately, it is not as accurate as to be able to tell me their specialization or discipline. I can only tell if someone has talent for magic or if he or she has been using magic." I answered with a shrug, ignoring the minor lovers' spat in front of me. I turned back to Osmond's secretary and smiled, one that she didn't quite return.

"That brings up an interesting question..." I continued, my little trap nearing its completion.

"...what is your element, Miss Longueville?" I asked the woman with an innocent, if curious, smile. The woman tensed a bit at my question as the attention of the entire group was focused on her. Now then, shall we see how she handles this? I glanced at my master, who was looking at me curiously, if a bit tense. She was probably worried that I might exposed the plan prematurely. I just shrugged and patted her hat, she got the message and turned back to our cart driver.

"I guess I can't hide it anymore, huh?" The woman said with a wistful smile. I felt Louise's magical power spike and her body tense up. I quickly grabbed her wrist and gave her a sidewards glance. The girl gave me an incredulous look but I merely narrowed my eyes at her. There was something strange about the way she said those words...something unexpected.

I couldn't feel any hostility from her at all.

"Yes, I am a mage...an earth mage." The woman who became an infamous thief admitted so easily to the very people who were trying to catch her. Was this some sort of counter-ploy? Did she see through my words? Was she expecting this all along and just waiting for the proper opportunity?

"An earth mage?" Guiche suddenly perked up when he heard that the beautiful secretary of the headmaster had the same element as he did. He quickly realized that being so happy about that sort of thing tended to go sourly if you have your jealous girlfriend sitting right next to you.

"Does that mean you can help us against Fouquet? You are a noble after all." Monmon pointed out as she unleashed the slimy fury of her familiar all over Guiche's face and hair. To Monmon's words, the secretary gave a bitter laugh before focusing her attention to the road.

"I am no noble..." She said sadly, with a hint of an edge. This was certainly unexpected...

"Let me tell you a story..." Longueville continued due to the lack of words from anyone else.

"There was once a duke who had two daughters from two different women. His wife had his mistress exiled from their lands and was forced to live in the forest. This did not stop the duke from seeing her mistress and her illegitimate daughter along with her other daughter. In fact, her two daughters got along extremely well, clearly not caring about their status and were only interested in being sisters." The woman said in a melancholic voice. It was painfully obvious that the story was about her and not something that was picked up from a bookshelf. Although, which daughter she was, I did not know. I felt Louise's magical power taper down as she started to calm herself after Longueville started her story.

"As the years went by, the legitimate daughter of the duke grew up into a young woman. The king of their land fancied her and decided to have her marry his son, the prince. The young woman, daughter of the duke, declined on the grounds that she did not love the prince and thus nothing would ever come from such a union. The prince understood her words and accepted her rejection with the grace befitting of a future ruler. The fact that the prince already had someone in mind as her future queen might have had something to do with that. The king on the other hand..." Longueville continued, her eyes glued to the road ahead. The rest of the party was silent as they listened to the story. I already surmised that the ending will not be nice considering how the woman telling it turned out.

"The king retaliated for the young woman's rejection. The monarch declared the entire family of the girl as traitors to the crown simply because his son was rejected...because he was rejected." The woman said with more force than I have ever heard her speak before.

"The king ordered the entire family of the duke to be slaughtered like the treacherous dogs that they were. The young woman never knew if the prince that was so kind to her ever tried to stop his father because she was too busy watching her family be cut down before her." Longueville paused for several moments after that, probably trying to calm down and gather her thoughts. It also gave the rest of us time to allow the story to truly sink in. I glanced around and saw that everyone had adopted pitying expressions. Even Tabitha lowered her head to the point where I was no longer able to see her eyes because of her hair. I glanced at my master and saw that she had a very conflicted expression, understandable considering the story was being told was and the fact that we already knew the other half of it. The older woman took a deep breath, getting everyone's attention again, before continuing.

"Salvation came in the form of a half-sister that the young woman had not seen in years. She helped her beloved sister escape from the hell that was once her home and allowed her to stay with her. It was then that the young woman found out that her half-sister's mother passed away years ago, leaving her sister alone. The whole thing finally caught up to the young woman and she finally broke down in the arms of the only family she had left in the world. Years passed and the two women eventually started an orphanage to shelter children that were orphaned during conflicts or because of the whims of the king. The young woman grew up but never forgot what happened to her family. She swore that if that was what the greatest of the nobility was like, that she would never consider herself as one of them ever again." The infamous thief said before taking a few more breaths.

"So no...I am not a noble, Miss Montmorency." Longueville said as she turned back to us with a sad smile. I took another glance around and saw that Kirche and Guiche had solemn expressions while Monmon had an expression of shock and realization. The quickly turned to me and looked at me with pleading eyes. I curtly shook my head, it was not yet time. I looked at Tabitha and found that she was back to reading her book. The only difference was her eyes were colder than little Cirno's Perfect Freeze. I glanced at my master and saw that she had her head down, her hat preventing me from seeing her expression. It seemed that I will need to rethink my means of apprehending the thief depending on how my master took her story. I started revising our plan in my mind as the rest of the trip continued in silence.

...

"Well?" I asked Tabitha as we stood before a nondescript shack at the edge of a clearing. According to 'Miss Longueville', this was where Fouquet was last seen. The secretary excused herself from our group to be able to lead the horses to a stream so they could drink and rest. Obviously she was preparing whatever she had originally planned for us once we got here. Although, I wondered if her little story was part of her plan or simply a lucky break thanks to Monmon. Speaking of, as soon as Longueville was out of sight, Monmon pulled my master a good distance away from us. She told Guiche and Kirche that she was going to consult Louise about an idea to apprehend the thief. It was easy to figure out that the blonde has already realized who Fouquet really was and was probably going to tell Louise about it. I had asked the remaining two members of our group to remain on lookout while Tabitha and I investigated the shack, Sylphid providing overwatch from the skies just in case.

"Empty." The blue-haired girl replied after she waved her staff in front of the shack, probably scanning it for life forms. I nodded to her before making sure that my straw hat was securely in place. I casually walked up to the front door, hefted my closed parasol on my right shoulder, before kicking the door down. Well, I actually kicked the door all the way to the other end of the house, but still. I waited for the dust that got kicked up from my sudden intrusion to settle down before scanning the residence. Aside from several dusty old furnitures, there was nothing particularly interesting inside. I was about to enter when I noticed that Tabitha did not move from her spot. I turned back to her and saw that she was looking at me intently. I smiled at the sharp girl before gesturing for her to follow me inside. The girl nodded and followed me in the premises to begin our investigation.

"Farce." Tabitha quickly stated as soon as she got to the middle of the shack. I couldn't help but chuckle at how direct the girl was sometimes. I turned to her after poking at a crate with my parasol for extra gold and saw that she was simply staring at me with the same cold intensity that I saw on the wagon after Longueville's story.

"I was wondering when you'd catch on." I simply stated as I walked over to the empty fireplace. I heard footsteps as Tabitha walked up behind me.

"Capture or kill?" Straight to the point as always. I was impressed at the fact that she asked such a thing without any hesitation, definitely more to this girl than meets the eye.

"It will be Louise's call. She already knows the truth and I will follow my master's wish, whatever it will be." I clearly stated as I stared at a box that seemed newer than the rest.

"Irresponsible." The girl accused in a icy tone.

"I never said that I was..." I replied with a sly grin, making my companion narrow her eyes at me. I opened the suspicious box and found something wrapped in thick cloth. I lifted the object and found that it seemed to be a large metal tube. I raised a brow at the strange foci. I knew that the magic system in this world allowed for more...creative means of focusing spells but...

"Problem." Tabitha quickly stated as she turned back to the entrance. As soon as she did, a large boulder landed outside the door frame, seemingly trapping us inside.

"Yuka!" I heard my master call out to me from outside. It seemed that Fouquet has given her answer. I quickly grabbed Tabitha by the waist before walking up to the empty fireplace. I raised my right foot and kicked the stone fixture free from the rest of the house...along with the chimney. I walked out the the shack, parasol and Staff of Destruction in one hand and the little magician girl in the other. A moment later, a massive granite fist smashed into the shack from above. Too slow...something is wrong.

"Different." Tabitha said while pointing her staff at the golem that attacked us. I looked to where she was pointing and saw why. The size of the construct was still the same hundred feet. The difference came that it looked...armored. The shoulders, the joints, the hands, and the feet were all covered in tough spiked granite while the rest of it was made up of the same heavy earth that I fought against in the academy.

"Fireball!" The declaration of the spell alerted me to Kirche and Guiche who were running to where Louise and Monmon were. The ball of fire struck the back of the golem but was completely ineffective. This had become complicated, we'll need to improvise. Louise is required for us to execute the plan but having Tabitha's ice magic with us should be advantageous. Kirche's fire magic is next to useless against the reinforced construct. Guiche's golems would normally be a good distraction but Fouqet is no fool to fall for such ploys. Monmon is our healer so no need for her to be on the front lines either.

"Take this..." I gave the Staff of Destruction to Tabitha, which the girl nearly stumbled after receiving.

"I'll take care of the golem. Have Kirche, Guiche, and Monmon take to the skies on Sylphid, give the Staff of Destruction to one of them before they take flight. I'll need you and Louise down here in case Fouquet shows herself." I stated the current plan to deal with the golem to the quiet girl.

"Kill or capture?" Tabitha asked me.

"It will be my master's call..." Was all I said before I charged at the golem with my parasol in hand. The woman of the hour has yet to show herself, probably manipulating the construct from a safe distance. Again, I was impressed at the amount of control she has over her magic if she could manage something like that. I had a feeling that this will be a fun fight. The construct took the first move by trying to crush me with a granite fist. I could finish the whole fight right here with a single master spark but...something...is nagging at the back of my mind again. Very strange. I would normally not hesitate to finish off an opponent once the opportunity arose. We were at an open field with no chance for me to hit any of the children with a spark. So why? Why is it that I felt like I shouldn't do that?

I contemplated the odd feeling as I met the granite fist with the tip of my parasol. I felt my feet sink into the ground as the fist did not shatter after I struck it, the new golem seemed to be much more robust than its predecessor. Possibly because this one was specifically made for combat and the previous one was not. I pushed my parasol deeper into the rock and was surprised when the entire fist exploded into razor sharp shards of granite. I squinted and used my arms to cover my eyes to protect them from shrapnel. That was a mistake as I quickly felt the golem's left fist hit me on the side. The force sent me flying several yards until I landed on the ground and rolled a few more feet before stopping. I stood back up and casually dusted myself off as I saw Sylphid take to the skies with Kirche, Guiche, and Monmon. Guiche was clutching the still-wrapped Staff of Destruction like it was made of gold. Good, that's four less things to worry about.

The all too familiar sound of ice striking snapped me from my thoughts. Tabitha was firing icicles at the golem's feet. However, instead of trying to destroy the construct, the Chevalier decided to use her magic to immobilize it instead. She must have known that direct attacks with ice against an improved version of the golem that shrugged off her icicles before would not work. Smart girl. Louise was standing behind Tabitha, wand in hand, while muttering something with her eyes closed. Good, my master is getting our surprise ready. I used my left hand to crack some bones in my neck before I started to advance toward the trapped golem. Unfortunately, the word trapped was only good for another three seconds. Massive earth stalagmites erupted from within the sheets of ice that covered the golem's feet, freeing the construct. The golem then turned to where Tabitha and Louise were and started advancing, its massive granite hands reforming into sharp stone claws. I was about to rush toward the golem when it did something I never expected.

It stopped.

The construct stopped and flexed its new appendages in full view of the two girls. Was it trying to...intimidate them? Both girls got the message and started running in opposite directions, probably Tabitha's idea. I made sure to take a mental note about the golem's behavior before rushing toward it. Almost as if it had eyes at the back of its head, the construct turned around and swung its right clawed hand at me. The wall of blades closed in and I met them with a backhanded swing of my parasol. The sharpened stones probably would have been very effective at slashing regular enemies to ribbons...but my parasol was not exactly a regular object. My trusted partner smashed through the stone like they were made of thin glass. My foe followed up by swinging its other clawed hand at me. I jumped clear of it and prepared to smash it as well when the golem's head suddenly tilted upward. The boulder that served as the golem's head suddenly opened up something that was probably its jaw before it started firing stone spikes into the sky...right toward the patch of sky where Slyphid was flying in.

"Hmmm..." I grumbled as I finished off the other clawed hand before I threw my parasol at the golem's head like a javelin. The force was enough to completely destroy the head but it was already too late. The spikes that were fired were not meant to hit the blue drake, only to spook it and its riders...and it worked. Guiche, being the strange kind of gentleman that he was, quickly wrapped his arms around his lover in a gesture to protect her from the oncoming attack. Unfortunately, those were the same hands that he was using to hold onto the Staff of Destruction. The cloth-wrapped artifact fell to the ground some distance in front of Louise.

Good, my master can secure it.

That was my line of thought when I saw the pink-haired girl run toward the object. I had already turned back to the golem for another round when I finally realized that we were seemingly outmaneuvered. I looked up at the giant made of stone and earth as it slowly reformed its head and hands, much slower than before. That was the indication that this little encounter is about to end...

"That...is as far...as this goes..." The ragged and tired feminine voice said from behind me. I turned and saw that the hooded and cloaked 'Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt' was currently holding my master from behind while pointing her wand to the right side of her head, my master's hat proving little protection from what might happen if the thief decided to kill her. If she decided to kill her...

I took the sudden pause in the excitement to assess the current situation. Fouquet's newly reformed golem was towering behind me. My parasol was thrown a good distance away so I did not have my main weapon. Tabitha was too far away from us to be able to cast a spell that would help Louise in time. Everyone else was still on the blue drake's back in the air. Kirche's fire spells are nowhere near accurate enough to pick off Fouquet without hitting Louise as well. Guiche's golems were also useless in a hostage situation. I did notice that Monmon was already readying her healing agents in case the endgame did not end as we had hoped. Lastly, the woman had my master hostage and the Staff of Destruction was right at her feet. Well played magician. Well played...

"Here...is what...is going to happen..." 'Fouquet' started to say in a tired voice, probably running very low on magical energy after maintaining that combat golem for so long. I glanced at my master for a moment and smiled. She had her head tilted down, her hat covering her eyes again, but her lips were still moving. Good.

"Why...are you...smiling?" Fouquet asked with a rather upset voice. I found out how upset when the golem behind me took a step forward and smashed its fist down on me. I found myself lying on my face on the ground. What struck me as odd was that the strike did not hurt as much as it did before. Was it because the thief was starting to run out of power? The fist lifted itself from me and I waited a few moments before stood back up and once again dusted myself off.

"I was simply admiring your prowess at magic and at the art of manipulation." I honestly stated to the thief. Everyone else was at a standstill aside from Sylphid and Monmon, who was having Guiche hang on to a few jars filled with liquid of various colors. Tabitha was probably waiting for an opening to free Louise. I could even see Kirche biting her nail and angrily glaring at Fouquet.

"Although..." I continued as I looked back to the cloaked figure that was currently 'holding my master hostage' as said master was still quietly muttering something.

"I have noticed a few things that simply didn't seem to add up..." I stated as I folded my arms and leaned back. This had something to do with the nagging feeling I was having. Something was not as it seemed and I wanted to know what and why before I acted.

"Sure, an infamous thief would normally try to steal high-profile targets despite the risks involved." I stated with a bit more edge than I intended since I inadvertently recalled how Marisa stole my precious thing so very long ago.

"However, stealing something as dangerous as the Staff of Destruction, an artifact that could potentially cause countless deaths of soldiers and innocents alike, just didn't seem to fit the style of thievery from a former daughter of a duke who had to watch her entire family die in front of her because of something as trivial as an arranged engagement gone wrong. Especially if she was stealing in order to maintain an orphanage that was being managed by her half-sister, which obviously was not a profitable endeavor." I continued my reasoning. I saw the cloaked woman bite her bottom lip and hold my master closer. Louise did not react to the sudden force and simply continued her part.

"That is definitely not the kind of thievery I would expect from the secretary of the Headmaster of Tristain's Magic Academy." I simply stated. At this point, the only ones in our group that didn't know Fouquet's real identity was Guiche and Kirche. Predictably, I heard the faint sound of them gasping in the air before Monmon yelled at the blonde boy to be quiet. I saw a faint smile from Fouquet before she finally removed her wand from my master's head and used it to remove her hood.

"Strong, practically indestructible, and smart. Just what kind of familiar are you?" Longueville asked me. Her glasses her gone and she had her hair down. Minor changes when you think about it but they were enough to give the impression that this was a different woman. To her question though, I decided to take a page from one Fujiwara no Mokou.

"I'm just a gardening nut who was summoned by that young woman that you are currently holding hostage." I stated and Fouquet simply chuckled before pointing the tip of her wand back to the side of Louise's head. Her smile faltered for a moment when she noticed the lack of reaction from me and Louise.

"Back on topic...what I don't understand is that why are you doing something like stealing an ancient destructive artifact when there are far easier marks. It was either that you were commissioned by someone to steal it for a price...or..." I narrowed my eyes at the woman before me.

"...someone is forcing you to steal it. Something along the lines of threatening you half-sister and your orphanage if you did not comply?" I postulated to Fouquet who shook her head slowly and gave me a sad smile.

"And what if it was the latter? What would you do if I was told to steal the Staff of Destruction or die trying? Would you try to go after the one who threatened me that my sister and the children in the orphanage would meet the same fate as my family did long ago? Would you try to be the hero for the tragic heroine who was forced to the life of crime simply to be able to feed several orphans?" She asked me, seemingly recovering from her fatigue somewhat. It seemed that the latter was the case. Someone was blackmailing Fouquet to steal the artifact and she needs to be either successful or dead for her sister and orphans to be safe. That seemed easy enough.

"No, I couldn't care less about you or your circumstances." I flatly stated with a smile, making Fouquet scowl at me.

"You also misunderstand something..." I continued with a more sinister smile.

"You assume that we are at a disadvantageous situation. You have to understand, you're not the only one who can spring a trap." I grinned as two giant piranha plants erupted from the ground on either side of Fouquet's golem before they used their jaws to hold the construct's legs in place. Louise stopped her silent mumbling and raised her head, along with her wand which Fouquet conveniently forgot to take off her because of all the excitement.

"Explosion!" My master yelled as she pointed her wand right at me. Louise was able to declare the spell as soon as she raised her wand because she was chanting the incantation silently ever since we got to this clearing. She was our trump card in defeating the golem, not me...not than I couldn't defeat the golem on my own mind you. Normally, being right in the path of an offensive spell would mean that you would be the one to get hit by it. However, Louise's explosions do not travel at a straight line. Louise simply picks a target and points and the concussive blast will hit it, bypassing anything else in its way. Of course, that is if it hits the target. I had to repress a sigh as my master's spell went wide to the right and high, detonating just above the golem's left shoulder. Thankfully, her extended incantations gave the spell enough of a power boost to obliterate a good third of the golem.

"Tch!" Fouquet pushed Louise aside and picked up the Staff of Destruction as soon as she saw Tabitha start her own incantation. She tried to buy time for herself by using what's left of her golem to fire volleys of stone spikes at my master and at Sylphid. I circumvented this my growing my wings and flying in between the spikes and Tabitha's drake. I swatted the spikes away with little effort and turned to the three passengers of the drake.

"What are you doing? What about Louise?" Monmon yelled at me almost hysterically. I pointed down to where Louise was and they all saw that she was doing fine. My master easily managed to dodge the spikes that were fired at her and was looking up at me with her mouth agape, probably surprised at what she had just been able to do. I called forth two more giant piranha plants and they went to work in tearing Fouquet's golem apart. As for the woman herself...

"So..." I said after I landed in front of my master who had recovered from her earlier surprise.

"So..." Louise repeated, putting up a front of dignity and courage. I smiled at her before patting her head.

"Well done, master." I stated as Sylphid landed some distance away.

"Louise! Are you alright?" Monmon yelled out as she and the rest of the group ran toward us. I turned back to Louise with my expression serious.

"How do you want to deal with Fouquet?" I asked her just as everyone else arrived. My master considered the question for a few moments before shrugging and giving me a smirk.

"Assist Miss Longueville in killing Fouquet." She said, earning a collective 'what' from the others except Tabitha.

"Would that be an acceptable course of action?" I asked the blue haired girl. She nodded before walking in the direction where I threw my parasol to.

"Wait, what are you all talking about? Fouquet and Miss Longueville are the same person!" Guiche said in complete confusion.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Fouquet sprung a trap and we were barely able to hold him and his golem back. It was due to the effort of Miss Longueville that we were able to win and take down the infamous Crumbling Dirt." I stated to the group before returning Louise's smirk.

"Wait...you planned all of this?" Monmon finally asked when she realized what we meant by that.

"Yes, I had known her true identity ever since the meeting at the headmaster's office. I talked to Louise about it and we decided that there was more to Fouquet than meets the eye." I explained.

"...explain." Kirche followed up.

"First of all, she never really tried to harm anyone." Louise answered the Germanian's question.

"All the attacks she made on us back during the fair and here were all calculated to make sure that no one really got hurt." My master added with a smile.

"What do you mean by that? She has explicitly targeted us with her attacks and even struck Mister Yuka several times." Guiche reasoned.

"She only had her golem strike and hit me because she knew that I could take it. She targeted Louise and the rest of you because she knew that you could either avoid it or that I would be there to protect you. Note that she even went so far as to intimidate Louise and Tabitha into running before." I pointed out.

"So...she's not that bad. But she's still a thief!" Monmon firmly stated.

"But not by choice." Kirche muttered from behind the blonde. Monmon looked conflicted for a moment before Guiche took her hand and gave her a soft smile.

"I may not understand what Louise and Mister Yuka are really planning...but if it is something that would help Miss Longueville and those orphans then..." Guiche didn't get to finish before Monmon finally nodded.

"Now that we are all in agreement..." I stated, flexing my wings and ignoring Kirche's squeeing at the action.

"...I have a thief to kill." I said before taking to the skies and flying to where Fouquet ran off too.

...

"I continue to be impressed by you, human." I stated from within the shadows before emerging from the trees, making Fouquet turn around and point the staff of destruction at me.

"Stay back!" The woman shrieked at me as she waved the artifact at me. I raised at brow at the now unwrapped object. It was a bland green colored metal tube that looked very familiar. I made a thoughtful noise when I finally realized what it was.

"Ooohh..." I said while nodding to myself. Honestly, it was a very long time since I've seen one of those 'Rawket Lawnchairs' that the kappa made to shoot down the Lunarian ships during that incident. Considering their effects, I can imagine why someone would consider such a thing as a Staff of Destruction. I was wondering how such an object could have made it to this world when I noticed that the panicked woman who was in possession of the artifact was slowly backing away from me.

"Either steal the Staff of Destruction or die trying. Those were the conditions that your employers made to spare your precious sister and orphanage, correct?" I asked her, making the woman flinch.

"I thought you didn't care about me or my circumstance?" Fouquet asked with fear in her voice.

"I don't. My master on the other hand seems sympathetic to your situation, as are her companions." I clarified before folding my arms and leaning back.

"W-w-what do you mean?" The woman asked me, biting back tears.

"I have an offer than you can't refuse." I stated with a warm smile.

...

When Louise slept, she once again found herself inside Mugenkan. She sighed and looked around, it seemed that Yuka still isn't here yet. They had camped at the very clearing where the final battle against Fouquet took place. Her familiar had managed to recover both the Staff of Destruction and Miss Longueville. The arrangement was that Miss Longueville will take credit for slaying Fouquet, along with the reward that came with it. Of course, such an event would be behind closed doors to prevent the people that put the woman in that position in the first place to find out what really happened and retaliate against her. In addition, she will stop all thievery from now on and instead will focus on becoming Louise's private tutor and help her uncover just what kind of magic she really had. The woman started laughing when she noticed that her teaching self killing her thieving self was more than symbolic.

After she had finally calmed down and accepted our terms, she revealed her true name. It was Mathilda of Albion. Everyone, including herself gasped at the revelation after they all connected the dots. It was decided that she would use that name from now on to prevent anyone from noticing who she really was. Along with that, she will get a haircut and makeover care of Monmon and Kirche to complete the disguise.

It had been a crazy day with way too much happening, but Louise was happy on how it turned out. They managed to recover the stolen artifact, the Rawket Lawnchair as Yuka put it, defeated the legendary Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt, and Louise gained a square class earth mage as a private teacher. Best of all? No one died. Louise was still basking in their accomplishments when she suddenly heard the sound of something tearing.

"Hmmm? Who are you?" She heard a mature feminine voice ask from behind her. Louise turned around and saw a woman who was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Long blonde hair lined with ribbons and wearing a stylish purple dress. Louise would have sworn that she was looking at a goddess if it wasn't for the fact that this woman was leaning out of a gap in the mid-air that had countless purple eyes on the other side.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-" Louise stuttered out as the woman in question gave her a sly smile.

"Why hello there~"

...


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: And thus I bring the mandatory filler chapters! Well, not really a filler chapter since there will be expositions blotted everywhere, but don't expect any real action here. This chapter and the next one will be "Louise and Matilda" chapters and will be breathers between the end of the Fouquet arc and the start of the Albion arc.

After reviewing the reviews, I am very glad that all the references I threw in each chapter were appreciated. Even if some of them were overlooked…

Although, there are some concerns as to why I went ahead and made Yuka come from a future Gensokyo. The reason why is to get a clean break from Touhou as we know it today, make a fresh start and, as I already stated, to give Yuka enough time to finally be tired of her lifestyle there. There will be more cameos in later chapters from the Touhou side, particularly Ran, Adult!Chen, and Adult!Cirno, but don't expect anyone to start hopping realms. There will be no moving between Tristain and Gensokyo from anyone. The closest anyone will get is Mugenkan, the link between worlds if you will.

And once again, for the last time I hope, _**NO**_. Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya, and Sanae all lived, loved, and died as humans. Making any of them semi-immortal would have taken away something that made them unique in a world filled with fantastical beings in the first place, their humanity. There is a reason why Reimu's mom and Marisa's dad aren't around anymore even though Rinnosuke knew both of them. They lived and died as humans too and I saw no reason for the human heroines to do otherwise. Sanae was a descendant of a goddess but that doesn't mean that she can become a goddess herself, no one else in her family did. Sakuya is the unknown here. She wanted to serve Remilia till the end of her days as a human but we're not entirely sure if she really is human or simply a Lunarian sleeper agent or a clone of Eirin or- just forget it…

Yuka's powers! Yes Master Spark is not him strongest spell but it is the one he is most known for. It was as much character defining for him as it was for Marisa, nothing like a ray of raw magical energy that could vaporize you. Also, comparing Marisa's Spark to Yuka's isn't fair. Yes, they are the same technique but Yuka operates at a completely different order of magnitude of power than Marisa. It's like trying to compare Yukari's barriers with Reimu's when she was a teenager. Ultimate Magic he got from Makai is there but Yuka doesn't see the need to use it. There is simply no reason to unleash such a thing. As stated by Yuka himself in an earlier chapter, he's pretty particular about respect, and there are few things he respects more than power. He respects the power he got from Makai and will not dishonor it by tossing it around like a toy. As I have stated before, Flower Power and Physical Power will by Yuka's mainstays in this story.

Lastly, the Rawket Lawnchairs were made by kappa, not humans. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that Kappa made Rawket Lawnchairs, likely backed by some Moriya Shrine Conspiracy, could shoot down a Lunarian ship. In fact, they work so well that its effectiveness is considered as a design flaw by Nitori.

All that aside, please enjoy the latest chapter~

...

"So..." I flatly stated as I saw the sight before me, briefly cursing myself for forgetting to bring my parasol again.

"Yuka!"

"So~" Yukari repeated in a teasing tone.

"Yu-Yu-ka!"

"Can you please explain why you have-"

"Yu-Yu-Yuka!"

"-my master in your nefarious clutches and actively molesting her?" I asked while rubbing my forehead with my right hand. I entered Mugenkan and expected Louise to already be there since she was sound asleep before I left and it took me a while to conjure up a new door to the border of dreams. It was then that I noticed that I could sense Yukari nearby. I immediately flew to where I sensed Yukari in hopes to save my master the headache of having to deal with the border youkai by herself. Sadly...

"Yu-kaaa! Hey! Don't touch there! Auuugh! Yukaaa!" I was too late. My master continued to call out to me as she valiantly kept trying to release herself from Yukari's grasp. The border youkai blinked at me a couple of times, while still running her hands all over Louise, before giving a radiant smile and rubbing her cheek against Louise's.

"Because she's so adorable~! I want to take her home~! Can I? I'll give her back in a few days! I promise!" Yukari asked me like a child as she embraced Louise from behind before she started nibbling on her left ear. I did my best to tune out the noise of Louise's struggling and her embarrassed mewling while in the mercy of the border youkai.

"Denied. I cannot be sure if Louise's sanity or chastity will remain intact if I left her with you." I retorted while folding my arms and leaning back. Louise ceased her struggling and blinked a few times at me.

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chastity?" She sputtered out before slowly turning back to Yukari, who simply gave her a seductive smile and a wink. Louise went pale and resumed her efforts to free herself from the border youkai's embrace.

"Save me Yuka! Save your master! I don't want my chastity to be taken by another woman! Yukaaa!" My master yelled out in pure hysteria at the prospect of being 'taken' by another woman. I sighed before looking at Yukari with a serious expression.

"God dammit Yukari. Let my master go. Right. Now." I ground out. Both my master and Yukari froze when the saw the sky went bloody red and all the sunflowers in the field turned to them before they all gave out a faint red glow. Even the Border of Phantasm herself knew very well that she cannot possibly defeat me inside Mugenkan, no one can defeat me inside my realm. At the Garden of the Sun, I have infinite magical power because of my sunflowers. Inside Mugenkan? I. Control. Everything. Yukari gave a wistful sigh before unceremoniously dropping Louise on the ground.

"Augh! Hey!" Louise grunted and yelled at the border youkai, Yukari simply blew her a kiss in response. That was enough to get my master on her feet and scamper off to seek refuge behind me. Crisis averted, I commanded Mugenkan to return back to its regular state.

"So, this is Yuka's little master~?" The blonde woman asked as she craned her head to try to get a better view of Louise again. I dutifully made sure to block her view of my master and Louise made sure to hide as much of herself behind me as she could, even going so far as grabbing the back of my shirt.

"Yuka? Who is this woman? And why is there only half of her there?" Louise asked from behind me. I suppressed a very powerful urge to cringe when I saw the glint in Yukari's eye.

"Yuka dear, you haven't told your master about me~? Or about our relationship~?" The border youkai asked me in mock surprise and concern.

"Re-re-re-re-relationship?" Louise sputtered out before she started pulling at my shirt, trying to make me turn around to face her. Failing that, she walked up in front of me instead. Predictably, her face was once again very red because of what Yukari implied.

"D-d-d-do-d-don't tell me that you and that strange half-woman are lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-" Louise continued her sputtering, being unable to even finish the word 'lovers'. I was concerned about the effects that embarrassment had on her cognitive thinking considering that I already told her during our little shopping trip that I have never fallen in love before. I chalked that up to being a side effect of her self-esteem issues that we were still working on. I was a bit amused at her calling Yukari 'half-woman' because of the way she looked though.

"Half-woman..." I repeated with a smirk. Yukari quickly got the meaning and huffed but remained only half-there. She wouldn't dare leave Gensokyo completely without the protection of the Border of Phantasm, even if it was to prove a point. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, Yukari Yakumo is much more responsible now...relatively speaking.

"How rude~! Is that any way to speak to me, Yuka? After all, didn't we get to know each other ve~ry intimately over the centuries~?" The border youkai followed up, picking up her second wind.

"Yuka!" Louise yelled at me, her face becoming even redder than before. I shook my head and sighed at how easily my master can be led on just because of a few words. She can be such a maiden sometimes.

"No, Louise. That woman and I have no such relationship. What she really meant was that we are merely long-time acquaintances. The 'intimacy' implied was about our Danmaku Battle patterns and habits. She just makes it sound that way because she enjoys annoying people and loves the attention it gets her." I calmly explained. Louise eyed me suspiciously before she started rubbing her chin with her hand.

"Wait...so she's...like Kirche?" Louise concluded with a grimace. Ah! So my master came to the asme conclusion I did before, if only the other way around.

"If Kirche had the power to be able to shape nearly any aspect of existence as she wished." I said with a shrug. Louise gawked at me before turning to Yukari, who had her arms folded and was giving a smug smile.

"And also if she was old...really old..." I added with a vicious grin. The border youkai started coughing before she leveled a glare at me. She can be very sensitive about her age, I always made sure to make use of that whenever I picked fights with her back then.

"How rude...no kisses for you!" Yukari bitterly spat at me before turning her head away from me as a gesture of defiance.

"Will you stop implying things already? I want to properly introduce you to my master." I said in a bored tone. The banter was kind of fun, more for nostalgic value than anything.

"Fine, fine, fine..." Yukari said with a dismissive wave before adopting a more professional stance and expression. Louise noticed the sudden change in demeanor and unconsciously took a half-step back, nearly bumping into me. I took the chance to put my hands on her shoulders, both to keep her in place and as a reassuring gesture for my tense master. I felt her shoulders tighten up for a moment before finally relaxing. I ignored Yukari as she made a thoughtful sound while looking at the two of us intently and decided to get the introductions over with.

"Louise...this is Yukari Yakumo. One of the oldest and strongest youkai in Gensokyo. She is known as the Border of Phantasm and she has the ability to manipulate borders as easily as you find it to breathe." I said as I formally introduced Yukari to my master. I saw her tilt her head before turning back to me.

"Manipulate borders?" She asked quizzically. Right, I never explicitly stated what the fourth possibility of what Louise's true power was when we talked about it.

"Day and night. Life and death. Truth and lies. Love and hate. All of these have borders between them...and I can control them all." Yukari supplied, if a bit cryptically. I felt Louise tense a bit again as she seemed to have been able to interpret what Yukari said.

"Does that mean that you...are a goddess?" Louise asked hesitantly. Yukari blinked at the girl a few times before she started to laugh.

"I like your little master, Yuka." Yukari commented after she stopped laughing.

"Yukari is no goddess, Louise. Think of her as more of a force of nature or a force of reality. You know what, don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache." I said with a shrug. When it comes to Yukari Yakumo, it was always better to simply deal with what was in front of you instead of trying to comprehend whatever she was doing. I wanted Louise to have that sense of mind when dealing with Yukari in case she will need to do so again in the future.

"And this..." I started before patting Louise's shoulders.

"...is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Third, and youngest, daughter of Duke Vallière of the country of Tristain. She is an aspiring magician who is enrolled at Tristain Magic Academy as a second year student. She has immense natural magic power but she is still trying to find out the nature of her true power. She is the one who summoned me and made me her familiar. She is my partner and master." I introduced Louise to Yukari properly with a hint of pride, though I will never admit it. Louise slowly turned back to me with her mouth agape and her cheeks slightly red before she quickly turned away. It seemed that this was probably the first time that she was given such an introduction and was rather embarrassed by it. The border youkai maneuvered her the gap she was leaning on closer to Louise, making my master tense up again, before offering her gloved hand.

"A pleasure to meet you Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière." Yukari greeted my master with the grace befitting her status as one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo. Louise turned to me with a look of uncertainty. Considering her first impression of Yukari, I couldn't blame her.

"Go on, I'll keep you safe." I reassured my master. Louise blushed deeply at the directness of my words but meekly nodded before turning back to Yukari's outstretched hand. I made sure to give Yukari a particularly vicious grin, one that said 'I will kill you if you yank her into your gap when she shakes your hand'. I was sure that the border youkai got the message when she gulped unconsciously.

"A-a-a pleasure to meet you...Yukari Yakumo." Louise returned Yukari's greeting before taking the border youkai's hand hand shaking it. They continued on like that for a few moments before they let go of each others' hand.

"With that out of the way, time to begin tonight's lesson." I quickly said before snapping my fingers. Louise let out a surprised yelp when she teleported a distance away from Yukari and myself before five piranha plants emerged from the ground, surrounding her.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what is this?" Louise asked me as she started to go pale while at each of the plants that surrounded her.

"Your next lesson. You already have experience in dodging so I decided to make things more interesting." I explained before snapping my fingers again. A full glass of red wine was once again in Louise's hands and she looked at me with absolute fear.

"Remember, observe the path where the projectiles are traveling instead of simply focusing on what is in front of you. Focus and move accordingly. Most importantly, don't be afraid." I reminded Louise of one of the most important aspects of dodging Danmaku before snapping my fingers one more time, beginning Louise's second lesson in the beginner fairy course.

"Well?" I asked Yukari as soon as Louise was too busy dodging for her life to eavesdrop. The border youkai hummed for a moment while staring intently at Louise's attempts at dodging the fireballs.

"She needs work on her awareness and decisiveness at dodging. Freezing up like that mid-dodge is a very big no-no." Yukari commented as she waved at my master who was clumsily dodging the fireballs while getting wine all over her dress. Clearly, my master still has much to learn at the art but that was not what I was asking about.

"Yukari..." I called out to her, making sure that she knows that I was serious.

"As you mentioned before during your heartwarming introduction for your master." I glared at the border youkai for her words and she merely shrugged at me.

"Please, you can hide it from anyone else but not me. We've known each other too long, Yuka. I could immediately tell that this little human girl has become important to you." Yukari explained in a sincere tone, before smiling at me.

"Although I already know that you will never admit that the girl over there has already become precious to you." The border youkai added with a mischievous smile.

"It's not like I'm teaching her Danmaku dodging techniques for her sake or anything, idiot." I deadpanned at Yukari.

"I refuse to further comment on that matter. Your assessment on my master's compatibility with border manipulation?" I pointedly asked the border youkai, changing the subject and making it clear that we will not speak of that matter again.

"Tsundere-Yuka..." Yukari muttered under her breath, loud enough for me to hear her. I glared at her one more time before she pointed to where Louise was. I turned to where she was pointing and saw that Louise was already on the ground and completely on fire while screaming for the horror to stop. I sighed before snapping my fingers, restoring Louise and the glass on wine in her hands.

"Again." I clearly stated to my master, who quickly turned to me with an incredulous expression.

"What? Don't I even get a break?" Louise yelled at me while clutching the glass of wine with both of her hands.

"This is a dream for you so you're not actually getting hurt, you should know this already. Begin!" I declared before Louise could further protest. I turned back to Yukari as soon as Louise started dodging the fireballs and saw that her left hand was covering her mouth and she had one of those annoying glints in her eyes again.

"Tough love?" She asked me teasingly.

"Your. Assessment." I repeated through gritted teeth. Yukari finally got the message and shrugged before looking back to where Louise was dodging the fireballs while keeping her head on a swivel. Good girl, she's learning. I repressed a smile while waiting for the border youkai's response.

"Honestly, I'm...uncertain." Yukari finally answered. I raised a brow at her words and her tone of voice.

"I wasn't just teasing you for fun, Yuka. I was scanning your master while I was doing that. Although, your responses were pretty amusing as well." The border youkai explained her previous actions.

"And?" I asked, prodding her to continue.

"As you have previously stated, your master has significant raw magical power. This is a given considering that she's someone that managed to bind you to a summoning contract." Yukari reviewed and I nodded in response, confirming that we were on the same page.

"Now, I checked the border of magic in regards to what primary elemental affinity your master has. This was your main concern after all." She continued. Now that got my attention.

"What did you find?" I asked her immediately after she told me that. The woman made a thoughtful sound as she placed her right hand on her cheek and closed her eyes, possibly gathering her thoughts.

"It was rather strange, yet refreshing." Yukari started, eyes still closed.

"The girl's magic is powerful in the most basic of forms but it is technically incompatible with the elemental manipulation that this world bases its magic system from." The blonde stated. That explains why Louise cannot seem to use any of the four common elements that magicians use in this world, her magical power simply cannot be used with those elements if you try to use their established casting methods. To put it in perspective, it is like a raw material that cannot be processed into a final product you wanted by any of the currently available manufacturing methods.

"Do you know what kind of magical element it would be compatible with though?" I asked. If Yukari could figure out that Louise's magical power is incompatible with fire, earth, water, and wind, then maybe she could figure which element it would be compatible with instead.

"Well...that's where things get weird." The border youkai said while scratching the back of her head.

"You see, the kind of magical power your master has is rather unique. It was made for only one element and one purpose. What exactly that element is, I don't know since I'm not too keen on this world's system of magic." Yukari explained. The mystery element must have been void then. It seemed to be the only explanation since the Border of Phantasm has encountered every conceivable magic type on Earth, both elemental and non-elemental. Hmmm...

"Does that mean that Louise's magic is non-elemental?" I postulated considering that my master's magic does not fit with any elemental affinities. Further discussion was interrupted by Louise's death wails. I turned to my burning master as she lied motionless on the ground before snapping my fingers again.

"Again." I stated, not even allowing Louise time to complain about her latest 'death'. I turned back to Yukari who was slowly shaking her head.

"If you give her infinite lives she'll never learn to dodge like her life depended on it because she knows at the back of her mind that you'll just restore her." Yukari scolded me, criticizing my teaching methods.

"And if I give her limited lives, she'll never learn to dodge for her life either since she would run out of lives before she figures out the patterns." I shot back. The border youkai sighed folded her arms and leveled a glare at me.

"Listen, I know that you haven't been the most socially sensitive being ever, but you can't just treat the poor girl like that. You can't just throw her into the jaws of the beast and expect her to simply use her instincts to be able to survive a Danmaku Battle, she's not Cirno you know. If you claim that you are teaching her, then teach her! Give her a limited number of lives. If she uses them all up, tell her what went wrong and how to overcome it. Use your dream world's properties to show her the mistakes she made by projecting them in front of her if you have to. If she's worth so much to you then you could at least teach her properly instead of doing...that..." Yukari trailed off when she turned back to Louise. I glanced back to my master as well since I haven't heard her scream in pain again. Louise was started to figure out the pattern I posed for this exercise and was only getting away with grazing burns, though she was still spilling the wine all over the place.

"Well...she might have talent after all..." Yukari muttered as she watched my master slowly adapt to the new challenge I posed to her.

"That she does, but I will consider your words for our future lessons. Now, where were we?" I asked, steering the discussion back on topic. Yukari glanced upward while rubbing her chin with her hand before looking back to me.

"You were declaring your undying love for me and was about to kiss me with unbridled carnal passion~?" Yukari replied with a wink.

"Ah yes, I was asking you if Louise's magic was non-elemental." I reminded her, completely ignoring her previous response. Yukari puffed her cheeks at me before facing away and huffing like a child that was just told off. Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo. She cleared her throat before looking back at me with mild annoyance, probably didn't expect my reaction to her teasing...or lack thereof.

"The answer to your question is both yes and no, Yuka." The border youkai answered, if a bit coldly.

"Please explain." I ignored it and decided to continue with the discussion instead.

"You see, your little master's magic is-" Yukari's explanation was cut off when we both heard Louise's death wails again. I turned and saw Louise, or what's left of her, writhing on the ground while being completely engulfed in flames. I sighed and snapped my fingers, restoring Louise.

"What happened?" I asked the girl since she was doing pretty well earlier.

"I-I-I got tired from all the dodging!" Louise yelled at me.

"Too bad. Again." I declared and Louise simply screamed in frustration before starting to dodge the fireballs all over again.

"I thought you said that you were going to consider my words for her training?" Yukari asked me flatly.

"I said that I would consider your words for our future lessons." I corrected her. There was a moment of awkward silence between us before Yukari simply shook her head.

"Like I was saying...your little master's magic is completely incompatible with any other kind of natural element. In the strictest sense, yes, it can be considered as non-elemental because of that. However, this particular kind of magic was tailored for a very specialized kind of system, so specialized that it can be considered as its own element." That would be Void, I suspect.

"Because of this, the applications of such magic are very limited but it has the advantage of being able to ignore most of the rules that other elements are restricted to. In a sense, you can consider it as an extremely specialized manipulation of the border of magic. Comparing it to non-elemental magic, elemental magic, or border manipulation, is not right or wrong...it is simply...different." Yukari finished her explanation. I silently considered her words for a few moments, the only permeating sounds coming from the piranha plants' fireballs and Louise frantic screaming and swearing. This is something I can have Louise and Matilda check on once we return to the academy. I also needed to speak with Professor Colbert about a slip of the tongue he made before we left. It might yield additional clues as to how to manage and control Louise magic.

"So…about that kiss…" Yukari asked while leaning toward me. I simply flatly stared at her before walking toward Louise. The border youkai was right about one thing, Louise could probably benefit from a few tips from me.

...

"And thus, I would like to congratulate you three once again for finally putting an end to Fouquet's reign of terror." Henrietta said to me, Louise, and Matilda. Officially, Matilda was the one who would go on record as the one who took down Fouquet, ironic but not untrue. Her accomplishment also had the added benefit of her and Louise being inducted as Chevaliers by the Princess. Louise tried to argue that I had to get a commendation as well, since I did kind of come up with the plan to get the thief, but I decided against it. I told my master that I needed no accolades for my accomplishments in this world. The Princess seemed to have taken a shine at my demeanor and offered the title of Chevalier to me anyway but I politely declined.

"I'm still not sure about this…becoming a Chevalier, I mean." Matlida muttered to me while the Princess was too busy embracing my master. It was understandable for her considering her past experience with nobles. Being inducted into nobility again was likely giving her some rather complicated feelings. I would also like to note that Matilda's makeover was quite the success. Amusing that all it took was a change in hairstyle and clothing and she looked like a different person. When they were all deciding what she should start wearing from now on, I made the suggestion of a white long-sleeved blouse with a blue vest and a black skirt. Everyone looked at me skeptically and I told them to just try it. They did and were impressed at how much it fit her. I smiled when they asked what kind of hairstyle would do. I suggested straight shoulder length hair that was parted in the middle and with the bangs of one side being longer than the other. They complied and were surprised at how much the hairstyle fit Matilda's new clothes.

Of course it did, I made her look like Shikieiki.

"Think about it this way, you get a perfect cover from now on and get extra income for the orphanage thanks to the stipend for being a Chevalier on top of what Louise's family is paying you for tutoring her." I pointed out. Louise said that it wouldn't be easy to convince her family to pay for a private teacher for her to help with her magic development. That was until I told her to point out to her family that this teacher was the one to defeated Fouquet of the crumbling dirt, which silenced any further protest from her house.

"I guess…" The woman finally said before looking back at Louise and sighing.

"A few days ago, I never though that I'd end up like this. It just went so fast and seemed…" She trailed off.

"Too good to be true?" I finished for her. She silently nodded in acknowledgement.

"I would think that, after everything that you have gone through, it was time for you to get a break. Of course, those would simply be empty words since I can't really understand your situation or feelings." I said with a shrug. We stood in silence as Henrietta continued to tell Louise how much she missed her dear friend and was worried sick when my master decided to go after Fouquet.

"Even if they were empty words…thank you." Matilda finally said. I glanced at her and saw that she had her head turned away from me.

"Oh! How I wish I could simply allow you to go back to your peaceful life at the academy. But sadly, I am in need of a favor from you Louise Françoise." The Princess said wistfully as she finally let go of my master. I briefly wondered why she seemed to be the target of affection by various women lately when I felt my master tense up.

"Anything Princess!" Louise answered immediately, I figured as much.

"Thank you, my dear friend." The Princess said before going to her desk and retrieving a parchment. She walked back to us and gave it to Louise.

"I want you to live in town for a while to check on some…unsavory rumors." Henrietta said hesitantly. I instantly felt hostile intent coming from Matilda after she heard that. I saw where this is going…

"Rumors?" My master asked, none the wiser.

"There have been rumors around town about nobles that have been using their position to oppress the local commoners. I want you to confirm if this is true or not." Henrietta explained.

"How terrible…" Louise muttered in a pained voice. I felt Matilda's hostile intent dissipate and turned to her. I noted that her previous look of anger was replaced with concern for Louise.

"And…" I spoke up, breaking my master from her thoughts.

"…what do you wish for us to do if we found these rumors true?" I asked the Princess. My master shot me an irritated look for speaking with her Princess so casually but I ignored it for now.

"I wish for you all to report it to me personally. I cannot tolerate such actions from the nobility simply because of their status over the commoners." Henrietta stated with a hard voice, making me raise a brow.

"So you are concerned about the daily lives of commoners and not just nobles?" I asked her. From past experience, I always saw most of the nobility as those who hold themselves on a pedestal compared to the commoners and would never care about those below them. The Princess slowly shook her head and looked at me sadly.

"The people must do everything they can for their country, and their country must do everything it can for its people." She stated. It seemed that the Princess was one of the exceptions to that stereotype.

"We will do as you command, princess!" Louise once again immediately stated and our course was set. We left Henrietta to her work and walked through the halls of the palace in silence until Louise started fidgeting before she finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Matilda. It seems that we have something to take care of first. You can go ahead and return to the academy first." Louise said with an apologetic tone. Louise was walking in the middle of the hall with me and Matilda at her sides.

"Don't worry, I'm coming with you." The former thief stated with a smile.

"You are?" Louise asked her in surprise.

"The Princess said that you needed to spend time in town to be able to confirm the rumors, right?" Matilda asked, earning a nod from my master.

"Have either of you lived in a city like this before? Among the locals I mean." She asked us with a raised brow. Louise tried to protest but couldn't find an argument for it. Oh, that's what she's getting at. Since Louise was a noble, she couldn't possibly know how to blend in with locals, much less live amongst them. On the other hand, I have no real experience living amongst humans of any sort outside my time with Louise, it had always been me, Elly, my sunflowers...and that weakling vampire who's name escapes me right now, I never really paid any attention to her anyway.

"No, and I assume that you have?" I asked her and the woman simply gave me a smirk.

"Who do you think I am?" She replied smugly. It seemed that recruiting this woman provided more use than we originally foresaw.

"Very well…you can come along. Where do we go first?" Louise asked her tutor.

"Hat shop." I immediately stated, making both Matilda and Louise look at me quizzically.

"Matilda needs a hat." I replied simply before walking ahead of the two women.

…

"You really don't have to…" Matilda said uneasily as she eyed the various hats inside the very shop where Louise and I got ours. The same young woman from before was tending the shop when we arrived and asked if we were looking for anything in particular. Because of the wide array of available hats in stock, I had asked her if they had a Yama's cap. Sadly, she had never heard of the thing so we opted to browse around the shop instead. Louise had already gone into the thick of things and was walking around trying to find a suitable hat for our companion.

"Yes we do. If you will be part of our little group, then hats will be mandatory." I stated with a friendly but resolute voice. Matilda seemed to have resigned to her fate she rubbed her forehead with her left hand and sighed.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." She muttered to herself.

"About getting a hat or about the situation at large?" I asked the woman as I tracked Louise's pink hair around the shop.

"Both..." Matilda replied dryly. I simply shrugged at her response, is she really that conflicted about becoming a noble again?

"It's not a bad deal. A life of relative comfort while still being able to provide for your sister and the orphans. Besides, we'll make sure that you get a hat that suits you perfectly, I assure you." I stated with a warm smile, and for the first time, a smile that she returned.

"I got one!" I heard Louise yell out from within the shop. Matilda and I blinked at each other for a moment before walking to where Louise's voice came from, her pink hair acting as a beacon in the midst of all the hats in the shop. I raised a brow at what she was holding up. It was a larger version of her own hat, one that would fit Matilda.

"Matching hats?" I asked Louise with a raised brow. My master huffed at me before waving the hat in front of me.

"What? You and Siesta have matching hats, why can't we?" Louise argued, she had a point though. Siesta and I had sort of a teacher-pupil relationship in terms of gardening and both of us had matching straw hats. Mayhap Louise had the same thing in mind when it came to her and her new tutor. Very well, let us see. I took the hat from her hands and placed it on Matilda's head. The woman let out a small 'eep' when I did out of surprise but recovered quickly.

"Perfect!" Louise exclaimed proudly as her tutor touched the new headgear. I hummed to myself while appraising the overall look that Matilda had with that particular hat. The woman noticed my scrutiny and blushed a bit before looking away from me.

"I would disagree, master." I said, earning a glare from Louise and a questioning look from Matilda.

"Make no mistake, the hat does look lovely on her and your gesture of getting matching hats with your new tutor is very sweet." I continued with glancing around the shops for viable replacement options.

"However it clashes with her clothes too much. If she had darker clothes or a cape, like you do, then it would be perfect. Unfortunately, the style of the hat does not fit with the style of her clothes. Something a bit simpler would work…" I muttered before turning back to them. I noted that Louise was giving me a flat stare while Matilda had her back to us.

"So what? Another straw hat? You already have that maid wear one, are you trying to mark the women you fancy by making them all wear straw hats?" Louise asked me in an irritated voice. We both glanced at Matilda for a moment when we saw her flinch a bit at Louise's words. I chose to ignore it and answer my master's question.

"No, I have no plans on marking anyone via hats. No, I have yet to see a woman that meets my 'fancy'. And no, a straw hat wouldn't fit either." I shot down Louise accusations, while ignoring the wistful sigh from Matilda, before walking to a different part of the store. Hats are important, they are extremely distinct and provide an easy way to identify someone. I can name every single notable denizen of Gensokyo because of the hat that they wore, while I can name the rest because of their lack of hats or use of other head accessories. I raised a brow when a particular hat caught my eye. I left Louise and Matilda and walked up to the particular hat stand that was holding it. Yes, this could work.

"I believe we have your destined hat, Matilda." I said smugly as I took the hat from the stand and showed it to the two women.

"What is that?" Louise asked me as she eyed my chosen hat skeptically. Matilda was eying me and the hat I chose and pursed her lips, I guess she didn't know what kind of hat this was either.

"This is called a fedora. Normally it is a hat for men but it can also be worn by women, particularly women who have a certain kind of class, confidence and style, attributes that Matilda clearly possesses." I stated as I adjusted the crease and the pinch at the top of the vanilla white fedora while making sure that the black grosgrain ribbon is secure and clean. I approached our hatless companion and offered it to her.

"Try it out." I said with a smile. The woman looked between my chosen hat, my master, and myself, before taking off the hat she currently had on and taking the fedora from my hands. She looked at the hat one more time before putting it on. I smiled at her new look. Yes, the fedora works. Too bad we couldn't add a tie and replace her skirt with slacks, she would have looked perfect with the Rawket Lawnchair hefted on her shoulder.

"Oooohhh…" Louise said as her previous protest was replaced with awe.

"Not bad, eh?" I asked my master while giving her a sidewards glance.

"How is that possible? It's just a hat! How can it make Matilda look so…so…" Louise trailed off as she slowly shook her head.

"I believe the words you are looking for are suave and classy." I provided, I glanced back to Matilda who currently had her head tilted down and pulling the front of the brim of her hat to cover her eyes. I noted the blush that still showed on her face. I guess she wasn't used to this kind of attention.

"Does it…does it really look good on me?" Matilda asked while hesitantly looking up at us.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" I asked back while nodding toward a nearby mirror. Matilda looked at the mirror and was considering it when Louise decided for her.

"Come on! You have to see! It looks wonderful on you!" My master happily said before pulling her tutor by the hand toward the mirror. Matilda gave me a look of worry but I simply shrugged in response.

"Is this...me?" I heard Matilda ask as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"It is! It is! Isn't it great?" Louise confirmed for her while nodding vigorously. I blinked a few times at my master's apparent enthusiasm, I swore the girl's eyes were glittering as she stared at the former thief.

"Is it really that surprising?" I asked her from behind. Both of them turned to me but Matilda turned back to the mirror to give herself another appraisal.

"It's just...I look so different...Is this really even me anymore?" She asked, her expression becoming a but sadder than before. Louise looked at me with worry and I gestured toward her tutor. My master knitted her eyebrows for a few moments before giving me a look of determination, her eyes alight with the same intensity she shows when she was resolute about something.

"Of course it is!" Louise declared, making Matilda turn to her.

"This is you! The new you! This is not Mathilda of Southern Saxe Gotha! This is not Miss Longueville of Tristain Magic Academy! This is not Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt! This is Matilda Chevalier de Tristain! Sister to a woman in Albion. Caretaker and provider to orphans. A Square Class Earth mage. And...my teacher..." Louise said with as much conviction as she could have mustered, though it did taper off and fizzle out into slight embarrassment near the end. I made sure that no one was around when Louise said 'Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt'. It wouldn't do for our new companion to blow her cover after less than a week. Even if someone did, they would probably have thought that it was the ramblings of an eccentric noble girl. After all, as far as the country is concerned, Fouquet was a man and was already dead. Matilda stared at my master for a few moments, her uncertainty faced by Louise's sincerity. The woman clenched her jaw before closing her eyes and smiling, her expression changing to one of relief. Louise let out her own 'eep' as Matilda wordlessly embraced her. Louise, on her part, waved her hands in the air for a few moments before simply returning the gesture. My master really was becoming the object of affection for a lot of women lately, hasn't she? Who's next, Kirche? Monmon? Siesta? Tabitha? No, not Tabitha...definitely not Tabitha. My thoughts on the matter were interrupted when I noticed the young woman who tended the shop approach us with a concerned expression when she saw the scene between my master and her tutor. She turned to me with eyes that asked if everything was okay.

"We'll take the fedora." I replied with a shrug.

...

"So..." I stated as the three of us stood outside the hat shop.

"So..." Louise repeated as she adjusted her cowboy hat.

"So..." Matilda repeated one more time as she glanced around the part of town we were currently in.

"Where to now?" I asked the expert. Matilda looked at me before turning her gaze to the ground and contemplating the question.

"I intended to go to an old acquaintance and ask for help in the matter. He owns a pretty popular bar that doubles as an inn. It would be the best place to gather information from the locals. People tend to be very open to questions after a few rounds of ale." She explained.

"Then let's go!" Louise stated with enthusiasm.

"We can't..." Matilda said with a sigh, making me raise a brow.

"Why not?" My master voiced the question in my head.

"Because of you, Louise." The former thief stated with a sad smile.

"Me?" Louise yelled in surprise that she was the hindrance to our plan.

"Please explain." I stated. Matilda looked between me and Louise before gesturing for us to start walking with her.

"Louise is a noble, a student at the most prestigious magic academy in the whole country, and she is currently wearing one of their uniforms." Matilda explained as we walked the streets. I see. Indeed, going into that place with nobility in tow would hamper out efforts in getting honest statements from the patrons.

"Would a change of clothing fix the problem?" I asked her.

"I would help, definitely. Getting Louise into simpler clothes would remove most suspicion toward her...on the surface." She replied with an awkward smile.

"On the surface?" Louise piped up with the question.

"Louise, dear. Even if we find you a suitable disguise, it will not change the fact that you are a noble. You will still have the presence of a noble and you will still act like a noble." Matilda explained as clearly and as kindly as she could. I saw Louise's expression sour at her tutor's words and opened her mouth to object. I answered for her...

"Then teach her how to act like a commoner." I simply stated, making both women turn to me. Once again, Louise had a scowl because I cut her off while Matilda had a surprised expression.

"I can't just teach a girl who has lived her entire life as a noble to perfectly act like a commoner! That's impossible!" Matilda yelled at me.

"Then improvise, you are her tutor after all. Besides, we have experienced first hand how good you are at planning with next to no prep time and your resourcefulness under stacked odds. I would have expected that this was well within your capabilities. Or are you saying that such a thing is impossible for Fou-for Matilda Chevalier de Tristain?" I stated with a smug smile, though I really needed to remember never to call her Fouquet again. The woman narrowed her eyes at me before giving me an irritated look.

"Fine! Come Louise!" Matilda stated as she took Louise's hand with her own, her razor sharp glare never leaving my eyes.

"What...what's going on?" Louise asked in confusion at her tutor's sudden outburst. Matilda turned to her student and gave her one of her Fouquet smiles.

"Your very first lesson under my tutelage, infiltration!" Matilda replied with a smirk before she started to tug Louise to walk with her.

"What? I signed up for a magic course and not espionage!" Louise protested as she tried to pull away from Matilda.

"Too bad. You asked me to teach you, and teach you I shall." Matilda responded with the same determined smirk as she and her student started a tug of war in the middle of the street. I noticed that we were attracting a lot of attention and decided to end the little incident they were making.

"This was a personal request from your beloved Princess, was it not?" I asked Louise as I folded my arms and leaned back. The effect was immediate as my master let out an 'urk' before turning to me with a conflicted expression.

"Your Princess gave you a very specific mission and it just so happened that Matilda is perfect in assisting you with it. Now think, would it be wise to turn away the one person who can really help you with this?" I asked, my stance not changing. Matilda might be Louise's tutor, the one helping my master uncover more things about her magic, but I'm the one that would teach her to think for herself and make the best decisions she can based on that. Louise stared at the ground and fidgeted a a few times, going over what I said even though she should already know what the answer is. I sighed and turned to Matilda.

"Should I come with you while you prepare?" I asked the woman. She considered it a moment before shaking her head.

"I'll be fine. We'll just get new clothes for her and I'll give her some basics on acting like a commoner. There is a an open area that way with a large water fountain, wait for us there and we'll go ahead to the inn that my acquaintance owns." Matilda responded while nodding to the direction down the street.

"I leave Louise in your care then." I said with a nod before making my way to our rendezvous point. I trust Matilda with Louise because I could find no reason why she would harm her. Betraying the trust that Louise and I put on her would not only cut her off from a stable income for her sister, it would also make her a wanted criminal again. And there was the little thing about me unleashing my full wrath upon her should she betray us. I hummed an old tune as I walked the streets, using my parasol as a walking stick as I did. Matilda would be the one who will do most of the work for this little royal request since she would have a lot of experience in gathering information due to her tenure as an infamous thief. Honestly, I was starting to doubt the need to accompany them. The woman was a square-class earth magician that gave me the most fun fights I have had in this world thus far and an expert at deception and thievery. The girl was a budding void magician that can cast point-directed concussive blasts at will and was being trained by me in dodging Danmaku, she could probably dodge throwing knives by now if she tried.

Honestly, I felt like an unneeded accessory for solving this incident.

...

Fear. Someone once said that fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak, the innocent. Fear was what others felt when they fought me. Fear was what others felt as I pointed my parasol at them before unleashing a Master Spark. Fear was what others felt as they saw themselves be consumed alive by my flowers. Fear was my ally. And now I felt betrayed by it. I have never felt fear. Never. Not when I first fought Reimu and Marisa. Not when I faced the hordes of Makai. Not when I traded blows with the goddess of the demon realm. Not when I faced the armies of the moon. In all my life, I have never felt fear.

Which was why the feeling I was having right now was rather novel.

I was sitting on the edge of the stone fountain, the designated area for our rendezvous, and was waiting for Matilda and Louise to come back. I spent my time lazily observing the goings on of the commoners as they passed by. It reminded me of the times when I basked under the sun in the middle of Garden of the Sun with my sunflowers and observed the comings and goings of the other residents of Gensokyo. It was then that I noticed an odd presence in the area. It was odd enough to make me raise a brow and put my head on a swivel. The presence I felt was not hostile nor was it oppressive, but for some strange reason, it made me feel...tense. I focused my senses and tried to narrow down the source of the strange feeling when 'it' decided to show itself instead.

"Tres Bien!" A clearly masculine voice that, for some ungodly reason was trying to sound feminine, yelled out. I turned to the source of the voice and I froze. Standing before me, doing poses and flexing fully developed muscles, was a man...or I thought it was a man. This...creature...was a tall and well built human male that seemed well into the middle of his life, if his receding hairline suggested, and was even sporting a mustache and a beard. All in all, one would think that he would be a soldier or working class man but...he was wearing a magenta tank top that was around five sizes too small for him and dark blue shorts that was also around five sizes too small for him. The creature turned to me and winked before it started another round of posing and flexing.

"Monster, you do not belong in this world..." I muttered under my breath while purposely looking away from it.

"Aaaahhn~! But it was not by my hand that I was given this flesh~! I was called here by a friend who wished to ask for my aid~!" The creature replied before doing more poses. I looked back at it in shock. It heard me? Impossible. I snarled at it and stood up, trying very hard to suppress the fear building up within me.

"Aid? Who would want the aid of one who parades around acting like something that it is not?" I said directly to the creature, making sure to show my killing intent. I was once again shocked when the creature did not even flinch and merely did another pose. Why? Why do I feel such fear when this creature is near me when it isn't even hostile? Why did it not seem to be affected by my aura of terror? What. The. Hell.

"Ooohh~! Perhaps the same could be said of all mankind~" The creature retorted. It was comparing itself to nobles now?

"Your words are as empty as your clothing! Tristain ill needs a citizen such as you!" I yelled, making a few heads turn. I didn't care. This man. This thing was not natural. It goes against everything that nature had intended and I don't like that. I can't even imagine what would happen if my master was to meet such a thing.

"Auuuhh~! What is a man? A delectable little pile of repressed emotions! But enough talk, have at-"

"Oh, I see that you've met." Matilda's relaxed voice cut the tension between me and the creature as cleanly as a slash from one of Youmu's swords. I turned to the woman and found her standing next to my master. Louise had traded in her school uniform for a simple brown one piece dress that was secured by a pair of shoulder straps. It appeared that Matilda took my statement about hats seriously since Louise had a matching beret on her head instead of her cowboy usual hat. Louise didn't look to happy about her new look, probably too 'simple' for her tastes, but it really did suit her.

"And who might you be dear~?" The creature asked Matilda while doing another pose and flexing its pectoral muscles. I shifted my weight and made sure that my feet were firmly planted on the ground. If that thing made any hostile move against Matilda or my master then I will rip it apart with my bare hands, consequences be damned!

"Scarron! I just change my look and you can't even recognize the girl that helped you out during you little treasure hunt folly?" The former thief was also a treasure hunter? It seemed that Matilda has quite the skill sets. The creature, identified as Scarron, blinked a few times before it started stroking its beard in a contemplative gesture.

"Mathilda~?" Scarron exclaimed as it stared wide eyed at Matilda.

"It's just Matilda now, Scarron." The woman said with a smile. Louise immediately hid behind her tutor as soon as she saw the beast. Good, it seemed that my master and I were of liked minds when it came to the creature. My wonderment on how Matilda could stand to look at such a thing without flinching was interrupted by Scarron, who was walking...well...posing and flexing...towards Matilda and Louise to get a closer look.

"Matilda, you know this...this..." I gestured toward Scarron but couldn't seem to finish my sentence.

"Why yes, Yuka. This was the acquaintance I was talking about." The former Crumbling Dirt stated matter of factly. Her words were met with varying degrees of 'What' between me and Louise.

"Yuka, Louise, I would like you two to meet Scarron, proprietor of the Charming Fairy Inn." Louise and I turned to Scarron who just flexed a few muscles at us and blew us both kisses, both me and my master instinctively 'dodged' the trajectory of the kisses like they were lethal Danmaku.

"Scarron, these are Yuka and Louise. They are...well, they are two people who have changed my life." Matilda introduced us to her...acquaintance...with a soft smile. Louise and I glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at Scarron and giving him curt nods. The creature turned to me, Louise, and Matilda in turn. Then, he just stood there in complete silence...he wasn't even posing anymore. I glanced at Matilda and nodded toward Scarron, the woman just gave me a somewhat confused shrug. I was arguing with myself mentally to try to check on the creature myself when...

"Tres Bien~!" The creature suddenly exclaimed as it went through various poses and flexes in rapid succession.

"This is wonderful news Matilda~! I am so glad that you finally settled down and started a family~!" Scarron exclaimed as it wiped a tear from its eye while flexing its triceps at the same time. A family? Oh, he thinks that we-we can work with this.

"Fa-fa-fa-fa-family?" Interestingly enough, the embarrassed stuttering came from Matilda this time, complete with her face becoming completely crimson, and not Louise. No, my master simply stood there as if her soul had just left her body.

"Why yes~! They changed your life did they not~? That could only mean that this strapping man is your husband and this adorable little girl is your daughter~!" The creature reasoned. I wasn't even sure how the man had come to the conclusion that the three of us were a family. Sure, I was willing to admit that Matilda and I could wrongly be assumed as lovers, but Louise as our daughter? The girl had pink hair compared to our green, that isn't even logical in any sense of the word. Still, a cover story is a cover story.

"Was it that obvious?" I asked the creature smugly while hefting my parasol on my shoulder and walking up to Matilda and Louise, who were both gawking at me. Matilda and Louise were about to yell their protests at me when I raised my left hand to stop them before leaning closer.

"If this, Scarron, believes us a family then I say we run with it. It saves us the trouble of having to come up with another cover story to be able to get into the inn." I whispered to them out of earshot. Louise glared daggers at me while Matilda was blushing furiously but looking down on the ground, possibly considering my words.

"Of course it was~! I have only seen Matilda give a smile of such pure joy when we uncovered extremely valuable treasure~!" Scarron started to explain. Normally one would expect that the joy shown by Matilda was derived from greed. However, after Louise and I found out her true reasons for seeking our riches, it was far more likely that she was happy because such a valuable prize would mean more funding for their orphanage.

"However~!" The creature suddenly yelled out as it went about doing a series of flexes. I had stood right beside Matilda, my parasol still on my shoulder, in order to allow Louise to find cover behind us. I didn't want my master traumatized by such a scene. She got the message and was currently standing behind me while clutching my shirt as she pressed her face onto my back. It reminded me of when Louise had met Yukari in Mugenkan.

"Matilda had freely shown a smile that eclipsed any I have seen before when she introduced you two~! Thus~! I can only come to the conclusion that she loves you both very dearly~! Ergo~! The three of you must be family~!" Scarron ended its deduction with a final pose. I actively glanced away from the sight of the creature's sweat on its body and the labored breaths that it was taking. Coincidentally, I glanced in Matilda's direction and saw that she held her fedora with he left hand and used it to cover her most of her face, though her intense blush was still obvious. I sighed at the unnecessary embarrassment that our companion was currently experiencing because of some misconceptions.

"I apologize if you have to deal with this for the rest of this little mission. You don't have to like it, but it is the most effective way on going about things." I whispered to Matilda, who just bit down on her lower lip for a moment before shaking her head.

"Your analysis is accurate. I apologize for saying those words to you earlier. I did not realize that you were the one that Matilda spoke of." I stated before walking up to the creature, ignoring my body's urge to purge the world of this abomination.

"Are you alright?" I heard Louise asked in concern from behind me, probably checking up on Matilda.

"I never said...I dislike it..." I faintly heard Matilda whisper from behind me as well. I then heard Louise ask what she meant by that, I was about to do the same but decided against it, I wanted this whole this over with as soon as possible.

"I apologize as well~! Had I known that you were Matilda's husband, I would not have attempted to seduce you~!" My expression visibly soured at its words. Seduce me? I have seen carrion more seductive than this creature.

"I...see..." I ground out.

"So~! How can I help Matilda's family~?" The creature asked as it started flexing its muscles again. And here we are. What to say?

"I brought my husband and daughter here to sightsee. You see, we live out in the country and we saved up money for a family trip." I turned at Matilda's voice and saw that she had finally recomposed herself. Gone was the embarrassment and the uncertainty, all that was left was the woman that stood against Yuka Kazami and held her own. Louise was correct when she said that the woman accompanying us was not Mathilda of Southern Saxe Gotha nor was she Miss Longueville of Tristain Magic Academy nor was she Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt. This was Matilda Chevalier de Tristain, the most formidable one of all.

"Alas, we were attacked by bandits just as we were about to arrive. Yuka, my husband, protected us but could not save our belongings nor our money." Matilda stated with a sad voice as she held onto Louise by the hand. My master gave me an alarmed, if confused, look and I merely shrugged after giving her a 'just go with it' look.

"Is this true~? Why did you not defend yourself instead Matilda~? You were more than capable of defeating a few bandits back when we were still treasure hunters~" Scarron asked, though worry was very evident in its voice. Did he know of her magic or her natural skill or both?

"Becoming a mother changed me, my friend." Matilda said simply, earning a nod of understanding from Scarron. Oh, she's good.

"We need a place to stay until we can get our heads together. We'll be more than happy to earn our keep while we're there." I followed up, earning an honestly surprised look from my master. She was probably thinking 'Yuka Kazami, doing menial labor? Impossible!' Oh Louise, you should know this by now. There is nothing I cannot accomplish.

"I can't possibly ask you to work after what you have gone through~!" Scarron protested, going as far as imitating a maiden that was about to faint. I really wished that Yukari was here to see this and scar her mind for the rest of her life. What has been seen cannot be unseen. I saw no reason why I should suffer through this alone.

"And I couldn't possibly ask you to take us in for free. Please Scarron, you know I hate owing anyone." Matilda responded with an wry smile. Scarron seemed to understand and began to consider it.

"Indeed you do not~ But what of your sister~?" Scarron suddenly asked. The creature knew about Matilda's sister as well? What else, that she was a former noble too? I was wondering why the formerly secretive woman would have revealed so much to this creature when I heard Matilda let out a wistful sigh.

"I wrote a letter to her. I told her that Mathilda has found herself a man, and is living happily and peacefully." Matilda replied with a sad smile. It seemed that being reminded of her sister tended to bring out certain...emotions from her.

"Alright, you win~! But remember that when I ask someone to work, as expect them to work properly~!" Scarron said with more enthusiasm, even going so far as to start posing again.

"Thank you, Scarron." Matilda said with a smile before the creature led us to the Charming Fairy Inn...while posing nearly every step of the way.

...


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: And here we have the second part of the Charming Fairy Inn arc. Nothing much to say about it aside from the fact that Yuka doesn't actually attack anyone in this chapter. Imagine that!

Next chapter is the first Love Potion arc and the start of the Albion Arc. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

...

"So..." I muttered as the three members of the 'Kazami Family' stood next to each other inside the 'tavern' part of the Charming Fairy Inn near the entrance. I glanced around the area and found that there were several wooden round tables spread around the main floor, wooden chairs included. There was a bar to the side with shelves lined with bottles of liquor. The whole thing was lit up by several lamps and a chandelier that gave it a warm feel.

"S-so..." Matilda repeated as she stood to my right side.

"Hurm..." Louise grumbled as she stood to Matilda's right side. My master had looks that varied from embarrassment to displeasure to a simple flat stare that she had right now throughout our walk to the inn. Being thought of as a child didn't seem to sit well with Louise but I noted with some amusement that she never let go of Matilda's hand. In fact, she was still holding onto Matilda's hand as we stood there.

"And thus~! They turn to us for help~! And the Charming Fairy Inn was created in part to help those in need~! Isn't that right, girls~?" The creature, Scarron, addressed his employees. They were all dressed in what Marisa used to call 'Skimpy Maid Outfits' but with varying colors instead of the traditional blue or black, but they still all had the standard white aprons. I had heard in passing what happened to the thieving witch after she asked Alice to wear one of those. I think the crater was still there...

"Yes boss!" The girls all said in unison. I noticed that all the girls were young, probably older than Louise but not by much. I was wondering why such young women were working for something like Scarron when I noticed the aforementioned creature start to squirm where it stood.

"No~n!" The creature exclaimed while still squirming.

"I am starting to question the wisdom of coming to this place." I muttered as I stared at the scene unfolding before us.

"You girls already know that you should refer to me as mi mademoiselle when at work~!" Scarron stated while doing a few poses. I felt my brow twitch when I heard the young women start calling it as 'mi mademoiselle'. Did it brainwash them?

"I am really starting to question the wisdom of coming to this place." I muttered as I tightened the grip on my parasol.

"Now, now, Yuka. 'You don't have to like it, but it is the most effective way on going about things'. Those were your exact words, weren't they?" Matilda asked me with a sidewards glance and a bit of a smirk and a wink.

"Touché." I replied with a raised brow.

"Flurgen..." Louise grumbled again beside us. I found out why when I saw Scarron start to pose toward us. I was about to step forward to address it when I felt Matilda's hand on my arm.

"Just let me do the talking." Matilda reminded us, returning to her 'pro' self. I nodded in response while Louise simply gave another 'flurgen'. I was more than happy to let the former thief deal with the creature, less work for me. After all, I was just here to make sure that anyone stupid enough to try to harm Louise and Matilda during the course of this little mission would regret it...badly.

"Now then~!" The creature started. Matilda stepped forward to speak to the beast, finally letting go of Louise's hand. My master scooted over to me and gave me a grave expression.

"Are we really going to do this?" She asked me.

"It's for the Princess, Louise. You got us into this mess in the first place." I reminded her, earning an 'urk' from my master.

"Now, just be a good 'daughter' for the rest of this little charade." I stated as I patted her beret wearing head while giving her a sly smile. Louise let out a low growl before smacking my hand away.

"You just wanted to play house with Matilda, didn't you? Hmph! Some ancient and powerful being you are. In the end, you just want to get my tutor into bed!" Louise stated as scathingly as she could while looking at me with a disgusted expression.

"Louise, we've been through this..." I started to explain but any further argument was interrupted when Scarron and Matilda walked up to us.

"Is anything wrong, dear?" Matilda asked me, her mask of 'my wife' in full effect. Scarron looked worried as it seemed to have interrupted an argument between a father and daughter.

"Not at all, Matilda. I was merely telling Louise that there are a great many kinds of people living in the city." I stated while placing my hand on Louise's shoulder. Another half-truth. If I have to keep doing this, I'll need to start asking Yukari for advice on manipulating people.

"I see. Well, Scarron has agreed to provide us lodging and food as long as we pull our weight around here." Matilda explained. It seemed that our course was set and this little play will continue for the rest of this little mission. I briefly wondered if I could have traded places with Guiche for this mission, I still thought that I was completely unnecessary for this.

"What do we need to do?" Louise piped up, making all three of us turn to her. Was this her desire to accomplish a mission given to her personally by her beloved Princess? Or was this just her wanting to get this over with so she can go home?

"Well, dear, the two of us will be helping out in serving food and drinks while your father helps in the kitchen by washing dishes, taking out the trash, and cleaning up after the day's work." Matilda said simply.

""What?"" Both Louise and I exclaimed at the same time. Having my master wait tables whilst wearing those skimpy maid outfits aside, she was actually expecting me to...do a servant's job?

"I know that it is a far cry from your usual work as a botanist, but you did say that you'd do anything. Right?" Matilda stated with a sickly sweet smile. It would seem that this woman was starting to forget who it was that ripped apart her precious earth golem just days before.

"We'll do it!" Louise declared with pure determination. I truly question the wisdom of coming here.

...

"You seem to find yourself in a number of new outfits today, ma-Louise." I stated while looking at Louise's and Matilda's new outfits, making sure to cover my minor slip up by folding my arms and leaning back. Louise and Matilda found themselves wearing light-pink and red versions of the 'Skimpy Maid Outfits' respectively and were actively looking away from me while blushing. Obviously they were both embarrassed by their attire but, well, they did agree to do this after all.

"What do you think~? Don't they look wonderful~?" Scarron asked from behind the girls. I scrutinized their clothing and noted that, even though they were designed to be revealing, they still made sure that all the important parts were carefully and securely covered.

"I can't complain about the design but..." I muttered while looking up and down Matilda's frame. The former thief glared at me when she noticed while pulling down on her skirt with her left hand, in effort to cover her legs, and putting her right hand over her chest, in an effort to cover her breasts. Honestly, it's like she assumes that she has anything that I haven't seen before. Matilda was still glaring at me while her face was still as crimson as her clothes when I turned to Scarron.

"The color doesn't suit her. Make it green instead, dark green." I said with no small sense of certainty. My choice of colors for Matilda's current outfit stemmed from the fact that it would have simply matched her hair, like Louise's outfit did. The darker shade of the 'Skimpy Maid Outfit' would have accented her hair color and would increase the chances of customers looking at her face instead of anywhere else. Louise did not need to deal with the same problem since she didn't have anything else to show off to customers aside from her vibrant hair and her cute face, not that those aspects were not enough to garner attention. Everyone blinked at me in wonder except for Louise, who just gave me an annoyed look.

"Isn't dark green your color?" She accused me with irritation. My color? Ah, she must have meant my wings. Matilda's embarrassed expression turned to wide eyed realization when she understood the meaning behind my master's words. I had used my wings to intercept the stone spikes that her golem launched at Sylphid during our last battle. She might have been on the very verge of panic and was likely already starting to run away, but she should have been able to see that little display of mine as she went.

"Only on certain occasions." I replied with a shrug. Scarron had taken the time we used for our short exchange to bring out a dark green version of Matilda's outfit. I purposely refused to think about how the creature knew my master's and Matilda's measurements to be able to provide those outfits that fit both of them perfectly. Nevertheless, Matilda went off to change into her new outfit with Louise in tow while Scarron started giving out reminders to the regular staff about something-or-other in their work. There was something about a magical black 'Skimpy Maid Outfit' that was supposed to allow the wearer to get a wish or some such nonsense but I didn't really listen to that part.

"Hey, new guy!" A female voice stated from behind me. I spared her a look and raised a brow. The young woman who was flatly staring at me was taller than Louise and was nearly as tall as Matilda. She had fair features, long black hair that was wrapped with a bandanna, and was wearing a low cut single piece dark green dress. The odd thing was...this young woman reminded me of Siesta. How strange.

"Yes?" I regarded the girl. She had her hands on her hips and was carefully looking up and down my frame. Imagine that, a mortal human girl sizing me up like I was some common rabble.

"I can't believe that this is the guy that snagged Big-Sis Mathilda." The young woman sneered at me before giving me another once over. It would appear that this girl had taken offense to our little cover story.

"It's Matilda now actually." I corrected her. The young woman narrowed her eyes at me and grit her teeth before she stepped forward and attempted to grab my shirt with her right hand. I cleanly intercepted the oncoming hand with my own left and I was currently holding her fast by the wrist. It seemed that she had taken a bit more than an offense to our little cover story.

"I don't know who you are and what you did...but I know that Big-Sis Mathilda would never marry someone like you!" The young woman yelled at me as she tried to pull her wrist free from my grasp. I had noticed that the rest of the people there had already gone silent, but it did not seem that this girl cared. She suddenly closed the gap between us, close enough for her face to be mere inches from mine.

"And I know that the pink-haired girl you came in with is not your daughter." She hissed at me. I didn't really feel worried by her statement. Logically speaking, Louise really didn't look like a daughter that would have come from a union between me and Matilda.

"Jessica~! Cease that at once~!" Scarron exclaimed. Me and the girl, apparently named Jessica, turned to the crowd and saw that they were all looking at us with concerned expressions.

"I hate to admit it, but you really do look better in...green...what happened?" Louise trailed off and asked as she and Matilda walked into a rather peculiar scene.

"Jessica, what do you think you're doing?" Matilda asked the girl in my grasp in a somewhat cold tone. I took that as a cue to let the young woman go. Jessica reeled back from the sudden release but quickly recovered her balance. Interesting, she either had that sense of balance naturally or someone...taught her. I see. It seemed that we've encountered an unforeseen complication, or did Matilda already take this into account?

"What I'm doing? What do you think you're doing Big-Sis? How can you even think of marrying a guy that looks like that? He doesn't even look like he can fight!" Jessica yelled at Matilda, who had a scowl on and was biting her bottom lip. It seemed that even our expert did not expect this. I certainly expected the sudden spike in magical energy coming from Louise though. I was contemplating on stopping her before she suddenly pulled out her wand when I found that such an action was unnecessary. Reason being that Louise chose to simply stomp toward Jessica and try to slap the taller girl. Jessica was sufficiently aware and fast enough to catch my master's hand mere inches from her left cheek, leaving everyone with an ironically similar situation that we had moments ago.

"Don't you dare talk about them like that..." Louise stated with about as much vehemence she could muster even though she was currently in a disadvantageous position. I really need to speak to my master about how her emotions affect her judgment so much.

"And what would you know about Big-Sis, huh? Little. Noble. Girl?" Jessica challenged Louise, revealing the biggest secret we had. A challenge that Louise answered by virtue of her other hand that she tried to use to slap the other girl with. Jessica managed to catch that hand too and both girls settled to simply glaring at each other to death. I watched the scene before me and forced down a sigh. Louise should have given Jessica a head butt to the jaw. The height difference should have given her the angle for the strike to force the taller girl to let go of her wrists. After she was free, Louise could have closed the distance between them and-

"Enough~!" Scarron declared as it subjected both girls to headlocks. I felt my brow twitch when I realized that I didn't even see it move. It twitched a bit more when I thought about what it would have been like to be in a headlock done by that creature. I proceeded to Dual Spark that thought into oblivion.

"No! Why are you even supporting this Daddy? You know that this whole thing is a sham! That man and that noble girl are probably blackmailing Big-Sis!" Jessica yelled to Scarron. Wait, what? Daddy? This young woman just called that abomination a father? I felt my face contort into a confused and disgusted scowl when I tried to comprehend the logic of how a creature like Scarron could ever sire a daughter.

"I am sure that Matilda has her reasons, don't you~?" Scarron turned to Matilda, its voice betraying uncertainty and desperation.

"I do. So Jessica, please understand. I'm doing this because-" Matilda's explanation was cut off by the young woman, Jessica.

"Understand, nothing! I don't know what they did to make you agree to this, but the Big-Sis that I know would never allow herself to be subjugated by a noble! The Big-Sis that I know woul-" Jessica's tirade was interrupted by me after I struck the wooden floor with the tip of my parasol.

"That...is quite enough." I stated flatly, getting the attention of the entire room. I opened my eyes, which I had closed beforehand, and regarded the room at large. Everyone present froze and gulped. Good.

"Scarron, I request that you release both girls at once." I told the creature and it complied, releasing both my master and its...daughter.

"As both Scarron and Matilda have tried to explain to you, we are here for a reason." I started and, predictably enough, Jessica scowled at me again.

"I don't care what your reaso-" The young woman's interruption was cut off when I once again struck the wooden floor with my parasol.

"Do not interrupt me, child." I stated in an icy voice, silencing any further interruption from anyone else.

"But you are correct. You don't have to care what our reasons are, you don't have to like them, you don't even have to understand them, but you will respect them. You will respect the fact that Matilda has willingly come back here and asked for help with something, something that cannot be stated out loud because of certain reasons. Now, will you respect her wishes and help us? Or will you continue to act like a spoiled child and trample all over the wishes of the very woman that you admire so?" I finished my words as I once again folded my arms and leaned back with my parasol in my right hand. Everyone was silent for several moments, even my master. Maybe I overdid it a bit? I was never one to approach delicate situations between relationships with tact as I never really had one myself. So I approached it like pre-battle banter. Matilda was the one who moved first, approaching Jessica before she placed her right hand gently on the young woman's cheek. Jessica flinched away for a bit but she calmed down and looked up at Matilda's eyes.

"Jessica, dear." Matilda started with a tone that I had never heard her use before.

"Yuka and Louise are not bad people. Whether you believe it or not, they saved me and gave me a new life. Honestly, I really thought that it was too good to be true at first...but..." Matilda trailed off as she glanced at Louise and me.

"...but it wasn't. I'm happy where I am right now, Jessica. I know that you don't like nobles but...at least give Louise a chance." Matilda finished by kissing the younger woman on the forehead. Really, after all this, I am very much convinced that I was not needed for this little mission.

...

"I'm sorry!" Jessica exclaimed as she bowed in front of me, once again reminding me of how much she resembled Siesta. Well, this was unexpected...

Thanks to the little drama that ensued between Jessica, Matilda, and Louise, there was a delay in the opening of the Charming Fairy Inn for the evening. This apparently meant that there were more people waiting to be served food and drinks once the establishment was opened. This also meant that, right now, Matilda and my master were currently serving the customer...much to Louise's chagrin. When she realized that she was supposed to pour drinks for commoners, she nearly blew her top. It was only because I reminded her that this was a personal request from the Princess herself that she calmed down and reluctantly accepted the job. This left me relegated to the kitchen since I couldn't be expected to serve the customers. Although, Scarron did hint that it had a 'Skimpy Maid Outfit' that would have fit me, eliciting snorts of amusement from Louise and Matilda. Ignoring all of that, I proceeded to the kitchen to see if there were any tasks that I could productively accomplish. It turned out that the kitchen was Jessica's station and we subsequently encountered each other there. Hence, the current situation.

"For what?" I asked the daughter of Scarron. Honestly, I still find it extremely hard to believe that a creature like Scarron could possibly sire a daughter as...normal...as Jessica, and I'm someone who has encountered large amounts of impossibilities in my many years of life.

"Huh?" Jessica asked in confusion as she looked up at me.

"Firstly, stand up straight. Unless you are intentionally trying to show me your cleavage, in which case, I ask that you would stand up straight." I replied while folding my arms and leaning back. The young woman blinked at me a few times before looking down at her chest. She subsequently blushed hard and stood up straight after she understood what I had meant.

"That aside, there is no real reason why I should forgive you when there is nothing to forgive." I simply stated. Ah, I could almost see the question marks appearing on the young woman's face as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"You did what you did out of love and concern for a woman that you admire, possibly the kind of woman you aspire to be." I started, earning an embarrassed blush from Jessica. When she said nothing in response, I decided to continue.

"You acted upon an assumption based on the most recent information you had about both Matilda and Nobles in general. Seeing her suddenly walk in with a noble and an unknown man, well, I understand why it would have raised a few eyebrows." I admitted at how absurd we must have looked when the three of us came in claiming to be a family. If Scarron hadn't insisted on that claim, we probably would have come up with a better cover story.

"Rest assured that Louise and Matilda have a very productive relationship as student and teacher respectively." I continued, earning a raised brow from Jessica.

"Teacher and Student? What could Big-Sis possibly be teaching a noble girl?" Jessica asked me while folding her arms under head breasts and leaning back.

"A few odd things. Right now though, she is teaching my master how to live as a commoner. A way for her to sympathize and understand people from other walks of life if you will." I expounded while gesturing with my hands, I had left my parasol in the room that Scarron had arranged for us to sleep in as I didn't want it to get dirty. The young woman nodded, seemingly accepting my answer.

"But...why the makeover and the name change?" Jessica asked me with obvious apprehension.

"That was to be able to protect Matilda and some people she cares about greatly from certain...unsavory individuals." I answered. 'Who forced you to steal the Staff of Destruction?' It was the very first thing that Louise asked Matilda when we got back to the academy after recovering the Rawket Lawnchair. Judging from the expression that she had when Louise brought it up, it was not a subject that she relished. It seemed that certain individuals managed to find out who she really was, track down where she was, they even manage to find where the orphanage that her sister was managing was and even how many children were there. Matilda said that only people who had significant resources would have been able to find that much information about her considering how hard she had worked to prevent anyone from finding out about her.

Needless to say, my master and her friends were furious when they found out about it, even the ever-stoic Tabitha had put away her book during Matilda's explanation and her eyes once again burned with an icy cold flame. Louise demanded to know who the individuals that threatened Matilda and her sister were, even going so far as openly declaring that she'd 'Unleash the uncontrollable horror that was Yuka Kazami upon their heretical souls.' Unfortunately, when Matilda tried to recall the names and faces of the people that threatened her to steal the Rawket Lawnchair, she was assaulted with a very powerful headache. I said powerful headache because it was strong enough to knock her unconscious. We got her in Louise's room in short order, Monmon assured us that she wasn't really hurt by the headache. I took the time made by all the commotion to look for Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond and ask them about what they knew about me. Strangely, they were both called off to an important meeting somewhere in the country of Romalia for the next several days.

I returned to Louise's room and found my master holding onto Matilda's hand as the older woman seemed to be having a nightmare. My master demanded that I go into her dream and stop whatever nightmare was assaulting her. I explained that I had no such ability, my power to go to the border of dreams-to Mugenkan-is only restricted to my own dream realm. I only knew of two beings that can dive into another's dream but I did not know of their whereabouts at the time, much less have a means to contact and get them here in such a short a time.

Apparently, my use of logic had angered my master and she threatened to expose me to as many of her broken spells as she could possibly cast if I did not do something to help Matilda. I did not understand at the time why she was so adamant to stop the nightmare that Matilda was having until I heard just what the woman was having a nightmare about. She was asking, pleading, begging, anyone to save someone...someone named Tiffania. She was heaving and sweating heavily as she endured her nightmare. Was this also a part of the spell that kept the woman from identifying someone that had to do with her attempted theft or was it just her own fears after she had failed in her mission? The only thing that we knew for sure was the reason why she seemed to desperate to ask someone to save this 'Tiffania'. That was the name of her half-sister. I had no means to take away the nightmare she was being subjected to so I decided to make her stop dreaming altogether.

Dream Eater. It was a large purple five-petaled flower that uses its roots to latch onto someone's head like a hat and tap into the subconscious of its victim in order to make it dream eternally while providing sustenance for the flower. Obviously this ends with the victim dying after a while, though normally it would be enough time for the flower to send out seeds to continue the species even after it dies away with its host. Louise freaked out when I described what the flower did but I assured her that I could control it enough for it to only take away the nightmare and nothing more. Matilda had a dreamless night but it was better than the alternative. I think that was when Louise started to really care for her new tutor. As Matilda slept, Louise, still holding her hand, asked me if I could somehow get the information on the people that did that to Matilda from her mind or break the spell that was preventing the woman from doing so herself. I told her that I did not have the power to do either task. If Satori were here, she could have done the former rather easily. If I used Ultimate Magic, I could have done the latter...but I did not tell Louise about it. Using Ultimate Magic would allow me to break the spell that was locking down Matilda's mind but it would have been a brute force method of doing so. I could not guarantee Matilda's mental or physical health if used it on her. So in the end, Louise simply slept next to Matilda until they both woke up the next day...still holding each other's hand.

"Those bastards!" Jessica exclaimed after she caught my pause before I said 'unsavory individuals', it seemed that she and Louise shared sentiments in that regard.

"Don't worry, Louise did not like it any better than you do. Matilda will be safe while she is with us, of that you can be certain." I assured the young woman. She regarded me carefully before narrowing her eyes at me.

"I know that Louise isn't Big-Sis' daughter and it looks like you're the noble girl's servant or something..." Jessica started, probably judging me from the clothes I wore but wasn't sure about it because of how casual I had been with Louise.

"...so...what I'm trying to say is...ugh..." Jessica struggled to reach her point, a point that I had already guessed, so I decided to make it for her.

"You are wondering if Matilda and I are lovers for real." I said with a raised brow. Jessica grimaced before looking away and nodding, a faint blush went across her cheeks.

"Then the answer would be no." I clearly stated, making the young woman look back to me in confusion.

"So you and Big-Sis aren't..." She muttered and I shook my head in response.

"Why not?" She exclaimed. I raised a brow at her reaction. I felt that will never understand women...and that is saying something considering I was a woman before I came to this world.

"Why do you seem surprised? Weren't you the one who was so adamant at claiming that she and I could never be together?" I voiced my confusion. Jessica gave an 'urk' before she started to awkwardly laugh.

"Oh yeah! That...that was...that...was..." The young woman trailed off as she failed to come up with a suitable explanation in the time that passed between the end of her awkward laugh and the moment she exclaimed 'oh yeah'.

"You were lying..." I ventured, earning another 'urk' from Jessica. Perhaps I should start taking that sound as 'yes' whenever someone says it.

"I'm sorry!" She once again said with a bow before standing up straight again.

"For what reason though?" I asked her, honestly curious about it because of how strange it seemed to me.

"It was because...you and Big-Sis look...great...together..." Jessica admitted in a quiet voice while twiddling her thumbs. She made the assumption that Matilda and I were lovers because of how we looked when we were together? Odd. I rubbed my chin with my right hand as I thought about it. Did anyone else see us as such? If so, it might start other inconvenient misunderstandings like it did with Jessica.

"It's not just that!" Jessica exclaimed again, she must have become uncomfortable with my lack of a response to her words.

"Yes?" I asked, expecting her to continue. I was curious as to what else this young woman saw between me and Matilda that would have prompted the assumption that we were lovers. Knowing more about it might help in preventing any future misunderstandings with other people.

"I mean...Big-Sis just seemed...happy...when she was with you two..." Jessica replied while gazing at the floor and once more twiddling her thumbs in the process.

"Please explain." I stated immediately, making Jessica look to me in surprise.

"I am merely curious as to why you would think that. After all, it is entirely possible that she is simply taking her responsibility as Louise's tutor in a positive light. Just being seemingly happy while she was with me and my master does not seem to be enough for one to assume us as lovers." I explained my reason for asking.

"Wow, that's a really roundabout way of saying 'I don't know what you are talking about'." She flatly stated while slowly shaking her head.

"I suppose it is. Your answer?" I admitted before shifting the conversation back to the main topic.

"I can't really put it to words well myself. I mean, the last time I saw Big-Sis was years ago, when she stopped by after a big treasure hunt. She was absolutely ecstatic with the amount of money she got when she cashed in her loot." Jessica explained, it was likely the same story that Scarron mentioned when he made the assumption that me, Matilda, and Louise were a family.

"But when she came in today and introduced you two to everyone..." Jessica trailed off, possibly unable to find the words to continue with.

"She showed a smile that eclipsed all others that she had previously shown." I stated, finishing the line of thought for her. Jessica blinked at me a few times before nodding.

"Yeah...how did you..." The young woman started.

"They were the same words that your...father...said when he assumed roughly the same thing." I explained. It seemed that those two really were kin...as unbelievable as it seemed.

"Oh, okay. The point is, even if the two of you aren't lovers, Big-Sis seems to have taken a liking to you. The problem is, she'll probably never admit it because of her sense of responsibility." Jessica continued. The part about responsibility was likely because of her half-sister and their orphanage.

"So...you don't see Big-Sis like that? Someone who you'd be interested in?" Jessica asked me with a raised brow.

"No. As I have already stated to my master when she brought up a similar subject, I have never fallen in love before." I repeated the words I said to Louise back when she thought that I was interested in Siesta.

"Never?" Jessica asked in disbelief.

"Never." I repeated with a firm nod.

"Make no mistake, I respect Matilda a great deal. She has proven herself quite capable in situations where in she would normally be at a disadvantage. However, I simply do not see her in that light." I clearly stated, recalling the two times I had previously faced her in battle. Jessica seemed to understand as she nodded to herself as I explained.

"Well then, I want to ask a favor from you." I blinked at her words. A human, asking me for a favor? That is not a first I admit, but it was certainly unexpected.

"What kind of favor?" I asked with a raised brow.

"If you ever find yourself falling in love with Big-Sis, please tell her once you confirm your feelings!" Jessica stated with a polite bow and a certain sense of...conviction in her words.

"What do you mean?" I asked, honestly confused as to what the young woman was saying.

"Well, you seem pretty...dense...to this kind of thing. You probably won't even realize your own feelings for her for a while. That's why I want you to tell her as soon as you do confirm it." The young woman explained. Me? Dense...?

"And...Big-Sis has been through a lot...she deserves to be happy and...I really think that she'd be happy if she was with you." Jessica concluded. An air of silence settled between us for a few moments as I considered her words.

There is a first time for everything.

My master's words echoed in my mind as I thought about what the young woman had said. Would it be possible? I looked back to Jessica, who was eagerly awaiting my response, and made up my mind.

"I cannot promise such a thing." I stated and Jessica looked distraught by it. I held up a hand to stop her from voicing her disapproval of my actions and continued.

"Nothing is impossible. Nothing is certain. Things change so I cannot guarantee anything. All I can say is...we will see." I said. Jessica pursed her lips and looked at me intently.

"Fine, I understand. But know this, Yuka Kaah-Zhaa-Mii. I will support Big-Sis when it comes to this and I'll do everything I can so you'll fall head over heels in love with her!" The young woman declared while pumping her right fist, butchering my last name in the process. That was quite possibly the strangest declaration of support in love I have ever heard, almost like I was speaking to Marisa or something.

"Suit yourself." I replied nonchalantly. I heard the young woman take a deep breath before putting her hands on her hips, her breasts bouncing slightly at the action. Yep, definitely reminds me of Siesta.

"Now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way, it's time to get you to work!" The young woman declared while looking around the kitchen.

"Can you cook?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Can you cut vegetables and meat?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Can you prepare soups?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Can you wash dishes?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"What the hell kind of servant are you?" Jessica yelled at me while waving her arms around.

"Admittedly, I'm more of a bodyguard and a trainer for Louise than a regular servant." I stated with a curt nod.

"Well, that would explain why the noble girl brought you along for something like this..." The young woman muttered while giving me a sidewards glance.

"...but that doesn't change the fact that you're practically useless in the kitchen." She continued as she rubbed her chin with her right hand.

"Can you serve drinks?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Can you tell the difference between several kinds of liquor?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Can you tell the difference between several kinds of food orders?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"For Brimir's sakes man! Work with me here!" She yelled at me.

"I cannot do what I cannot do." I replied with a shrug. Jessica grumbled for a few moments before glaring at me.

"I'm starting to question Big-Sis Matilda's tastes in men..." She muttered to herself.

"Look! You know what, just go out there, look intimidating, and keep an eye on the girls!" Jessica declared while pointing to the swinging double-doors that led to main hall of the tavern.

"I can do 'intimidating'." I said with a vicious smile. Jessica looked alarmed at my expression for a moment before sighing.

"I'm really starting to question Big-Sis Matilda's tastes in men..." She muttered to herself as I left her in the kitchen. I surveyed the area and found that the tables were populated entirely by men...working men from how they looked. They were all commoners as well, no nobles to be found anywhere. I felt my brow twitch when I saw Louise being harassed by a balding middle-aged man.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" The man yelled out as Louise dumped a cup of ale on his head. I was about to step forward, when he looked like he was about to confront my master, but a hand on my arm stopped me. I turned and saw Matilda carrying an empty tray under her arm and was sporting a sly smile.

"Don't worry about Louise." She confidently said. Did she expect my master to fight back? I never trained her in close combat since I had previously worked out that her magic should render that moot once she unlocks her true potential. Hence, why was only training her in evasion while in Mugenkan. Did she expect Louise to use her magic on the man even though it would blow her cover? No, Matilda's smarter than that and she couldn't have known about Louise's Danmaku dodging training since I made my master promise never to say anything about it to anyone else after our second training session. I finally got my answer when Scarron appeared out of nowhere and...embraced...the man that was threatening Louise. I cringed in disgust as the creature proceeded to move the man back to his seat while making it as uncomfortable for him as humanly possible.

"That...was that really necessary?" I asked Matilda while watching Louise serve a different table, much more successfully I might add.

"It's extremely effective as a deterrent." Matilda replied with a satisfied smile.

"Of that, I have no doubt. I am surprised at how disciplined Louise is being though. She would normally think of serving commoners food and drinks to be very unappealing after her initial reaction to the idea." I commented as I continued to watch Louise take orders from a different table.

"This caliber of teaching is possible for Matilda Chevalier de Tristain. What do you think?" The former thief replied with a smile. Ah, so this goes back to when I challenged her to teach Louise how to act like a commoner. Well played...

"Well done. I won't ask how you did it, the results speak for themselves, but well done." I complimented the woman.

"Good." She replied. A comfortable silence settled between us as we observed the hustle and bustle of the tavern.

"And? Have you found anything?" I asked the former thief, someone of her caliber should have gotten some useful information by now. She nodded in response before she started speaking.

"A nobleman, Chillan by name, tax collector by trade, has been harassing the local businesses in the area. Word is that if you didn't give the nobleman what he wanted, he would impose impossibly heavy taxes on you." She stated her finding. A greedy tax collector imposing his will upon the people? How cliché...

"Is that all? No other nobles doing unscrupulous deeds?" I asked her, getting another nod in response.

"No. Chillan is the only problem noble here, surprisingly enough." Matilda admitted with a hint of disdain.

"Have you told Louise?" I asked her.

"And watch her go on a warpath all the way to his office without any evidence?" Matilda shot back with an 'are you stupid?' look before blinking a few times in realization of something.

"Why aren't you working?" She asked me.

"Thanks to Jessica, I have found that me and 'working in a kitchen' do not mix." I stated, eliciting a giggle from the green haired woman.

"I figured as much..." She said after she stopped giggling.

"Our cover is blown, Jessica knows that Louise is a noble." I simply stated, earning a dismissive snort from Matilda.

"Please, a blind man could tell that Louise is a noble." Matilda replied with a smirk. I raised brow at her words and her lack of alarm at that piece of news.

"No one cares, Yuka. Scarron, the rest of the girls, even the customers. None of them care that Louise is a noble." She explained.

"They don't care that a noble is working here?" I asked her in mild confusion. After what she told me about how the people were being treated by the tax collector, I would have assumed that they would hate all nobles in general.

"Nope. All they know, all they care about, is that a noble girl came off the streets wearing a commoner's clothes and asked for a job." She stated with a resigned sigh. I thought about what she said and felt my eyes widen in realization.

"This was your original plan..." I muttered while narrowing my eyes at Matilda, who just smirked at me.

"I was wondering when you'd catch on. Yes, this was my original intention when I walked off with Louise earlier." Matilda admitted.

"It was physically impossible for her to be able to act like a commoner. I understood that the moment I tried to get her to act like one. She would not let go of her morals and standards as a noble no matter what I tried, probably because of her upbringing by her family." She explained.

"Her family?" I asked her with a raised brow. I admit, I knew next to nothing about Louise's family aside that she had a mother, a father, and two sisters. That, and their family was supposed to be incredibly rich and powerful.

"The Valliere family is one of the most powerful noble families in Tristain. The main difference is that they actually take the word 'noble' seriously. Their family has been churning out amazing mages over the years, as you already know from the meeting before we went off the catch me. They are also extremely strict when it comes to tradition and honor. They take care of their land and people and their people repay them in kind. They're one of the few noble houses that I actually respect." Matilda explained. If someone like her, who hates most nobles in general, speaks so highly of Louise's family, then they must be something else.

"So the plan I came up with was that Louise was the daughter of a fallen noble family, you were her personal bodyguard, and I was just me. Of course, thanks to Scarron, that plan went down the river but was saved thanks to Jessica. Talk about irony..." Matilda said with a sardonic smile.

"I don't understand. If Louise still acts like a noble, then how is she willingly serving food and drink to commoners so freely?" I wondered aloud while folding my arms and leaning back.

"Because of the very same nobility I was talking about before. Everyone still accepted her without question even after she was found out as a noble. She wanted to repay that kindness, simple as that." Matilda stated rather simply.

"I still don't understand...so many factors could have brought all of this down..." I muttered as I thought of the improbability of such a thing.

"Sometimes, the simplest answers are the right ones. Not everything is played by mind games, Yuka." She said while shaking her head slowly.

"When you've lived a life like mine, you tend to consider things like this as mind games if they go your way too well." I personally place the blame firmly on Yukari, the Lunarians, the Moriya Shrine, and Cirno for that way of thinking.

"And? What was your life like? Before you became Louise's familiar, I mean." Matilda asked softly. I turned to her and saw that she was looking at me intently. Her eyes betrayed longing and uncertainty. It seemed that she wanted to know more about me but was conflicted by something. I guess this what was Jessica was talking about earlier.

"It looks like business is good!" A loud male voice echoed through the tavern, silencing everyone there. Matilda and I turned to the source of the voice and I felt the woman's hostile intent rise like boiling water. The man was everything that Matilda hated in a noble: Fat, bald, overly-dressed, and held a sneer of contempt on his face like a permanent mask. The noble also had six guards with him who each wielded wooden staffs, magicians obviously. I saw Scarron try to dissuade the noble from using the bar by stating that it was already full. The noble simply sneered at Scarron before declaring himself the royal tax collector, Chillan, the very man we were after. The rest of the patrons made a hasty retreat after the noble declared who he was and had his guards start posturing as a display of power.

"Find Louise and keep her safe." I said to Matilda who eyed me curiously.

"And what will you do?" She asked as she scanned the area for my master.

"We shall see..." I replied with a smile. If things continued to go our way, then I probably won't even have to lift a finger and the whole thing will resolve itself. If things stopped going our way, well...

"Ugh! Not him..." The disgusted voice of Jessica said from behind me. I turned to her and saw her looking at noble like it was a walking piece of rotting flesh.

"I assume that he is not well liked?" I asked as we both watched the noble take a seat in the middle of the room with his guards posted behind him.

"Are you kidding? That bastard has been strong-arming everyone here! If he doesn't like you or if he doesn't get what he wants from you, then he imposes impossible tax rates on your business until you go under." Jessica bitterly confirmed Matilda's earlier report on the man.

"What's worse is that the pig feels you up all over and doesn't even give any tips. I can't imagine anyone willing to serve him after all that." Jessica stated with as much hate as she could while keeping the conversation relatively civil. That was the moment when we noticed Louise walking up to the noble with a tray of drinks. I immediately scanned around for Matilda and found her on the far side of the room with a look of irritation and worry. It seemed that she didn't make it to Louise in time. This certainly complicates matters. My master greeted the noble like she did any other customer and offered to serve him a drink. That's when things went downhill for the man.

"Hey, Scarron! Don't tell me that you hire boys now too!" The noble yelled out while sneering at Louise. I could feel her magical power start to boil but she seemed to be working very hard to keep it under control.

"I can assure you that I am a girl…" Louise stated with a faltering smile. That statement made the noble and his guards pause and stare at Louise for a few moments before they all started laughing.

"You? A girl? That's…that's…ahahahaha!" The noble ground out before starting another wave of laughter. I glanced at both Louise and Matilda and saw that they both had indignant expressions. I then watched as Louise dealt with the noble in the way she had been doing to the customers who were rude to her, she dumped a pitcher of ale on his head. The noble immediately fumed and stood up from his seat, his guards maneuvering to his sides.

"Why you little brat!" The fat noble yelled at Louise who looked like she had enough of his insults. Matilda looked like she was about to burst as well. I was studying the situation when I felt Jessica tug on my sleeve.

"Shouldn't you stop this?" She asked me in a worried voice, understandable since if you didn't know any better, the scene looked like seven mages against one girl. I was thinking about stopping this but wondering who I should stop. The noble and his guards from making fools of themselves? My master from unleashing a broken spell, obliterating the noble and his guards, and wrecking the tavern? Or Matilda from unleashing her golem and grinding the noble and his guards into a fine paste?

"Y-y-you! You come in here and drive away all the customers…you strut in like you own the place…and y-y-you had the gall to call me a b-b-boy…you fat pig!" Louise countered. I took a step forward to try to stop anything else from happening when Matilda placed herself between Louise and the noble.

"I apologize for the transgression done by my student and I humbly ask for your forgiveness in this matter." Matilda said with a bow. Both Louise and I stared at Matilda as she…asked the noble for forgiveness? What was she playing at? Judging from her expression, she's probably finding the action very unappealing but was doing it in the first place. Was she doing this for Louise?

The Valliere family is one of the most powerful noble families in Tristain. The main difference is that they actually take the word 'noble' seriously. They are also extremely strict when it comes to tradition and honor.

Matilda's words echoed in my mind. I see. Louise would normally declare who she was before she did anything she deemed worthy of stating her name to. With a corrupt noble right in front of her, she wouldn't hesitate to declare who she was before she proceeded to dispense justice upon the royal tax collector. The bad thing about that is the corrupt noble would have the news that a daughter of the Valliere family was working in a commoner's tavern as a waitress. I doubt that such news would be looked upon in a positive light once Louise's family finds out about it.

"Oooh?" The noble said while looking over Matilda's body with a lecherous smile. The action made Louise's magical power spike again and she was visibly starting to tremble.

"Well then, maybe you can repay the debt with your body!" The noble declared before reaching out and grabbing Matilda's left breast roughly, she grunted and winced in pain at the sudden action. That was enough to send Louise over the edge as, a second later, an explosion rocked the tavern. When the dust settled, the noble and his guards were sprawled on the ground while Louise was standing on a table wit her wand pointed at them.

"Louise?" Matilda called out to my master as she turned to her. My master was furious and her expression showed it.

"Y-y-you! Who the hell are you?" The noble yelled out as he stood back up with the help of his guards. No. This was what Matilda was trying to prevent in the first place. I flexed my hands, preparing to permanently silence the noble and his guards when Louise made the action unnecessary.

"I have no name to give to the likes of you!" Louise declared proudly as she stomped on the table while maintaining her furious expression.

"I see…you're nothing more than a fallen noble girl. Well don't think that you will be able to get away with assaulting the royal tax collector! This place will crumble by my hands!" The noble declared with a sadistic smile, one that my master met with one of her own.

"Oh? Is that so?" Louise asked as she pulled out the parchment that the Princess gave her and unfurled it in front of the noble.

"A-a-a-a royal certificate!" The noble exclaimed in shock. Not a second later, he and his guards were prostrating themselves in front of my master while begging for their forgiveness.

"By the name of Princess Henrietta de Tristain, you will return all assets that you gained from overtaxing the local businesses. Is that understood?" Louise roared and the noble agreed wholeheartedly. I took this time to step in front of the noble. He and his guards looked up at me and met my crimson glowing eyes, my aura of terror in full effect.

"You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanted." I slowly stated with a vicious smile, letting my aura seep into their very being.

"Leave." I stated with a frown and the noble and his men complied, leaving the tavern with shrieks of terror. I turned around and found the entire tavern dead silent and staring at me, even Louise and Matilda. I glanced at Jessica, who had gone pale from my little display.

"I told you I can do 'intimidating'." I stated with a smug smile. That was enough to snap Louise from her shock. She hopped off the table and went to Matilda's side.

"Are you alright?" She asked in honest concern. The woman blinked at her for a few moments before giving a soft smile.

"Where did you hide your wand anyway?" I asked, making both women turn to me.

"Matilda told me to tie it to my leg in case of emergencies." Louise simply stated while lifting her skirt slightly and showing me a pink garter that she used to holster her wand.

"Smart." I stated, earning a smile of satisfaction from my master.

"That was amazing~! Tres Bien~!" Scarron exclaimed, snapping the rest of the people remaining in the tavern out of their shock.

"I'm sorry about the tavern…" Louise said as she fidgeted in place. I looked around and found that a good third of the place was a mess because of the shockwave made by my master's explosion.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Lord Chillan left a pretty nice tip for Louise." Jessica said in an amused tone as she pointed at the sacks of gold coins that the man left behind.

"Where was he hiding all of that?" I asked, did Yukari have anything to do with this?

"He's fat, that's why." Louise simply stated with a smile.

"But…" My counter argument was stopped when Matilda pulled on my sleeve.

"Let it go, Yuka. Remember, sometimes the simplest answers are the right ones." Matilda repeated her earlier words. I simply shook my head as I watched Jessica and Scarron award Louise with the magical black 'Skimpy Maid Outfit' since she got the largest tip in the whole tavern.

We reported the incident to the Princess and she assured us that she had taken steps on preventing any future incidents from happening again. Louise and Matilda volunteered to stay at the Charming Fairy Inn to make sure that no other nobles were abusing their power there. Thankfully, the rest of our stay there went without incident. Louise's newfound sense of balance and spatial awareness, thanks to my training, helped her go about her work with surprising efficiency. She wore the black 'Skimpy Maid Outfit' until we left the tavern to return to the academy.

…

"Louise, I thought you went home." Kirche exclaimed as she saw us return from the city. I still refused to ride a horse back to the academy and Louise stated that I should just run back instead, so I did. Matilda and Louise dismounted their horse, they shared one obviously, and my master regarded Kriche and Tabitha for a moment.

"No, I just had an errand to run. Are you two going somewhere?" She asked as she eyed the luggage that was being loaded onto a carriage.

"Yep. I'm going to spend some time with Tabitha since she's going to visit her home." Kirche stated, nudging her stoic friend.

"You're going to visit your family?" I asked the blue-haired girl, who simply nodded in response.

"You can come with us you know~" Kirche said in a teasing voice as she walked up to me and put a finger on my chest.

"I decline your offer, too tired." Louise answered with a dismissive wave.

"I was talking to Yuka!" Kirche clarified before latching onto my right arm.

"Leaving." Tabitha stated as she peered from within the carriage. The driver was already in his seat and awaiting the order to depart.

"Awww~! Wait for me Tabitha!" Kirche yelled out as she got into the carriage before they went on their way. Kirche blew me a goodbye kiss, one that I 'dodged' to the side.

"Well, that was weird." I stated before I looked back to Louise and Matilda who were both leveling flat stares at me.

"What?" I asked them. The two women looked at each other before sighing.

""Nothing."" They flatly answered at the same time before heading toward the dormitory tower. I will never understand women…

…

I went my separate way after Louise and Matilda got inside Louise's room to change. I wanted to check if Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond returned from their trip. I was walking through the halls and found Siesta walking toward me with a basket of laundry.

"Mister Yuka!" The maid exclaimed happily, she probably would have waved to me but her current state prevented her from doing so.

"Greetings, Siesta." I returned the maid's greeting with a smile and a curt nod.

"I thought Miss Valliere went to her home after I noticed that you were gone for the past few days." She stated in a somewhat confused voice.

"Yes, that seems to be going around a lot lately. My master had some things to take care of so Matilda and I went with her to make sure that she was safe." I explained. I noticed Siesta's expression falter for a moment before returning to her usual smile.

"Miss Matilda, huh?" She muttered worriedly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked the girl. She tensed up before shaking her head.

"Nothing at all! Is there something else you need?" She quickly stated, changing the subject.

"Yes, I'm looking for Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond, have they returned?" I asked the maid.

"Not yet, but they sent out a letter that stated that they should return in a few days." Siesta answered with a smile. A few more days to wait, huh? I guess I can have Louise practice with a few more patterns while I wait.

"Thank you for telling me." I thanked Siesta before saying goodbye. I walked back to Louise room and was about to open the door when I heard the sounds of struggling inside. Strange, I did not notice any hostile intent coming from within the room. I opened the door and doubted the sight before me.

"So…" I stated as I shook my head in disbelief.

"Yu-Yuka!"

"So!" Derf repeated.

"Yu-Yu-Yuka!"

"Can you explain why-" I started as I turned to the sword, which was making whistling sounds.

"Yu-Yu-Yu-Yukaa!"

"-my master is currently trying to undress Matilda while looking like she's drunk?" I finished while closing the door. On the bed, Louise was currently on top of Matilda. Both were already changed into eveningwear and Louise was currently trying to take off Matilda's.

"Who cares! Pull up a chair and enjoy the show!" Derf dismissed my question before laughing.

"Ma~til~da~" Louise called out to her tutor as seductively as she could before giving her a kiss. I scratched my head at the weird irony of the situation as Matilda struggled to get free.

This was either caused by magic, a shady drug made my Eirin, a Moriya Shrine Conspiracy, or Yukari is fooling around again.

…

Please R&R


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: Well, here we are! The love potion arc and the start of the latter part of 'Season 1'. I'm sure a few people will be happy with what I did and what I plan on doing in the next few chapter because of a little something in the end of this chapter.

Things will turn a bit to the serious during the Albion arc and expect Yuka to show a bit more of her old-school self during that.

Other than that, please enjoy this chapter and tell me your opinions on how I handled it.

Disclaimer: I am the bone of my swor—wait…

...

"I am assuming that there is a logical explanation for all of this, yes?" I asked the only two coherent occupants of the room, Derf and Matilda.

"Yuka! Gesticulate later! Hel-Eeek! Louise! Stop it!" Matilda yelled out as Louise started rubbing her face between her tutor's breasts. I turned to the sentient sword as it started to chuckle at the sight of Louise assaulting Matilda on her bed.

"And you just watched as all this transpired?" I flatly asked Derf. The six-thousand year old magical sword just gave me a sword-shrug before replying.

"Believe me, if I could, I'd join in! Hehehehe..." Derf replied before chuckling like an old man...which it technically is. I sighed before deciding to end Louise's conquest for Matilda's body before she ended up doing something she'd likely regret for the rest of her life.

"Oh-ho! Gonna take them both at the same time, eh? Make sure to satisfy them both thoroughly! Hahahahaha!" Derf said as I started to approach Louise bed. Really, the sword is as bad as Kirche but much more direct with the lecherous teasing.

"L-L-Louise! Come back to your senses at once!" Matilda said to her student as she continued to try to push Louise off of her. I was perplexed at how the older woman was unable to do so herself considering how light my master is.

"Matilda~n!" Louise cooed as she continued to grope her tutors chest while burying her face in her cleavage. Matilda noticed me approach and her blush intensified. Louise's rustling and groping had all but pulled off her nightgown, effectively making her two-thirds naked. Her eyes widened and her blush brightened even more as I leaned over them both and reached out.

"Y-Y-Yuka...you can't...I'm not...I'm not...rea-" Matilda's stammering was cut off as I promptly put my hands under my master's arms and lifted Louise off of her, my master immediately struggled to break free.

"H-h-h-hey! Let go of me Familiar! How dare you get in the way of true love! Matilda was going to be my first!" Louise yelled out as she flailed around in my grasp, reminding me of the time when I had to lift a tiny Hakurei Reimi from one of my sunflowers when she wandered into the Garden of the Sun and started climbing one of my sunflowers. Thankfully, I was a great deal stronger than Matilda, so I had no problems in keeping my master under control. I found her words deeply ironic considering how adverse to the idea of her chastity being taken by another woman she was when she was in Yukari's grasp in Mugenkan.

"Louise, why are you trying to undress Matilda and trying to make her 'your first'?" I calmly asked Louise, checking if there was still any sense of logic in the girl.

"Love is a pulse of the stars!" She immediately replied. I guess not.

"What happened?" I asked Matilda, who was trying her best to recover some semblance of dignity by fixing up her nightgown. She glanced at me before quickly looking away, her blush still very prominent on her face. She had her right hand over her chest, clutching her nightgown, while her left hand was grasping the bedding. The moonlight that had just shone through Louise's window highlighted the sweat the glistened on her body, likely caused by her tousling with my master. She turned to me with a completely vulnerable expression, her blush still in effect and-why am I noticing all of that in such detail? I shook my head to clear my thoughts of such trivial matters and awaited her response.

"I don't know..." Matilda replied in a shaking voice.

"I don't understand. You were with her in this very room, someone as perceptive as you should have noticed something amiss before this happened. Obviously, Louise is not of right mind after a point, so something must have happened. Derf couldn't possibly have managed to cast a spell that would make Louise amorously minded toward you, I know that you couldn't -wouldn't- do it either, so what happened?" I asked her again, ignoring my master's anguished declarations of love for Matilda. Surprisingly, it was the sword that replied to my question.

"Louise wasn't in this room the whole time you were gone. She suddenly left after saying that she had something important to take care of." Derf supplied. Strange, I was sure that she and Matilda were already changing into their eveningwear when I left to look for Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond. Wait...

"Louise left the room? In her nightgown?" I asked in honest surprise. It was one thing for Louise to walk out of her room in her uniform. It was another thing for her to walk out of her room wearing one of the 'Skimpy Maid Oufits'. But Louise walked out of her room wearing nothing more than her pink lace panties and translucent pink negligee? Why would she ever do something like that?

"Why would she ever do something like that?" I repeated the question in my head.

"I don't know either. She just suddenly stiffened up after going through her wardrobe and said that she had something to take care off before darting out. I think she was carrying something when she left." Matilda answered, finally regaining her composure. I suddenly noticed my master swoon in my grasp, which was fairly impressive since she was still off the ground.

"Ohhh~! Matilda~n! You look so sexy when you're all serious like tha~t!" Louise stated in my grasp as she once again tried to break free and resume her conquest on Matilda's body.

"Odd, I don't remember Louise having anything that would elicit such a reaction from her. Certainly not anything that would prompt her to walk in the open with next to no clothing on." I mused, ignoring my master's words and Matilda's shuddering on the bed.

"Me neither. Why don't you ask the little miss herself?" Derf said, which was actually a good idea of Louise wasn't spouting Matilda's name every other sentence. I sighed and decided to ask her anyway, it wasn't like we were risking anything by doing so.

"Well, Louise? Where did you go and what happened to you before you came back?" I asked my master. She stopped struggling after I asked her, making me hope that she would answer coherently instead of-

"You will see the tears of time!" That...Louise once again started struggling after her declaration and we were back to square one. I went back to my initial suspicions when I first laid eyes on this situation and promptly crossed out the possibility of a Moriya Shrine Conspiracy and Yukari fooling around again. That left Magic and a Shady Drug, likely not made by Eirin.

"Do you know of any magic or drug that could do this to Louise?" I asked Matilda, who looked down thoughtfully while cupping her chin with her right hand. I truly hoped that the cause was not a love potion. The last time I had to deal with such a thing was when Marisa unleashed a pitcher of the stuff and gave her enough love to power her Final Master Spark to match my own Master Spark...and rendered nearly half of Gensokyo completely in love with her for a week. To this day, I still don't understand why she would weaponize something like 'love', an emotion as fleeting and unstable as that was a horribly inefficient way to power high-end spells.

"The only thing I could think of would be a Love Potion." I cursed inwardly after Matilda gave the result of her deliberation. It just had to be a love potion...I shook off the uncomfortable feeling I had on the subject and decided to focus on the matter at hand.

"And? Do you have any idea how Louise would have come in contact with such a thing?" I asked as I sat on a chair and put Louise on my lap while putting my arms around her waist, preventing any hope of escape.

"No. Love Potions in general are notoriously hard to obtain, especially one that is as...effective...as what Louise seemed to have been exposed to." Matilda explained with a bit of dread at the end.

"You wouldn't happen to know how long these things last before they wear off, do you?" I asked her, in hope that the former thief would have had experience dealing with such a thing in the past. Matilda blinked at me a few times before shaking her head, her expression grim.

"No, this is the first time I have ever encountered the effects of a love potion up close because of how rare they are. If the effect on Louise wasn't so...pronounced...then I wouldn't have ever expected the cause to be a love potion in the first place." Matilda admitted sheepishly as she fidgeted in place. If it wasn't for the apparent conspiracy going on, I would have noted the sight to be rather cute at the time...not that I'd ever admit such a thing.

"So, let us review." I stated as I adjusted Louise, who had already fallen asleep in my arms because of all the exertion she did while struggling, on my lap to make it more comfortable for her. I heard her mumble something about a 'Chii-nee-san' as she adjusted herself and rested her head back near my left shoulder. I did not believe that Matilda was the one she was talking about, so it must mean that this love potion only affects her if she is conscious. I turned back to Matilda, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, and continued our review of the known facts of this...incident.

"Sometime after I left this room to look for Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond, Louise managed to find 'something' in her wardrobe that alarm her and provoke her to leave the room immediately even though she only had her lace panties and negligee on." I started, going over the the period of time when Louise and I left the room.

"How long was Louise gone?" I asked Matilda.

"I'm not too sure. She certainly came back before you did." Matilda muttered as she tried to recall how long it took for my master to return.

"Fifteen minutes!" Derf suddenly piped up. I turned to the sword that was leaning against the wall and saw that it had come out of its scabbard again, I really need to know how it could do that without any assistance.

"Are you sure?" I asked the blade.

"Yep! Fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds to be precise! By, comparison, it took you twenty-two minutes and seven seconds to return!" Derf stated precise times of how long Louise and I were gone from the room. Both Matilda and I were silenced at the accuracy of the sword's readings.

"If you had waited seven minutes and fifty-three seconds before you came back, you would have been able to walk in on the little miss ravaging Miss Matilda there in earnest! Ahahahaha!" Derf added, making Matilda shiver in her seat and wrap her arms around herself. I guess she doesn't like the idea of being 'taken' by another woman either, especially one as young and as diminutive as Louise.

"Ignoring the last part, we can assume that Louise had encountered someone who exposed her to the love potion within that fifteen minute time span. The question becomes, how far can Louise go for a fifteen minute round trip with the kind of clothes she was wearing?" I asked. Once again, Matilda had a contemplative expression as she tried to figure out a suitable answer for the query.

"If she was trying to avoid detection as she went through the halls and stairs, I'd guess that she can get to the main entrance of the dormitory tower in about five minutes if she was really in a hurry. The trip back would take around the same time so that would leave approximately five minutes for her to meet the one to exposed her to the love potion." Matilda postulated, likely basing her figures from a handicapped simulation of the situation in her mind to make up for the difference in skill between her and Louise when it came to sneaking around.

"Hmm...that also means that she could likely go to any room in the dormitory tower within the same time frame. Additionally, if the room she was going to was particularly close, it would extend the time she would have been with the person that exposed her to the love potion even more." Matilda added before biting the nail of her right thumb in frustration.

"We also need to take into account the possibility that Louise wouldn't care if she was seen or not and simply headed straight for her destination no matter what." I added, making Matilda grumble in frustration.

"Too many variables. Not enough information." Matilda ground out. I agreed with her, too many things could have happened within that fifteen minute time span that could have caused Louise to be exposed to that love potion.

"You people are too focused and thinking about the wrong thing." Derf suddenly chimed in. Matilda and I looked at each other before turning to the blade.

"And don't worry! Brimir had the same problem back then too!" The sword added. Wait...did he just say-

"Did you just say Brimir?" Matilda finished and asked the question for me in complete surprise. I narrowed my eyes as I recalled an earlier conversation my master and I had with the sword.

"So you were related to The Founder Brimir after all." I stated accusingly at the blade. Not only was it a sword that knew about Brimir, it seemed the Derf actually knew the man personally. Such a big source of information for the biggest lead to Louise's true power was right under our noses and was withholding information. Obviously, I was not amused.

"Hey now! Take it easy! I just remembered it just now after watching you two!" Derf stated defensively. If it had arms, I'd imagine it would have been waving them in front of its face to emphasize its point.

"Explain. Now." I said in a commanding tone, making both Matilda and Derf gulp at the same time. I was very thankful that Louise was asleep and was not thinking straight right now because she would have freaked out if she found out that the sword she occasionally had tea with knew Brimir.

"You two jogged my memory because it reminded me of how Brimir and Sasha used to brainstorm ideas back in the day." Derf started to explain.

"Who is Sasha?" Matilda asked, obviously curious after unraveling such important information about the founder of their civilization out of nowhere.

"Sasha was the one who forged me. She was the original Gandalfr, the Left Hand of God, and Brimir's first familiar!" Derf answered. Impressive. A woman that managed to forge a blade like Derf and was also the very familiar that wielded it.

"She was also Brimir's wife!" Derf added before giving out a low chuckle. I blinked at that piece of information. Brimir married one of his familiars?

"Sasha once told me how pissed she was at Brimir when he made her his familiar! You should have seen the way she imagined strangling the guy with her bare hands! Of course, in the end, they still fell in love with each other and got married." The sword finished. This makes this a bit easier if Derf knew Brimir. If we could jog enough of its memory, then we might be able to uncover significant amounts of information regarding Void magic. I was contemplating the long-term ramifications of getting the information that Derf has in its memory when I noticed Matilda start to fidget again.

"A-a-and...Yuka and I...remind you of them?" Matilda timidly asked Derf. That's what she's thinking about? I heard Derf give out a thoughtful sound before answering.

"Sort of. Brimir and Sasha were like complete opposites of each other. Sasha was calculating and careful while Brimir was reckless and had a devil may care attitude. In that sense, they complimented each other since filled up what the other lacked." The blade repiled. So Brimir and the first Gandalfr had that kind of dynamic. It reminded me of how Rumia and Cirno acted after they matured and realized their true potential. Rumia, the reckless but effective berserker. Cirno, the opportunistic and analytical combatant. I forced down a smile at the memory of my former student, Cirno. Hard to imagine that, before she discovered her talent at split-second analysis, I had trained her as 'Cirno Smash' Cirno. I wonder how she is doing these days?

"In your case, you two seem to be on the same wavelength. You two think alike, which would probably be why you two would get along. The problem with that is that if one of you gets stuck in a problem, the other would likely get stuck at the same point." Derf reasoned. So that is how it sees Matilda and I? It seemed that the ancient blade had been analyzing us during the time when it was simply sitting in the room. Additionally, since it seemed to be an artifact that was forged and wielded by Brimir's familiar and beloved, it would likely be advantageous to bring it along for any future endeavors. That would mean that I will need to find a blacksmith that could clean up all the rust that it had accumulated over the millennia. Well, I'll ask Siesta about that later. For now...

"You mentioned before that we were focusing on the wrong thing. Elaborate." I got back on the main topic at hand: Finding out what happened to Louise and who was responsible for it.

"You two were focusing on 'the how' and 'the why', but there'd be too many things to worry about if you consider them." Derf reasoned, I nodded in agreement. That was the conclusion Matilda and I got to after trying to analyze the routes Louise might take when she left and why she would do so.

"Instead, you guys should try to figure out 'the who' instead!" Derf pointed out. I silently considered the sword's council. The who...the who...Matilda and I looked at each other with expressions of realization after understanding what the blade meant by that.

"Who would Louise have reason to visit..." I started.

"...and who would have access to a Love Potion." Matilda concluded. We turned to Derf after we heard it start laughing again.

"I told you guys that you were on the same wavelength!" The sword let out before it started laughing again. I ignored its words and stood up before setting my master on the bed again. Louise grumbled something about 'Cosmo Babylonia' before grabbing a pillow and continuing her sleep.

"Stay with Louise in case she wakes up." I told the blushing Matilda who refused to meet my gaze.

"And what if she wakes up? She'll be all over me again!" The former thief complained indignantly.

"And we can't leave her alone here either. She'll likely look for you if you come with me and we both know that outcome would not end well for anyone." I chastised Matilda while folding my arms and leaning back. The woman fixed her gaze on the ground before turning to her sleeping charge.

"Besides, she's your student. A teacher will always do what is best for their pupil." I said in a soft tone while looking at my master.

"You speak like you know what its like to teach." Matilda pointed out with a raised brow and a bit of a smirk.

"I did have a student once. She begged and begged for me to teach her how to properly...fight. Eventually, I took her in simply to shut her up and...she managed to find and unleash her true potential." I stated with a shrug.

"What was her name?" Matilda asked me, curious about my having a student.

"Cirno. Though recently, she's being called Big-Sis Cirno by the younger generation." I answered with a chuckle. Matilda hummed thoughtfully before she climbed back onto the bed and placed herself beside Louise.

"Alright, just make sure you come back as soon as you can. I shudder to think what would happen if I would fall asleep and Louise would wake up." I chuckled at the woman's words, earning me a glare from Matilda.

"What's wrong? Scared of being 'taken' by a younger girl?" I teased, maintaining my folded arms. Matilda had a very cross expression before she answered back.

"Of course I am! If I'll be taken, I'd rather have my first time be with...someone I actually love..." Matilda yelled at me, though the last part was more of a whisper after a beat. I then recalled what had happened to her in the past...or what nearly happened to her.

"It seemed that I...struck a nerve. I apologize." I stated with a polite bow. I saw her rub her forehead with her left hand.

"It's...fine. Just find out what caused this and find a way to fix it...then come back." Matilda stated in a tired tone.

"I will. I doubt that Louise will rouse again after everything that has happened, so I believe that it will be safe for you to sleep. Now if you'll excuse me..." I stated before exiting the room. I stood in the hallway and considered my options.

There were a number of people that Louise might go to if she was going to give or return something that was embarrassing for her if others found out about it. The obvious suspects would be Kirche and Siesta. Kirche is pretty much a given but I also added Siesta after I discovered the girl's fondness for certain types of...reading material. I had heard Siesta ask Louise to try reading one of those books before so it was plausible that my master had that item hidden away in her wardrobe. The problem with that is that Kirche left with Tabitha some time ago and is no longer here. Siesta was a possibility but I met her while trying to find Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond. We were in a completely different part of the academy at the time and Siesta was about to do some laundry as well, so it would have been impossible for Louise to get in contact with her.

On the possibility of those who would have access to a Love Potion, I had no ideas as to anyone who would since even Matilda had never gotten her hands on one. The obvious suspect would be Guiche but the boy seemed to be the type to rather use his own charm to capture the hearts of women instead of relying on a shady magical drug. Drawing a blank on that subject, I decided to go to the only person I know who was an expert when it came to potions.

Monmon

...

"Mister Yuka! What a pleasant surprise!" Oddly enough, it was Guiche that greeted me after I knocked at the door instead of Monmon. We both turned to the sound of clattering porcelain after Guiche greeted me and found Monmon seated at a table. It seemed that she and Guiche were having a late night tea party.

"Am I interrupting anything?" I inquired while tilting my head to the side.

"Not at all! We were merely having tea while discussing love and life. Please, you are welcome to join us." Guiche gracefully offered while gesturing to within Monmon's room. I took in the scent of the tea they were having. Nilgiri tea? How on earth did they have access to that kind of tea? I shook my head to clear my thoughts of such trivial matters.

"As much as I would like to have such fragrant tea on such a nice night, I'm afraid I am here on business." I stated as I entered the room. I sensed Monmon tense up when I did and she suddenly stood up and walked up to Guiche. Strange...

"Business?" Guiche inquired quizzically, obviously confused as to what kind of business I might have with his lover.

"Yes. You see, for reasons still unconfirmed, Louise had apparently been exposed to a Love Potion. I am looking for the one who could possibly have such a potion." I stated my reasons. Guiche looked surprised at the mention of someone possessing a Love Potion in the academy while Monmon looked aghast by my statement.

"And Louise was exposed to it? Who did she target, you?" Guiche inquired after recovering from his initial surprise.

"No, I was not in the room when the effects took hold of her. Matilda was the one Louise had her sights on when the effect activated." I stated simply. We both noticed Monmon start coughing and Guiche quickly guided her to a chair and gave her a cup of tea.

"Miss...Matilda...was the one...who Louise...targeted?" Monmon slowly stated between breaths.

"That is correct. When I returned to Louise's room I found her on top of Matilda and trying very hard to disrobe her tutor." I described the events that I witnessed when I opened the door to Louise's room.

"Oh really?" Guiche inquired, not even bothering to mask his interest in the event. His apparent enthusiasm prompted Monmon to step on his foot, eliciting a yelp of pain from the young man. Guiche looked apologetically at Monmon, who just looked away from her lover. The young man cleared his throat before looking back at me.

"And...you suspect my Monmon to be the one responsible? Is that why you are here?" Guiche asked wearily. I opened my mouth to tell them that I was only here to inquire with Monmon on who she might know that could obtain such a thing when I sensed something. It was fear, intense fear...and it was coming from Monmon. I admit that the girl was still intimidated by me at times but this kind of reaction was just...

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Monmon suddenly yelled out while standing up straight. Both Guiche and I looked at the girl who was at the verge of tears and were...confused.

"You...were responsible?" Guiche asked her and she silently nodded. I sighed. From the way she was acting, it seemed that she did not intend for Louise to be the one that her Love Potion affected.

"Monmon, sit down and tell me what happened." I stated, no anger or malice in my voice. This was not intentional and it was clear that Monmon regretted doing that to her friend, so I simply wanted to know what happened and how we can fix it. Monmon quietly complied and Guiche took a seat beside her while holding her hand. I stood before the two lovers and folded my arms and leaning back before waiting for Monmon's explanation.

"It happened earlier this evening. Guiche and I were walking back to my room when Louise suddenly popped out from a corner and bumped into him." Monmon started while affixing her gaze at the floor.

"She bumped into you?" I asked Guiche and he nodded in response.

"Yes, I was so surprised that I very nearly spilled the cup of wine I was holding." Guiche stated while shaking his head.

"It was amazing, Mister Yuka. I lost my grip on the cup of wine and was certain that it would spill but...Louise caught it in mid-air without spilling a drop of wine." The young man stated while grabbing the side of his head, probably still not believing what he saw. I guess Louise's training had another unexpected side effect. If her hand-eye coordination has become that good then we could use this on future lessons.

"What happened next?" I asked, bringing Guiche out of his thoughts. The young man cleared his throat before continuing.

"Well, she looked tired. Monmon and I were actually confused as to why she looked like she just ran all over the dormitory tower and why she was only wearing her nightgown. I tried to point out the latter but was...stopped...by my dear Monmon." Guiche explained with a hint of pain at the end.

"You were ogling her Guiche. You were ogling Louise of all people." Monmon said while seething at what her lover had done. Guiche gulped before taking a deep breath.

"Louise had my cup of wine and asked if she could drink it. She looked like she really needed a drink so I said that it was okay. She drank the whole thing in one go the sauntered off, likely back to her room." The young man finished with a sigh. I mulled over what Guiche just said. All things considered, the mystery item that prompted Louise to bolt out of the room could be considered as a red herring and thus be ignored. The bottom line was Louise bumped into Monmon and Guiche and caught the cup of wine that Guiche was carrying before consuming the contents. Assuming that Louise never encountered anyone else on the way back to her room...

"The wine was laced with the Love Potion." I concluded, my gaze firmly fixed on Monmon. The girl flinched at my words and glanced up, when she noticed my unamused expression, she quickly looked away.

"I didn't mean for that to happen...Guiche should have been the one to drink that and not Louise..." The blonde girl muttered.

"My beautiful Monmon, if your love for me is so deep that you would attempt such a thing, then worry not! I am already a slave to your beauty, my Montmorency the Fragrance." Guiche flamboyantly declared before placing his hand on Monmon's cheek and giving her one of his best smiles.

"Guiche, you have cheated on me seven times over the past month. Don't try to deny it because I have spoken to each girl personally and kindly asked them to reject any further advances from you. I didn't want anything like that to happen again so that is why I came up with the idea to use a Love Potion on you. If Louise hadn't bumped into us, then you really would be 'a slave to my beauty'." Monmon flatly stated, each word made Guiche's smile falter until he was reduced to a stammering pile of embarrassment. So it appeared that Monmon decided to reign in her lover instead of leaving him. Unfortunately, my master ended up as collateral damage in her attempt at doing just that.

"And now we know 'the who', 'the where', 'the how', and 'the why'." I muttered as I looked at the brewing lover's spat in front of me. Monmon looked at me once again before standing up and bowing her head. Guiche gasped and I raised a brow at her action.

"I'm really sorry for what happened to Louise." She clearly stated before raising her head, she was at the brink of tears. I knew for a fact that Monmon was a proud young woman, possibly on par with Louise, so I understood how how hard it must have been for her to do that just then. It was also a testament to how dear a friend she thought Louise as, she really was sorry for what she did to her.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." I stated while shaking my head. Monmon grimaced because she knew that I was right, that she should apologize to Louise instead.

"And you can do so later. Right now, I need to know how to fix what you did." I continued, getting to the matter at hand.

"You can wait for it to wear off..." Monmon answered sheepishly.

"How long will it take?" I quickly asked, making her wince. She looked away from me before answering.

"Six to twelve months, give or take." She answered in a subdued voice but enough for me and Guiche to hear. The young man paled when he heard the duration of the effects of the potion.

"My dear Monmon...you were going to have me drink a Love Potion that lasts that long?" Guiche asked with no small sense of dread. After all, it was a potion that would essentially turn him into what Louise currently was for quite possibly a full year.

"I assume that you already realize that waiting that long is unacceptable." I stated, my stern gaze seemed like it was burning holes through her. She was lucky that it was an accident and she truly was sorry for what she did, otherwise this room would have been completely saturated with my aura or terror by now.

"I know. There is a way to counteract the effects of the potion but I'll need to look for the list of the exact ingredients needed and how to mix them. I'll probably be able to get the full list by tomorrow afternoon." Monmon stated firmly. I continued to look at her intently, trying to ascertain if her will is for real.

"I'm sorry for what I did to Louise. Even though it was an accident, it's still my fault. I'll bring her back to normal, I promise." I couldn't help but give a small smile at her words and her expression as she delivered them. It reminded me of Louise whenever she was serious about something. It seemed that this girl had conviction as well.

"That was wonderful my Monmon! Such dedication and elegance! There is no one else like you, my Montmorency!" Certainly more conviction than her lover. I decided to trust Monmon's words and left the two before they started another lovers' spat. All that was left was to wait for Monmon and keep Louise from ravaging Matilda in the meantime.

That shouldn't be too hard.

...

"This shouldn't be this hard..." I stated while rubbing my forehead with my right hand while serving as a human shield for Matilda against Louise. My master's eyes darted around, trying to look for a way past me. As nice as it was to see her applying her training on something other than dodging fireballs, I wished that she wouldn't use it so she can simply start groping her tutor. My eyes narrowed as I saw a glint in her eye. Louise tensed up before making her move.

"Universe!" Louise yelled out before she darted to the right. I moved my body to block her advance but she quickly changed direction to the left and even spun around to try to get past me. Thankfully, the dimensions of the room conspired against her and she ended up crashing into her desk.

"Augh!" Louise grunted as her left knee hit the wooden desk. My master cringed at the pain and sat down on the floor while clutching her knee. Matilda and I shared a look, she of worry and mine of mild irritation, we knew that Louise will end up doing something very stupid if this keeps up.

"I don't understand...I should be three times faster..." Louise grumbled as she blew on her sore knee. I noticed Matilda starting to move to check on her but I blocked her path with my arm.

"I think that going near Louise would be a very bad idea right now." I warned the woman. Matilda put her hand on my arm and gently lowered it.

"I've been thinking. Louise is acting like this because of that Love Potion, right?" She asked. I raised a brow and simply nodded in response.

"And you said that Miss Montmorency intended that the one exposed to that potion would be lovingly devoted to the first person that they saw, right?" She asked another question. Once again, I nodded in response but still kept my eye on Louise in case she decided to pull a fast one on me, I know Cirno would have by now.

"Then that means that Louise should follow whatever I say without question, right? All in the name of her love for me." I turned to Matilda after she said those words and saw that she had a familiar smirk on her face.

"Are you willing to risk it after what happened last night?" I asked right back. She was completely under Louise's mercy last night before I came in and was terrified of the prospect of getting 'taken' by her student.

"Louise is my student. She believed in me when no one else did and gave me a new way to be able to support my sister. The two of you practically saved our lives. I owe that young woman more than she will ever realize. So yes, I am willing to risk it." Matilda answered immediately. I looked into her eyes and saw the determination within. I sighed and allowed her to pass, moving myself to the side to make sure that I could quickly yank them apart if Louise really did try to assault Matilda again. The former thief took a breath before walking up to Louise and crouching down beside her. Louise turned to Matilda and gave her a 'sad puppy dog eyes' expression that would have rendered most mortal men to incoherence.

"Matilda~n...my knee hurts..." Louise sniffled while clutching her right knee. I guess she hit that desk a lot harder than I thought but I didn't think that it would have been enough to break anything. Matilda breathed a sigh of relief before she started rubbing the sniffling Louise's back.

"I'll take care of things here, just wait for us outside." The former thief said. I hummed thoughtfully before picking up my parasol and walking up to the door.

"Just scream if she decides to pick up where she left off before." I slyly stated before exiting the room, not waiting for Matilda to give her response. I decided to walk up to Monmon's room to check on her progress with the hunting down the required ingredients for the antidote to the Love Potion. I saw Guiche standing in front of her door looking worried. The young man turned to me when he noticed the distinct sound of my footsteps and parasol. I greeted him with a curt nod, which he returned in kind. I looked at the door and saw that there was a wooden sign on it. I placed a mental note to have Matilda teach me the local written language since I could not read what was written on the sign.

"Guiche, what does it say?" I asked the young man while nodding to the sign. Guiche blinked at me for a few moments before turning back to Monmon's door.

"'Do not disturb on the grounds of total annihilation'." Guiche stated before sighing. I guess the young woman took her own words very seriously, I like that.

"How is Louise?" Guiche asked me, his eyes not leaving the door.

"Matilda seems to have her under control so she sent me out. I'm headed outside, are you coming?" I offered the young man. He looked at me for a moment before turning back to the door.

"Yes...I think I will join you." He muttered before walking in step with me. We walked through the nearly empty halls of the dormitory tower in silence. I had nearly forgotten that it is summer break for the students because of all the incidents that kept popping up one after the other. Most of the students opted to go home for the rest of their vacation but some have decided to stay in the academy, such as Louise, Monmon, and Guiche.

"You understand that you are partly responsible for what happened to my master, yes?" I casually pointed out, making the young man wince. I stopped walking and Guiche turned back to me before gulping. I had folded my arms and leaned back, my parasol hanging from my right hand.

"You were unfaithful to a woman you have repeatedly declared your love to, a woman who is clearly in love with you which led her to try to use a Love Potion on you...the very potion that my master accidentally ingested. I don't understand, Guiche de Gramont. Why must you persist on courting other girls when you already have Monmon? It does not logically make any sense." I stated while tilting my head to the side. Guiche scratched the back of his head while finding part of the tower wall to be quite interesting.

"You see...umm...love cannot be understood by something like logic..." Guiche started while gesturing with his hands, slowly building up steam for more of his flowery bravado. Sadly, I had not the patience for it.

"Then make me understand, Guiche de Gramont. Put it in words that would make sense for me. Make me understand why you are unable to remain faithful to your lover. Make me understand why you continue to lust after other women despite already having Monmon. Make me understand why it was justifiable for my master to have been caught up in your problem." I said in a stern tone, the tone I used to use when I caught Cirno and her friends doing something stupid when they should have known better.

"But I did not make Louise drink the potion! Monmon was the one who got that potion and tried to-" I cut off his retort after I struck the wooden floor with the tip of my parasol.

"Which is precisely why she is taking responsibility for her actions and trying to find a way to restore Louise. You are very fortunate to have one such as Monmon, Guiche de Gramont. If you cannot realize why, then you do not deserve her. Either become completely faithful to her or end your relationship once and for all, it is your choice. Regardless, this shall not happen again." I stated with a tone of finality. This was not a negotiation. This was not a lecture. This was not a slap on the wrist. This was an ultimatum for the young man. Even I, who had no experience in the realm of love, can tell that Guiche was a fool for doing what he did and Monmon deserved better than a fool. I narrowed my eyes at the boy when he did not answer.

".Clear?" I asked him, emphasizing each word to make sure that he knew how serious I was about it. The young man silently nodded while keeping his gaze on the ground.

"Excellent! I will go on ahead, I see that you have much to think about." I stated, regaining my casual tone of voice before walking past Guiche.

"Remember, Sir Gramont. This will not happen again." I whispered to the boy as I passed him.

...

"Good morning Mister Yuka!" Siesta exuberantly greeted me after I had stepped outside and opened my parasol.

"Good morning Siesta. Radiant as always, I see." I greeted the ever hard working maid as I rested my open parasol on my right shoulder as was routine for me. Siesta's face flushed at the complement and she started twiddling her thumbs while looking down at the ground.

"N-n-not at all...I...umm...isn't Miss Valliere and Miss Matilda with you today?" The maid inquired while looking around for my master and her tutor.

"Matilda and Louise are taking longer than usual to get ready. There was a minor...incident...involving a Love Potion last night and well...you'll see." I answered with a shrug. I was surprised when Siesta suddenly gasped at my words before leaning closer.

"A-are you sure that it was a real Love Potion?" Siesta asked, her voice were naught but a whisper and sounded worried for some reason.

"Yes, we are certain. Is something wrong?" I inquired. There must have been a reason why the normally vibrant and level-headed young woman would be so concerned about this.

"Well, I don't know how it works in your realm but...Love Potions, along with any magic that can take over a person's will, are banned by international law. You could be sent to the city dungeons for simply possessing them!" Siesta whispered to me frantically. So what Monmon tried to do was a criminal offense...but she tried to do it anyway?

"So...did someone try to use a Love Potion on you? Was it...was it Miss Matilda?" Siesta brought me out of my thoughts with her questions. I tilted my head in curiosity as to why she looked so worried at the possibility of Matilda using a Love Potion on me. Even if she did, it would not have worked. If I could resist Marisa's Love Potion, I could resist any Love Potion.

"No. We were not directly involved with anything involving the possession or use of any Love Potions. However, Louise accidentally ingested a dose of the substance that was meant for someone else...and no...it was not meant for me." I explained, preventing Siesta form insinuating that anyone had any intentions of using a Love Potion on me.

"Then...Miss Valliere is currently under the effects of the Love Potion and has fallen completely in love with you?" Siesta asked in wide-eyed surprise.

"Well, no...not me..." I answered half-heartedly. Siesta gave me a confused look when the answer decided to walk out into the open.

"I love you Matilda~n!" We both turned to Louise's absolutely elated voice and found her happily latched onto Matilda's left arm. Matilda had the expression of resigned acceptance but it did not seem that she was 'taken' by Louise while I was away. I blinked when I noticed that Matilda was without her hat. I was about to ask her why she did not have it when I noticed that Louise was wearing it instead.

"Why is Louise wearing your fedora?" I asked Matilda. She blinked at me before glancing at Louise and smiling.

"She wanted to wear it." She stated simply with a smile and a shrug.

"Matilda~n's ha~t!" Louise exclaimed as she savored the feeling of her tutor's hat on her head. By her actions, she was starting to remind me of Chen when she was young. I immediately dismissed the thought of Louise with cat-ears and a tail and turned back to Siesta instead. I saw that she had her mouth agape at Louise and Matilda and she seemed frozen in that state. I snapped my fingers in front of her face to get a reaction but she remained still.

"Siesta, breathe." I said as I continued to snap my fingers in front of Siesta. She finally flinched and started breathing again...no, she looked like she was starting to hyperventilate.

"Wha-wha-wha-Miss Valliere...Miss Matilda...two...women...a younger woman...and an older woman...in bed...together...I...I..I...I need to sit down...G-g-good day..." Siesta stammered out in panic and confusion before walking off. The three of us that remained merely stood there in silence for a few moments before Louise ended it.

"Puru~puru~puru~puru~puru~" Louise cooed while rubbing her face on Matilda's sleeve.

"And on that note, I suggest that the two of you get some breakfast." I stated before starting to walk toward the flower garden.

"You won't be eating with us? You haven't eaten anything since last night." Matilda pointed out with a hint of concern. I turned back to her and shook my head slowly.

"No need, I'll be fine." I assured her with a dismissive wave. Unfortunately, the woman didn't look convinced.

"Look, if you're worried that you're not a noble then..." Matilda trailed off before clearing her throat and looking away, likely realizing the irony in her statement. I smiled, even I could appreciate the sentiment...misplaced as it was.

"I have lived for over sixteen-hundred years, Matilda Chevalier de Tristain. I have come to the point in my life where my very power sustains me. I don't even need to eat or drink anymore, I only do so to suit my fancy. However, there have been very few instances in my life where one would care enough for me to ask if I was eating enough. Though unnecessary, I...appreciate the thought." I stated before walking away while twirling my parasol. I was pretty sure that Matilda was gawking at me after I casually admitted that I was not human and had been living for over a millennia-and-a-half.

I walked through the open areas of the academy and noted how quiet it was without the students and the teaching staff around. I walked to the open field where I was first summoned. Louise had unwittingly yanked me away from my first Danmaku Battle of the year and gave me a new outlook in life, Yukari's involvement notwithstanding. I had originally thought a male body to be cumbersome and inelegant, the height and weight difference were rather inconvenient for the first few moments. Of course I had overcome that like all the other challenges I have faced in my life. I was originally uncertain about staying here as the familiar of a pompous, no-talent, human magician. However, a certain ironic similarity in our lives compelled me to stay on and see where this partnership would lead. I'm actually rather glad that I did.

I walked to the Vestry Court, the place where Guiche de Gramont challenged me to a duel. It was not the first time that someone was stupid enough to challenge me without looking into who I was first, and it wouldn't be the last. It was only by virtue of my master that the young man survived the duel. I will admit that I was rather...excited to be in a realm where the binding rules of the Hakurei clan did not apply. After the duel, I decided to continue the proud Hakurei tradition of having tea with the defeated as a sign that there was no further ill will between the combatants. This was the time when my master and the people she would come to know as friends knew what I truly was.

I walked to the flower garden of the academy, the place where I re-established my link to Mugenkan. This was also the place where I discovered that Siesta was more than just another maid. The young woman was a studious and thorough caretaker of the flowers and I appreciated that greatly. This was also the place where I first encountered the late Lord Mott. I did have to thank him though, it was through his actions that I was able to once again kill without worrying about the consequences as long as I knew to clean up after myself. I did hear in passing from Siesta that Tarbes seemed to be thriving under the rule of a much more competent noble, though she did express sadness when she heard of Lord Mott's passing, such a kindhearted girl.

I walked to open area where the Evaluation Fair was held and to the clearing where 'Fouquet the Cumbling Dirt' made her daring heist. The earth magician gave me the best fight I have had in this realm thus far. Because of that, I had taken interest in her, even more so after I discovered how well she had been hiding under everyone's noses for so long without detection. My master had originally been adamant at capturing Fouquet for her crimes but Matilda's story was enough for her to revise her previous assessment of the woman. We devised had originally devised a plan to catch Fouquet in the act and apprehend the thief after exposing her true identity, an entrapment similar to what Cirno devised to help catch the perpetrator of a certain incident one-hundred years ago. Once again, Fouquet did not disappoint and came in with an improved version of her golem and gave me a very interesting battle before we launched our trap. The revisions done in the plan was enough to defeat Fouquet, save Matilda, and protect her sister and orphanage. Not bad for a day's work.

Indeed, a lot has happened since I had come to this world. Incidents happening one after the other, meeting and befriending new people, discovering things I never even knew existed because of how I used to look upon the world. In fact, we were in the middle of another incident right now. My recollection of that little fact brought me out of my recollections. I looked at the sky and noticed that some time had already passed since I left Louise and Matilda. I turned to direction of the dining hall and wondered if the Love Potion on Louise had worn off yet.

"My right hand burns with awesome passion~! It roars for me to share my desires with you~!" I would guess not...

"Louise! Stop it right now!" Matilda's frantic yelling was enough to get me walking to where they were. I finally saw them and found that Monmon was already with them and was failing at prying my master off of the older woman.

"Yuka! Louise has gone nuts again!" Monmon yelled at me, pointing out the obvious in the process. I walked up to them and handed my parasol to Monmon.

"Hold this." I stated. The blonde girl took my parasol and took a few steps back as I assessed the current configuration of my master and her tutor. I nodded to myself as I decided to take a page from Reimi Hakurei's book on discipline. I jammed my right thumb in the crook of Louise's neck at a very specific point and angle. The effect was immediate as she suddenly released Matilda and started laughing uncontrollably. My master looked at me, Monmon, and Matilda in turn with an expression of panic and fear while she continued to laugh away.

"What...did you do to her?" Monmon asked in obvious confusion. Matilda seemed to share the sentiment on wanting to find out what just happened.

"It is a technique once used by a certain protector of the peace back in my realm." I replied. Reimi never had the raw power that her mother wielded with unmatched grace, but what she did have was creativity. The brilliant use of the Reimi Pressure Point Strike, along with several other unorthodox skills, made Reimi the fastest incident solver in the entire history of the Hakurei Clan.

"It will wear off, right?" Matilda asked out of worry for her charge as Louise continued to laugh out loud without end. I held out my right hand to Monmon, prompting her to return my parasol. I settled it on my right shoulder as always before turning back to Matilda and responding.

"Don't worry, she should stop laughing after another half-hour." I said with a smile. Louise did not share my sentiment as she looked at me in horror while continuing her laughing marathon.

"I'm sorry, Louise! I'm so sorry! I'll fix this, I promise!" Monmon declared in concern as she held the hands of her still-laughing friend.

"On the subject, I assume that you have found the means to get my master back to normal?" I asked. Monmon turned to me before giving a complicated expression and letting go of Louise's hands.

"I have most of the ingredients needed in stock. The problem is the most important ingredient, it's nearly impossible to get." Monmon explained the reason behind her previous reaction. The blonde lowered her head in shame and was seemingly at the verge of tears, we can't have that now can we?

"Nothing is impossible. Which ingredient do you speak of?" I asked the young woman, who looked up at me in surprise after noticing the certainty of my tone of voice.

"It's called the 'Tears of the Water Spirit' and is exactly what it says. The problem comes from the fact that even communing with the water spirit is nearly impossible in itself. The only reason I was able to was..." Monmon trailed off as she stated her point.

"...because of your lineage." Incidentally, it was Matilda that finished the sentence for her. I turned to the former thief, who had her gaze rooted on the ground with her right elbow propped up by her left arm so she could rub her chin with her right hand contemplatively.

"Monmon's lineage?" I repeated in question form. Matilda looked at Monmon, then back at me, and nodded.

"I once heard a rumor back when I was still a treasure hunter, before I became 'Fouquet'. A few veteran hunters were talking about finding and selling rare potion reagents, they eventually got to the topic of the 'Tears of the Water Spirit'. They were arguing about the feasibility of obtaining a sample of the reagent, even citing that it would be as difficult as obtaining a Rhyme Dragon Scale. One of them said that only those of the Montmorency bloodline can make the Water Spirit appear and obtain the tears because one of their ancestors gained the favor of the ancient spirit." Matilda finished her explanation. I turned to Monmon and hummed in keen interest.

"And that was the reason why you were able to obtain such a rare reagent in the first place. Is that correct?" I asked her, even though I already knew the answer. I simply wanted to hear it from her directly. I got my answer when she solemnly nodded.

"And? Where is this Water Spirit located?" I asked while straightening my posture.

"Ragdorian Lake in Gallia. But you don't understand, the Water Spirit won't agree to give another piece of itself to someone who has already asked for its favor." Monmon stated with a hint of panic in her voice. I was about to respond when I noticed that I don't hear Louise's laughter anymore.

"Louise Francoise, launching~!" Louise happily declared before she started after Matilda again, who started dodging her advances. I decided to ignore them since Matilda should hold her own at least until I finish with Monmon.

"You promised that you would bring Louise back to normal. You declared such in front of me, Guiche, Matilda, and Louise herself. I am here to ensure that you make good on that promise. One way or another, we will obtain that reagent." I stated firmly, leaving no room for second guessing or argument.

"Alright...I'll show you the way." Monmon answered, her own fire of conviction regaining its light.

...

The country of Gallia, as it turned out, was right next to Tristain which made it relatively easy to get to on horseback or via carriage. Our objective, located in Ragdorian Lake, was a few days ride from the academy using the carriage we were in right now. Admittedly, I would have been able to get to our objective by flying but that would mean that I would need to wait for everyone else for days. So it had been me, Louise, Matilda, and Monmon who were headed to that particular lake to retrieve the last ingredient needed for the potion that will bring my master back to normal and thankfully, we were only a few hours away from our goal. I had originally asked Guiche to join us for the trip but the young man declined, he stated that he had much to think about after I confronted him about how he was treating Monmon. I also made a point to ask Siesta for a blacksmith competent enough to clean up Derf and get him back to fighting form. The maid happily declared that she knew such a smith and I handed over the ancient blade to her. Siesta stated that a full de-rusting, sharpening, and polishing will likely take a couple of days to finish, hopefully by the time we come back from this little outing. That said...

"Are you sure it is wise for you not to sit with Louise?" Monmon asked from my side. We were currently in a rather roomy four-person carriage, it probably could hold eight-people if you tried hard enough. Monmon and I were sitting next to each other, while Louise and Matilda were sitting across us. Well, I put the term sitting loosely since Louise was practically sprawled on her tutor's lap like an overgrown cat. I swear that she even purred a few times. Matilda was more than happy to treat her student thusly as she absentmindedly stroked Louise's strawberry-blonde hair while looking out the window.

"Nonsense. As you can see, Matilda has Louise under control." I pointed out. Indeed, it was rather impressive the way Matilda managed to deduct why Louise was acting the way she did while under the influence of the Love Potion. It was no secret that Louise has had trouble in expressing her true feelings because of how she had been treated due to her previous failings in life. Because of this, she had no idea how to act when she suddenly found herself overwhelmingly infatuated with Matilda. Her mind was not able to keep up with her heart and the end result was her trying to express her love for her tutor in the most...basic ways possible. We believed that the strange things that she was spouting were also a product of the emotional overload she was getting from the Love Potion. Once we knew the reason for Louise's extreme behavior, it was easy to come up with a way to keep her under control. A compromise was made between Louise and Matilda. Louise will be allowed to hug, cuddle, and remain close to Matilda as long as she wants provided that it does not go beyond that. Obviously, Louise was initially infuriated with the prospect of only getting the minimum skinship privilege with Matilda and even challenged me to a Danmaku Battle for the right to be with Matilda for the rest of our lives. Thankfully, the woman who was to be the prize prevented that from happening by actively chastising Louise for even thinking of treating her like an object. She followed this up with an ultimatum that Louise can either settle with the conditions that Matilda laid out for her or she will never return Louise's affections no matter what and make sure that my master will never see her again. Louise immediately caved and accepted the compromise and thus their current condition.

"And that actually brings up a rather interesting point I wanted to discuss with you." I stated, my tone becoming more professional. I looked at Monmon in the eye before continuing.

"I can understand why you did what you tried to do to Guiche...well, no not really...since I have never felt that particular emotion before." I stated while gazing at the ceiling of the carriage. I turned back to Monmon and saw that she was looking at me with a raised brow.

"What? You've never been jealous before?" Monmon asked. I simply shrugged after mentally noting that Parsee would have been the expert in that particular emotion.

"Not in the romantic sense because I have never actually fallen in love before." I clarified. Monmon's other brow shot up and she gave me a surprised expression. I heard a gasp and turned to Matilda and saw that she had her left hand covering her mouth while her eyes betrayed a certain sense of surprise as well. I had to suppress a sigh after seeing their reactions, must I really explain this every time?

"Seriously? You've never been in love before?" Monmon asked me, still in a state of mild shock.

"No, never." I immediately answered.

"And you are how old?" She followed up while holding the side of her head with her right hand.

"Sixteen-hundred years old, give or take. And before you ask again, no. I really have never fallen in love before, that is fact. It is one of the very few things that I have never experienced before in my long life...and I have experienced a lot of things." Being turned into a man for example. Monmon still did not looked convinced while Matilda went back to gazing out the window and stroking Louise's hair.

"Regardless of my lack of experience with that particular aspect in life, I can provide an objective opinion on what you did. And I must say, it is not good." I said in a more serious tone, making Monmon gulp.

"Is this really the time for that?" I turned at Matilda's voice and saw her sternly glaring at me.

"It is. Monmon needs to realize the ramifications of what she has done and reflect on them, the sooner the better." I stated in a firm voice. Matilda narrowed her eyes at me before sighing and gazing back outside. I turned back to Monmon and saw that she was starting to pale after losing Matilda's support. I slowly shook my head as I recalled giving out similar lectures to Cirno and her friends whenever they did anything particularly stupid. I recall Mystia being the most receptive to my words while Rumia being the least receptive.

"What you did was try to forcibly control someone's emotions without their consent. What you did was to try to sway someone's emotions to your favor without a way to regulate it or dispell it if it ever went out of hand. What you did, Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency, was incredibly foolish and blew up in my master's face." I stated, making sure that Monmon was looking right in my eyes as she listened.

"W-w-w-what do you mean...re-re-re-regulate...or di-di-dispell...if it went...out of...h-aand..." Monmon stuttered out, likely both surprised and intimidated that I managed to fluently use her full name instead of just her nickname. I took a deep breath and recalled a particular incident.

"I know someone who had the power to be able to control people's emotions, their hearts. Now normally, she was rather harmless and if she did use her power...it was only to make others feel the emotion 'love'." I started my story, this was of course about Satori's younger sister Koishi. I made sure that Monmon was listening intently before continuing.

"One day in early spring, she had the bright idea to making everyone fall in love with her. When I say everyone, I mean...everyone. She let loose a wave of her power that rendered nearly the entire population of Gensokyo devotedly in love with her. There were exceptions, but they were few and far in between." I continued.

"But why did she do that?" Matilda asked, shifting in her seat. Louise murmured something about 'Solar Furnaces' before purring and continuing her nap on Matilda's lap.

"The reason, as I understand it, was tied to her powers. Originally, that girl's power was to be able to see what others are thinking. Mind reading in a literal sense. However, she was afraid of her power and the persecution that might follow because of it. So she forcibly shut it down. From what her sister told me, she ended up developing a completely different power, which is the power to control hearts. As an ironic side effect, shutting down her original power also completely locked her own emotions. She became completely unable to feel any emotions at all. A girl who can't feel any emotions having the power to control the emotions of others, I expect that you can see where this is going." I answered. Matilda and Monmon both had somber expressions but said nothing, I too that as a cue to continue.

"That said, even she did not realize how much it actually takes to make sure that someone's emotion is firmly controlled by her, much less the emotions of thousands of hearts. It eventually became too much for her and she mind started breaking down because of it. Her sister, who was immune to her power, realized this and approached others who were also unaffected by her power and asked for their help." I continued.

"And you were one of them." Matilda said as a statement, not a question. I nodded in to affirm her statement. Satori approached Hikaru Hakurei, me, and...surprisingly...Lily White to help her save Koishi.

"Yes, after the annoyance of having to fight several beings that I have already defeated before, we eventually managed to stop her and return everyone to normal. Monmon, the moral of this story?" I asked her after I finished.

"Umm...be careful whenever doing something dangerous?" Monmon sheepishly tested. I narrowed my eyes at her and she got the message that she answered wrong.

"Power without control is dangerous." Matilda answered with a sense of guilt and regret. I raised a brow at her tone of voice before shaking my head.

"Close. What I was going for is that power without responsibility is what's dangerous. The girl who did that had supreme control over her power but she overestimated it and thought that she could do what she wanted with it. Just because you can do something, does not mean that you should." I stated with a heavy tone. It was a personal experience that I had that made me say those words with certainty. There was a point in my life where I did something so incredibly stupid with Ultimate Magic that I continue to regret it to this day. I have done many things that will never be forgotten, but that was one thing I did that should never be forgiven.

"It is the same thing with your Love Potion. Think, Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency. What if you were successful in making Guiche drink that Love Potion that you made? What if it made him act the same way as Louise did right now? What would you do? What would you really do?" My use of her full name made her realize how serious I was about this subject. Monmon looked off to the side to consider what I just told her. Monmon's eyes went wide before she shut them tight, as if trying to deny what she realize she would have ended up doing to Guiche.

"Louise will likely forgive you for what you did, water under the bridge between friends. Matilda will also likely forgive you for what you did because she knows that it was an accident. I will not hold this against you so long as you get Louise back to normal. Guiche...I have talked with him and made him think about responsibility as well. As for you, Monmon...will you be willing for forgive yourself after all this is over?" I asked Monmon, who looked at me in despair before looking away and biting back tears. I also noticed Matilda gazing back out the window with a bitter expression on her face.

"You don't need to answer that right now. Take all the time you need...just make sure that you are satisfied with the answer once you find it." I said somberly.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

...

"Wh-wh-what happened here!" Monmon asked out in utter disbelief at what she was seeing. She had originally suggested that we spend time in a town at the side of the lake to rest and recompose ourselves before heading out to meet the Water Spirit. Unfortunately, the town she spoke of was now below the waterline of the lake.

"I would assume that this is somehow related to the Water Spirit we area after?" I asked the rhetorical question.

"Are you certain that we can even call it?" Matida asked in concern. Louise was once again wearing Matilda's fedora and was currently latched onto her waist. Once again, the woman didn't seem to mind and was once again absentmindedly stroking Louise's hair even though her expression showed worry, possibly a testament of her time taking care of orphans.

"We can. As long as one of the Montmorency bloodline is present, the Water Spirit will answer our call." Monmon answered with a firm nod. The issue is whether or not we can convince the Water Spirit to give up a sample of the tears we need or if I have to 'befriend' it first, as Sanae Kotiya used to put it. Monmon stepped forward and produced a needle from her clothes and pricked her finger with it, allowing drops of blood to taint the pure blue of the lake. She stepped back and we all stared at the lake in silence until the spirit in question showed itself.

I smiled when I saw it. A spike of water slowly raised skywards before collecting and forming into an amorphous blob of water. It slowly started to ripple, possibly addressing us. So it was an embodiment of water? An elemental? Interesting…

"I am Montmorency Margarita La Fere de Montmorency. I am a user of water, and a member of the lineage of the old oath. If you understand my words, please answer in a way that we can understand." Monmon implored the Water Spirit, the being responded by rippling a few more times before slowly and deliberately reforming itself into a fifteen-foot tall Monmon made of water. I hummed thoughtfully as I studied how the water reformed itself. It was not something that was manipulated by an outside force, but instead the water itself formed into this construct. Very interesting. I turned to my companions and saw that Matilda looked absolutely shocked at what she had just witnessed while Louise didn't seem to care enough about it and just continued to embrace Matilda. Monmon gulped and took a deep breath while waiting for the response of the Water Spirit. I hefted my closed parasol on my right shoulder and waited for the being's answer as well.

"I recognize you, insignificant child of that woman. In accordance with the pact, I have appeared. State your purpose." The Water Spirit's voice resonated through the air as its expression shifted over and over again. I cracked the bones in my left hand and resisted the growing urge to test the power of a being of this world that was considered as a divine entity. Monmon clenched her right hand into a fist and put it over her chest before responding.

"We seek a piece of your body, o great spirit. We need your tears." Monmon said with a slightly worried voice.

"Denied." The spirit immediately replied without a second thought. Monmon looked devastated but recomposed herself before looking back up at the Water Spirit and taking a step forward.

"Please! I beg of you! Please reconsider your judgment! I implore you, great one!" Monmon all but screamed in desperation, her eyes frantic and her body was shaking.

"Miss Montmorency…" Matilda muttered from behind the blonde. Louise got her head out of the clouds and just started to comprehend what was going on.

"It's a spirit…" She whispered with her eyes wide.

"Denied. You have already asked for that favor once, insignificant one. No more." The water spirit repeated its answer and elaborating somewhat as to why. Monmon collapsed to her knees and her own tears started to stain the ground.

"N-no…no…please…" Monmon muttered as she continued to look at the Water Spirit in shock with tears flowing from her eyes. I noticed a flash of pink from the corner of my vision and saw Louise run up to Monmon and embrace her from behind.

"Lo-Louise…?" The blonde said as she turned to her friend.

"It's fine! Don't cry anymore! I'll be fine! I'm happy being in love with Matilda~n! So please don't cry anymore Monmon!" Louise yelled as she held onto her friend tighter. Monmon broke down and returned Louise's embrace and started crying in earnest. I sighed at the sight and decided to take things into my own hands. I stepped forward and struck the ground with the tip of my parasol.

"You will reconsider your decision, Embodiment of Water." I said in a tone of voice that nearly declared it as a command. All three of my companions gasped and looked at me in shock.

"I understand that you made those rules for very good reason and you would not be the one to break them. However, our need is great and I will have to insist on it. So again, may we have the 'Tears of the Water Spirit'?" I asked the spirit personally while folding my arms and leaning back. The entire area was dead silent as we waited for the response of the spirit. It rippled several times before settling down and was seemingly looking right at me. Well, will you attack or will you ask for a compromise?

"A compromise, Sanctuary," The spirit finally said. Sanctuary? This is the first time that anyone has called me such. I raised a brow at the way it addressed me but nonetheless it offered the tears for a favor.

"What are your terms?" I asked it, relaxing my posture and hefting my parasol on my right shoulder again.

"I require your assistance, Sanctuary. I am being attacked nightly, by ones of their kind. Defeat the assailants and your request shall be granted." The water spirit answered immediately. Human magicians were attacking it? Who would be stupid enough to actually try to attack an Embodiment of Water? No matter, I smiled at the thought of being able to accomplish our goal and breaking a few skulls in the process.

"So be it." I said with a warm smile.

…

"And why are we hiding amongst the trees when we can simply wait for the attackers?" Monmon asked as the four of us waited in the shadows of the trees next to the lake.

"Obviously, if the attackers notice the four of us waiting for them, they will know that something is wrong and they might plan an ambush." I pointed out, Monmon made an 'ah' of understanding before nodding at my words.

"Or worse, they might just leave and prevent us from accomplishing the Water Spirit's request." Matilda added. By her side, Louise nodded studiously at her words while sporting a look of determination to help her tutor, her familiar, and her friend. I smiled at the irony of her being so willing to help us when we were doing this to help her in the first place.

"So, what's the plan?" Monmon inquired as she scanned the edge of the lake. Matilda and I looked at each other before responding.

"When they show up, we throw Yuka at them." Matilda stated with a shrug. Monmon blinked at us a few times before pursing her lips and nodding.

"It's a good plan." She commented as she probably remembered what I was capable of. We heard Louise suddenly gasp and noticed that two figures came into view, one taller and one shorter, likely the assailants that were annoying the Water Spirit.

When they both turned to the waterline, I launched my attack. I burst from the trees and leaped at the two figures, my left hand reaching out like a claw while my right hand kept my parasol at the ready for a follow up in case my initial attack did not kill them. Both magicians spun around and pointed their foci at me, a wand and a crooked wooden staff, before casting their spells. The tall one sent out a jet of flame while the short one sent out a freezing tornado. My eyes widened a bit when I saw their spells meld together into one, it was a Fire Blizzard. I couldn't dodge it because it will make the spell go right into my companions' hiding place. I clicked my tongue when I realized I had to block it. I stopped to open up my parasol when a wall of hard granite erupted from the ground, blocking the Fire Blizzard that was about to hit me…unnecessary, but appreciated. The wall crumbled as soon as the attack ended and the two magicians suddenly split up. I blinked when I noticed their auras and their scents. There was no mistaking it…well, this is interesting. What could those two hope to achieve by attacking the Water Sprit? No mater, I always wanted to see how strong they were and this was my chance.

The small one, guess who, stopped and pointed her staff at me before unleashing several icicles at me. I easily managed to dodge them all and smirked, you have to do better than that. I raised a brow when I heard the ice shatter from behind me before I felt a growing heat from the same direction. I turned around and saw the icicles turn into small shards of ice that were floating like a veil. The taller one, guess who, pointed her wand at me and unleashed a wall of flame that fused with the veil of ice for form a massive cloud of scalding steam. I smiled at their teamwork and creativity, well done you two. I was about to block the oncoming wall of steam when the sound of splashing water caught my attention. A second passed before a wave of water from the lake intercepted and smothered the wall of steam. The Water Spirit? No, this was magic…Monmon's. Come now, what am I, bait?

The tall one, guess who, cast another spell, a fireball, but I was ready for it. I dashed forward and opened my parasol to block it. I swept my parasol to my side as soon as the spell was gone and the tall one suddenly started running to the side. I found out why when I glanced up and saw several icicles floating in the air waiting for me. The ice fell like a ceiling of death but I quickly closed my parasol and swung it at the ice, shattering them. The tall one, guess who, cast another fireball at me but I saw it coming and stomped my right foot on the ground. Instantly, a thick wall of vines erupted from the ground and blocked the fireball. The vines burned but they did not die. I would like you to meet the Steel-Vine, plants that grew massive masses of vines that were as hard as steel but as dexterous as any vine. The vines shot out from within the flames and right at the taller one, what will you two do now? I got my answer when a beam of ice shot out and encased the vines in ice. It did not stop the vine's advance but it slowed it down long enough for the taller one to get out of the way. They both met up and prepared to unleash another combination spell when…

"Louise Francoise, sniping the targets!" Louise yelled out before an explosion detonated on the ground a few feet from the two attackers. Well, her aim is improving.

"Louise!" Matilda yelled out as she tried to shield my master from any further retaliation.

"Louise?" The tall one spoke out in confusion.

"That voice…Miss Zerbst?" Matilda asked in surprise.

"Matilda." The short one pointed out as she removed her hood, as did Kirche.

"Tabitha?" Monmon said in shock while walking out of the clearing.

"Montmorency?" Kirche once again spoke out. She and Tabitha shared a glance before looking back to me.

"Yuka." They both said at the same time, Kirche blushed while Tabitha merely nodded at me.

"Kirche. Tabitha." I greeted them with a smile and a curt nod. I was impressed at their skill despite being young.

"Metal Gear?" Louise suddenly screamed out. An awkward silence settled upon us as no one really had a response to what my master just said. Louise realized this and shrugged before embracing Matilda from behind again.

"Wait…what are you all doing here and what is wrong with Louise?" Kirche spoke up again, putting her left hand on her waist while looking genuinely confused.

"It's a very long story…" Monmon said with a tired shrug.

"And what are you two doing here?" Matilda asked as she walked up to the rest of us with Louise in tow.

"Long story." Tabitha responded while pulling out a book from her clothes before she started reading.

…

As it happened, neither story was really that long. We managed to explain what happened to Louise, the Love Potion, and why we ended up all the way here in Gallia. Monmon managed to convince Kirche that she will not make a Love Potion for her long enough for Tabitha to give an extremely abridged explanation of why they were here. Apparently, the reason why she was called back home was because her family wanted her to get rid of the Water Spirit because it just drowned the town and the surrounding land that was owned by her family.

"Why can't these things be simple? Just once, I want to do a quest where you just have to do what's written on the request without having to deal with extra work along the way." Matilda said with a sigh while rubbing her eyes with her right hand. Complaints aside we managed to hold up our end of the bargain so I asked Monmon to call on the Water Spirit again.

"We have accomplished you task, Embodiment of Water. We ask that you uphold you end of the bargain." I stated to the giant Water-Monmon who detached part of itself and made it hover right in front of us. Monmon produced a vial and sealed the sample and nodded to me with a smile before placing it in her clothes for safe keeping. I turned back to the Water Spirit, who looked like it was about ready to leave, and addressed the other part of this issue.

"Allow me to speak, Embodiment of Water. I have another request of you that pertains to the ones who were attacking you before." I stated, the Water-Monmon rippled again before settling down.

"State your case, Sanctuary." The Water Spirit answered, waiting for my request.

"There will be more assailants who will attack you because it seemed that the rising waters alarmed the humans. They had no choice but to try to attack you in desperation to see if that will lower the water level. Obviously, if the water recedes, then the attacks will stop. Of course, you had a reason for doing this in the first place, yes? A compromise?" I offered while folding my arms and leaning back.

"In what you comprehend as time, Sanctuary, it has been two years since a treasure of mine was taken from me. I raise the waters to search the land for it." It responded and I chuckled at the reason for this. Someone actually had the audacity to steal from an Embodiment of Nature? I would like to have a word with that human.

"And? What is this treasure, who took it, and where can we find them?" I asked with a smile.

"The Ring Andvari." It stated and another sphere of water emerged from the lake and formed the shape of the ring. I made sure to memorize the shape of the ring before turning back to the spirit.

"It has the power to bring one back from the dead for a limited time, though that borrowed time is not truly life." It continued. A ring that can bring the dead to life? No, it was Necromancy. Why would the Water Spirit even have such a thing?

"The one who took it was one called…Cromwell. I know no other details." The spirit admitted and another round of silence fell among us.

"Crom…well…?" Matilda said in a dazed and confused voice before she clutched her head and screamed in pain.

"Matilda~n!" Louise cried out in panic and held her tutor's shoulders. Monmon was also by her side and was trying to use some spells to try to ease the pain Matilda was experiencing. The name Cromwell triggered the spell that was locking down Matilda's mind. I narrowed my eyes as I realized that this Cromwell also had something to do with what happened to her. Oh, how I will enjoy hunting this human down.

"Cromwell…I know I've heard that name somewhere before." Kirche muttered contemplatively.

"Emperor of Albion." Tabitha provided and Kirche snapped her fingers in realization.

"Of course! He's the new Emperor of Albion! Wait, that's the guy who stole the Ring of Andvari?" Kirche yelled out as she realized that we will have to go through an empire to be able to return the Water Spirit's ring.

"Even so, I will ensure its return." I stated with certainty and the spirit accepted. It seemed that things were becoming more serious around here. Conspiracies, conspiracies, I wondered if they were anywhere near as devastatingly clever as the Moriya Shrine's or Eirin's conspiracies. I will need to make arrangements for a surprise.

…

As soon as we got back to the academy, Monmon ran to her room and said that she will start on the antidote immediately. I nodded to her and went to the flower garden and then to Mugenkan, ignoring the inquiries of the others as to where I was going. I walked up to my manor and looked around, no changes or anything was made recently. I looked up to the stars of the border of dreams and called out.

"Yukari! Yukari!" I called out to the border youkai. I did not really want to call for her help but I needed her assistance to get the one I really wanted over here. I tearing sound came from behind me and I turned to see someone else.

A blond haired woman wearing a two-pointed hat, which covered her fox ears. She was wearing a blue and white dress, blue was covering the front with intricate symbols on it. She had long puffy sleeves that hid her sharp clawed hands. The most eye-catching things about her were her nine, large, white-tipped yellow tails. The power of a Kitsune is defined by how many tails it has, with nine as the limit. That means that this Kitsune is one who has achieved the highest form and power her kind can attain.

I was of course talking about Yukari's shikigami, Ran.

"Yes? May I help you?" Ran asked with a tilted head.

"Where is Yukari?" I asked back to the fox. She merely shrugged before responding.

"She is currently assisting Touya Hakurei with an incident along with Captain Murasa Minamitsu and Fujiwara no Mokou. Is there something you need from my master?" She answered. Well, that explains it.

"Not right now. However, certain incidents here have prompted me to a course of action. I will return here soon with my master and I need Yukari to bring Cirno here when I do. Can you ask that of her?" I stated my request. The fox considered my words for a moment before nodding.

"I believe that I can arrange that for you." She stated with a smile. Good, Louise will need to learn a few things from my former student if she ever ends up in a real fight with nothing but explosions in her arsenal.

…

"Mister Yuka! Welcome back!" Siesta greeted me as I made my way back to Louise's room. I turned to her and smiled.

"Hello Siesta. Are Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond back?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"Not yet but they should be back by tomorrow morning. Also, that talking sword of yours is already in Miss Valliere's room and is as good a new!" She answered while pointing out that Derf had come back from its overhaul.

"Excellent news, thank you again Siesta. Now if you'll excuse me…" We said our goodbyes and I headed back to Louise's room where I heard a familiar voice along with Matilda's, Louise's, and Derf's. I opened the door and sure enough, standing there with her cloak and hood was the Princess of Tristain who was once again embracing Louise.

I have an annoyed feeling about this…

…

Please R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: And thus the story breaks the One-Hundred Thousand word mark. I deeply appreciate all the support you readers have given my story and I hope to continue to live up to your expectations when it comes to storytelling. Anyway, this chapter officially starts the Albion Arc. This chapter will work as a prologue to the arc and will wrap up a few loose ends before the trip to Albion. Also, guess who appears at the end of the chapter?

I hope that I was able to explain the effects and limitations of the Gandalfr runes properly. Also, I want your opinion on how I handled the thing with Yuka and Henrietta as well as how I did Guiche at the latter part of the chapter.

As always, please enjoy.

...

"Why is it that I always walk in while something is going on?" I absentmindedly asked as I folded my arms and leaned back on the door. Princess Henrietta was still embracing Louise like she was a small animal that she found in the forest and wanted to keep. My master, on her part, kept saying that 'such conduct is not appropriate for a princess' but her old friend wouldn't hear any of it and continued to smother Louise with affection.

"Well maybe you should consider not suddenly disappearing for periods of time when we're all not looking." Matilda jibed with a sly smile as she walked up and leaned on the wall next to me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, after we got changed and started to relax, Miss Montmorency came in with the potion to cure Louise. The poor girl looked absolutely haggard and was still wearing the clothes she had during the trip." Matilda started with a sigh. It seemed that Monmon immediately mixed up the concoction as soon as we returned and didn't stop until it was complete. I'd imagine that she was already in her room and passed out on her bed from exhaustion. I will admit that my opinion of the girl had gone up because of how she took responsibility for what happened to Louise, my master had a good friend in Monmon.

"Was the effect of the potion immediate?" In inquired with a raised brow. The original Love Potion that Louise was exposed to activated as soon as she saw someone, I was hoping that the reverse was true.

"Thankfully, it was." Matilda answered before she put her right hand over her mouth, closed her eyes, and started giggling. I was silently wondering with a raised brow at what seemed to be so amusing when Matilda finally recovered enough to tell me.

"I'm sorry...it's just that..." She said between breaths while wiping a tear from her eye. I waited for her to catch her breath and continue instead of prompting her to do so. After all, this was probably the first time I've seen her genuinely giggle. The woman took one more breath before continuing.

"After Louise went back to normal, she looked at me like I turned into you and was very very angry. Then, after face went red. And I mean, red. I swore the girl had a third of her blood in her face at that point, I was almost worried that she'd pass out because of it. After that, she suddenly knelt down and begged me for my forgiveness for what she did while under the influence." Matilda recalled while slowly shaking her head.

"She remembers?" I asked, curious. When Marisa used her Love Potion, the ones affected did not have any recollection of what happened to them or what they did while under the effects of the potion. It seemed that Monmon's Love Potion was different.

"Every detail. I honestly felt sorry for her with the way she was acting, she was so embarrassed." Matilda answered while placing her right hand on her cheek.

"That was when Princess Henrietta jumped in from the open window." The woman added, a bit flatly.

"She...jumped into the room...through the window?" I asked with a raised brow and a tilted head.

"Yes, that is exactly what happened." Matilda answered with a studious nod.

"Matilda, this is the sixth floor of the tower." I flatly pointed out while giving her a bored look.

"A wizard did it. Alternatively, ask her yourself." The former thief said with a shrug. We both looked back to where Louise's bed where my master seemed to be making smalltalk with her old friend, though they were still holding each others' hand while they were talking.

"I'll do it!" My eyebrows surprise at Louise apparent acceptance of something I had no knowledge of. I turned to Matilda and she looked just as surprised as I was.

Louise...what did you get yourself into this time?

"You will?" I heard Henrietta ask out in equal surprise, probably at how quickly agreed to it. Since the Princess was probably expecting Louise to turn her down or think about it more for a while, her newest request for Louise will probably be particularly difficult or dangerous. I narrowed my eyes at the pair as I was noticing a pattern there.

"I will!" My master affirmed her previous acceptance with an enthused nod. I heard the familiar rattling of steel from Derf's scabbard before...

"Will what? Is this another Love Potion thing?" The sentient magical sword asked, its metallic voice betraying excitement in the prospect of a repeat of what happened between Louise and Matilda a few days ago.

"NO! It's a mission for the Princess! An important one!" Louise answered with a determined expression.

"Yes, we could ascertain that from the tertiary information we gathered from your touching reunion with Princess Henrietta. However, a bit more detail would be appreciated." I stated while looking right at Louise. The strawberry-blonde haired girl gulped when she noticed the completely unamused tone of my voice from being left out of the loop.

"I will answer any questions you might have, Sir Kazami." Unsurprisingly, it was Princess Henrietta that answered instead of Louise. She probably noticed the tone of my voice and thought that Louise wouldn't be the best one to explain everything to me.

"Yuka is fine. Now, what is this mission you speak of?" I asked, the edge of my voice not diminishing even when I addressed the princess.

"Yuka! Don't speak to the prin-" Louise's chastisement was cut off when I narrowed my eyes at her and sent a silent message to her 'don't interrupt', I think she got the message. My master gulped again before setting her gaze firmly on the hardwood floor.

"It...it is for the retrieval of a certain item from a certain location in a certain country." The princess answered neutrally like I wasn't privy to such information. I was slowly starting to dislike this young woman.

"Can you be more specific on all details." I stated and not asked because I just did not have the patience for such things since we just came back from solving an incident. The princess winced and looked away from me. It seemed that the information I was requesting was particularly sensitive if she was hesitating this much. Too bad, I didn't care. She glanced back to me and noticed my unflinching gaze and sighed.

"Let me...explain from the beginning." She finally said, if a bit uncomfortably.

"Please do." I said, prompting her to continue.

"You see, it has been arranged for me to wed the King of Germania as a way to establish long-term alliance between our nations." An arranged marriage between a princess and a king of two different nations to cement relations between them, how cliché. I wouldn't be surprised if Henrietta's groom-to-be turned out to be twice her age.

"However, there is something that threatens this union...something that was my fault." The princess' voice suddenly went melancholic.

"And I assume that this has something to do with that certain item you wanted my master to retrieve for you." I postulated and the princess nodded. I then sensed Matilda tense up beside me. I spared her a glance and I noted that she was looking at the princess with a none too pleased expression. She seemed to have caught on to just how serious this is and how potentially dangerous it could be for her student.

"You assume correctly. Currently, there is political upheaval in the floating country of Albion. There was a sudden coup instigated by one known as Cromwell and was able to overthrow the current regime." The princess stated ruefully. Cromwell...I glanced at Matilda who looked like she was trying very hard not to think about the man lest she wanted to break down once again because of that spell they put on her.

"The man was able to usurp the throne and is currently hunting down the remaining members of the Albion Royal Family. The item I am asking you to retrieve is a letter which is addressed and currently in possession of the Prince of Albion, Prince Wales. Due to the nature of the content of this letter, if the usurper managed to find it and give it to the King of Germania then the marriage will definitely be canceled." Henrietta explained. So the target is in Albion and is in the hands of a prince that was displaced by the very man that both stole a ring from an Embodiment of Nature and blackmailed Matilda into stealing a very dangerous weapon made by the Kappa on top of altering her mind so she wouldn't be able to name who put her up to the job. I hummed thoughtfully as I tried to wonder what that letter might contain that would be enough for the King of Germania to call of his wedding with the princess.

"It's a love letter isn't it?" Derf asked out of nowhere. The princess turned to the sword and paled before blushing brightly and looking away.

"Another problem caused by love...just what we needed." I whispered to myself, though I noticed that Matilda snorted softly after I said it, she must have agreed.

"To put it simply..." I started, getting everyone's attention.

"You were having a love affair with this Prince Wales, a secret one I would assume. During the course of this, the two of you regularly exchanged correspondents with each other to stay in contact due to the distance between your two countries. At some point, you found yourself engaged with the King of Germania 'for the good of Tristain' and any evidence of your affair with the crown prince of another country would jeopardize that. You could have easily asked for the letter back or have him destroy it but with his country ripping itself apart and his family kicked off the throne...I'd imagine that it would be harder than you initially expected." I broke down what I believed happened to her and why this whole thing got started. She started to look very uncomfortable after I finished so I assumed that my deduction was accurate.

"And now, you run to your ever faithful childhood friend. Someone you know that can keep this a secret. Someone you know will willingly do this for your sake. Someone who you know that can clean up your mess." I stated in a cold voice, making Henrietta wince. Louise noticed the way I was talking down her friend and sovereign and immediately stood up, putting herself between me and her beloved princess. It did not stop me from saying what I have to say.

"You would send your childhood friend, Louise, to a country that you know is currently plagued with civil unrest. A country that is currently reeling from a civil war and probably has mercenaries and outlaws everywhere. A country that is currently run by one of the worst waste of biological matter I have encountered in a very long time. You would send my master into the abyss knowing that she will be happy to do so if she could render service for you. You would send my master into the jaws of the beast itself so she could fix your mistake. I have not known you long Princess Henrietta de Tristain, but if this is how you treat your closest friend then it would be very interesting to see what you would be willing to do to your enemies." I finished what I had to say and the whole room remained silent for several moments, the chill from the open window highlighting the cold in my voice. That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back as Louise stomped her way in front of me and, with a roar of an angry beast, slapped me with all her might.

"Don't you dare talk that way about the Princess!" Louise yelled at me as she held the hand she used to slap me with her other hand. It did not hurt me at all but Louise already knew that. She did it because she didn't want anyone disrespecting her precious princess, even me.

"So you are willing to go through with this even though you know that there are others who can possibly accomplish this in your stead? Is this how far you are willing to go for her?" I asked my master while looking at her dead in the eyes.

"Yuka..." Matilda tried to prevent this from going any further but I raised my hand and gestured for her to stop.

"This is between me and Louise." I declared to the woman, my voice neutral and void of emotion. Louise did not flinch nor back away from my gaze, she simply returned it and I could clearly see the intense willpower she has within her tiny frame. If I wasn't so upset, I would have felt a bit proud of her.

"Well? Is this the extent of what you are willing to go through for Princess Henrietta?" I once again asked Louise and I raised a brow when I saw my master give me a sardonic smile.

"You have no idea what I'm willing to do for her." She seriously stated while looking at me right in the eye.

"So you are willing to kill for your princess? You will end up going to a place where there is a very large chance that you will need to defend yourself and end up having to take another human's life. The prince might be guarded but the ones who are after him should be armed as well, both with steel and with magic, and would be very willing to eliminate all in their way to finish the job. Are you willing to risk your life for her? To fight for her? To kill for her? To get hurt for her? To die for her?" I asked her about the very real possibilities of what might happen if she really did go to that country and try to get to a prince that is being hunted down like an animal. Again, Louise's gaze did not falter. Her smile was gone but the intensity in her eyes remained.

"Yes. If I have to, then yes." She said without her usual fear and uncertainty, it was like I was speaking to a very different person. I sighed and turned to Henrietta.

"I hope you realize how lucky you are to have Louise as your friend." I said to her with a hint of annoyance in my voice. I glanced back down to my master and saw that she was still glaring at me. I shook my head and gave her a dismissive wave.

"You can stop glaring at me, Louise. I had anticipated that something like this would eventually happen, albeit not so soon after our previous little adventure." I admitted before picking up Derf in the corner of the room and walking to the nearby table and taking a seat. I gestured Matilda to take the other chair and she reluctantly did. Louise looked undertain for a moment but she went back and sat on the bed next to Henrietta who immediately embraced her again and started apologizing for what she was asking her to do. I gave them a few minutes to calm down before we continued our discussion. In the meantime, I pulled Derf out of its scabbard and inspected the blacksmith's work.

"How do you like it? Pretty sexy, eh?" The blade said, very proud of its own form. The sword was single edged and didn't seem like it was six-thousand years old, it looked like a newly forged blade, a testament to the skill of Sasha as a blacksmith I suppose. I even noticed a permanent enchantment on it but I couldn't say what it specifically was at the moment, strange. I blinked as suddenly felt the runes branded on my left hand start to react. It felt odd...as if the runes on my left hand were telling me everything I needed to know on how to wield the blade in my hands as effectively as any professional swordsman. Nothing that would allow me to go on par with Tenshi Hinanai or Motoko Konpaku as swordsmanship is concerned, but it would probably be enough to easily outmatch a regular swordsman or go one-on-one with Rumia. At the same time, I felt a surge of power suddenly build up in my body, like I was being given an enchantment to enhance my physical capabilities. It was nothing significant though, just another drop in the bucket I suppose. But it was enough to make me curious. I partially returned the blade into its scabbard and let go of the handle. I soon as I did, the sensations from the runes disappeared. There was only one kind of familiar that I knew that had that kind of reaction when wielding weapons...and that would confirm that Louise is a magician of the Void. I wondered why the runes never reacted to Derf before or my parasol for that matter, something to talk about with Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond tomorrow. If I was right and I am a Gandalfr, then irony has a very funny way of toying with me.

"What's wrong? Speechless at the sheer sexiness of Derflinger, the sword of 'The Left Hand of God'?" The sword asked me haughtily. I let it slide since it was probably many decades or even centuries since the last time it looked this nice.

"The Left Hand of God? What does your sword mean?" Henrietta said in curiosity and surprise, overhearing Derf's words.

"Exactly what it said. Derflinger was apparently the very sword that was forged and wielded by the first Gandalfr, Sasha." I relayed the words stated by Derf when he pointed it out a few days ago.

"I...see..." The princess seemed to be torn between dismissing such a claim or believing what the talking magical sword was saying.

"Derf's origin and former wielder aside, I assume that you have some kind of plan on getting Louise into Albion without getting her caught, yes?" Asked the princess while placing Derf on the table. I felt my body jerk for a bit when Matilda roughly pulled on my vest.

"Yuka! You're not going to let Louise go through with this are you?" The woman asked me in shock.

"You saw Louise's eyes when she declared her intention of accomplishing this little favor for her princess, didn't you? You could threaten to gouge her eyes out and she would still wouldn't back down. As such, the best I can do is to make sure that she gets through this safely and eliminate all who would threaten her safetly." I declared before leaning in closer to Matilda and whispering...

"And besides, this Cromwell was the man who stole the Water Spirit's ring and somehow involved in what happened to you. As it stands, a lot can be accomplished by going to Albion." I reasoned with her. She looked conflicted for a few moments before finally nodding.

"I'm sorry for making Louise do this but-" The princess started but I held up my right hand to intentionally interrupt her.

"Save your excuses, it will just remind me of how annoyed I am of you. Now, your plan on getting Louise into Albion safely." I stated in a neutral tone, making Louise scowl at me while making Henrietta look at me sadly.

"Yes...since this will be a secret mission, the fewer people involved, the better. That is why I was intending on asking Louise to go along with an escort from the Griffin Knights. However, your presence at Louise's side would also be reassuring for me." Henrietta started to explain. I forced back a scowl at her choice of words, if she was so worried about this then she should be coming with us.

"You will meet up with the griffin knight in front of the academy and proceed to the port city of La Rochelle. Once there, you will take a ship to Albion and work your way to the meeting point with Prince Wales. The knight that will accompany you will provide further details on how to get to the rendevous point once you are all ready to leave." The princess stated. It was a clear cut plan, so much so that I could see so many things going wrong with it. Matilda and I shared a glance and she seemed to be thinking the same thing. Maybe Derf was right, we really might be on the same wavelength.

"So far so good, but how will Louise be able to prove that she was sent by you to meet Prince Wales and not a spy sent out my the enemy?" Matilda pointed out while folding her arms under her chest. The princess nodded and removed a ring from one of her fingers before showing it to Louise.

"This is called the 'Water Ruby'. It is a ring that is part of a pair and is the only one of its kind. Prince Wales has the other ring and it should be enough to vouch for your identity. Additionally, I have a letter here that will explain what happened and why you are there in the first place." She explained while placing the ring in my master's hands and pulling out an envelope from her dress. I blinked a few times when I saw the ring. I leaned closer to Matilda, our resident expert when it came to treasures and asked...

"If it is called a ruby...then why is the gem blue?" I whispered. Matilda looked like she was recalling something before she finally answered.

"I'm not sure myself. I heard that it was something about the original owners of the set of rings but I can't really recall what it was though. Suffice to say that the naming scheme has a reason behind it and it was not just a mistake." Matilda stated with a shrug. I nodded and let the subject go, it didn't have any real bearing on our current issue anyway.

"I will accomplish this mission you have entrusted upon me, your highness." Louise said with such certainty and determination that the princess started to tear up and embraced my master again.

"Thank you my friend...thank you..." She said between breaths. After a while, the princess left through the window and dropped on a waiting griffin. I guess that was how she was able to jump into the room in the first place. I closed the window after she left and took stock of my surroundings. Derf was still on the table but was silent. Matilda was sitting on the bed with Louise as she inspected the Water Ruby, probably making sure that it was real. Louise was looking at the envelope that Henrietta gave her and was likely reflecting on what just happened. I walked up to the both of them and looked at Louise straight in the eye as I folded my arms and leaned back.

"I hope you realize what you just got yourself into." I stated and Louise nodded confidently.

"Nothing you say or do will change my mind, Yuka." Louise answered.

"I understand. Matilda will stay here while the two of us go to Albion along with that knight that the princess mentioned." I stated as I walked to the chair I was previously sitting on and sat down again.

"What? I'm coming with you too!" Matilda declared, angry that I was leaving her out of the mission.

"I know how much you want to stay with Louise and make sure that she gets through this safely. However, as it stands, the man that we are after for a number of reasons is in charge of the country that the princess just asked Louise to infiltrate. The last thing we need is one of his subordinates identifying who you really are and reporting it back. If that happens then you will endanger yourself, Louise, your sister, and the orphanage." I outlined the reason why it would be a bad idea for Matilda to accompany us. The woman bit her bottom lip and reluctantly nodded. She knew, objectively, that what I was saying was right but her emotions still wanted to her to help us anyway.

"Rest assured that I will keep Louise safe...even if I have to kill every last soldier in Albion to do it." I declared coldly. I noticed Louise shift in her place and turned to her.

"The man who currently rules Albion is the same Cromwell that stole the Ring of Advari and the one who threatened Matilda, right?" Louise spoke up, her determined expression hardened at her own words.

"I am not one-hundred percent certain but. unless there is another man out there named Cromwell, he is the only lead we have at the moment." I replied. Louise and I turned to Matilda after she gave a contemplative hum.

"None of the things Cromwell has done makes any sense-" Matilda's words we cut off as she was once again assaulted with a headache caused by the spell on her mind. She grunted and grit her teeth in an effort to endure the pain and was able to recover from it surprisingly quickly.

"Are you alright?" Louise asked worriedly as she held onto Matilda's shoulders while she struggled with the spell.

"I'm...fine..." The woman replied between breaths.

"You recovered a lot faster than before. What was different?" I inquired. The first time she went through that, she blacked out from the pain. When the Water Spirit said the name 'Cromwell', she was still in great pain but was able to stay conscious. Now...she managed to endure the pain and recover from it in a matter of a few minutes.

"That spell they put on me only activates whenever I think of something relating to the people that did this to me right? So all I have to do to stop it is to think of something else entirely, something strong enough to counteract the spell on my mind." She explained with a wry smile. Something strong enough to override a mental spell that well constructed? I narrowed my eyes when I started to realize what she was talking about.

"What did you think about then?" Louise asked her tutor. Matilda blinked at her for a few moments before looking straight at the wall in front of her.

"My family being murdered...my home being burned...my future...all my hopes and dreams being destroyed right in front of me." Matilda stated, her face hardened and void of emotion.

"I'm...I'm...sorry." Louise whispered, horrified that she asked such a thing. Matilda noticed this and snapped out of her thoughts before wrapping her arms around my master.

"Don't worry Louise, it's not your fault." Matilda cooed as she comforted my master.

"Regardless, I don't want to risk it. There are too many things that can go wrong as it stands. I can easily defend Louise by myself but when things get out of hand, it would be best if she was the only one I have to worry about." I stated. Matilda frowned at me for a few moments before nodding.

"I understand..." She muttered in response. I nodded to her and turned to my master.

"Now then. Since the situation has come to a point of no return, I want you to know that I have made certain arrangements on getting you more help with your training." I went to the next point I wanted to raise before I realized that the princess was here.

"What? More fireballs?" Louise muttered bitterly while giving me a disgusted look. Matilda looked at me and Louise in turn and looked confused.

"What are you two talking about?" She finally asked. I sighed and gave a dismissive wave.

"It's a long-" My catch-all response was cut off by Louise.

"Yuka has a pocket realm in the border of dreams called Mugenkan. He uses it as a second home and as a training field for me, and by training, I mean burn me to a crisp over and over and over and over again." My master gave the very abridged explanation of what the two of us were talking about in a complete monotone voice. It seemed that she was still nursing a grudge from before.

"I...see?" Matilda responded, not completely comprehending what my master just blurted out. I sighed and explained everything about Mugenkan and what I was making Louise go through whenever she trains in there. I even explained that the place was linked to my home realm but was too distant in a practical sense to be able to travel between them unless one uses gaps to do so. Matilda was silent for a few moments before laughing once and shaking her head.

"So...you actually make Louise go through all of that just to make her better at evading projectiles?" She asked me with an 'are you freaking mental' look.

"Yes. Louise isn't actually harmed by it because it is just a dream for her, but her body still retains everything she learns from within Mugenkan. Her ability to dodge the spikes that your golem threw at her and her improved sense of balance and spatial awareness during the time we spent in the Charming Fairy Inn speaks volumes on how much she has improved." I pointed out. Matilda gave an understanding nod to that. My training was getting results and guaranteed that Louise was not actually harmed as she went through it. She then glanced at me and narrowed her eyes.

"And this...Yukari woman...are you sure that she's not your..." She trailed off and I sighed loudly in irritation.

"No, Matilda. Yukari is just someone I knew for a long time. We don't have any sort of relationship that would involve romantic or sexual situations. For the last time, I have never fallen in love before, so stop asking if I have been with someone." I ground out, making Louise and Matilda gulp and nod.

"So, about this help for Louise's training?" Matilda inquired, changing the subject.

"Yes, I requested Yukari to bring along my former student, Cirno, the next time Louise and I head there. I want her to teach Louise some basics on the practical use of full contact magic as well as teach her how to put Louise's newfound spatial awareness to good use." I explained. Louise looked at me in surprise at my admittance of having taught someone before.

"You had a student before?" She voiced her surprise. I remembered that she was unconscious when I told Matilda about Cirno and decided to tell her about her senior.

"Yes. Cirno is a ice fairy that has lived for a few centuries. She used to be a brash and childish whelp but she matured well and is now a very formidable foe. I want her to teach you the things I pointed out because of her situation as an ice fairy." I explained as I leaned back into my chair and checked my pocket watch, noting that it was already getting late.

"What do you mean by that?" Louise asked her follow up question.

"You see, Cirno is considered as the most powerful fairy in Gensokyo, easily the strongest. However, she is still just a fairy. The limitation of her species guarantees that she will never be as powerful as some of the other denizens of my home realm, certainly nowhere near my level. However, she managed to overcome that limitation by using something that she seldomly used before." I answered. I had already anticipated the question that my master was about to ask, but waited for her anyway.

"Which is?" Louise asked me, leaning forward in keen interest as to how her senior managed to become a formidable opponent despite the limitations she had. I smiled at my master and tapped the side of my head with my right index finger.

"She used her brain, Louise. Cirno's key to her success came from the fact that she shifted her fighting style to become an analytical fighter. Because of a certain incident a few hundred years ago, she discovered her gift in split-second analysis and deduction and literally saved all of Gensokyo by herself after everyone else, including me and Yukari, were disabled." I stated, outlining what happened during the incident known in legend as 'The Golden Nocturne' incident.

"Ever since then, I taught her how to maximize the use of her newfound ability and she made it her own. And that is what I want her to teach you." I continued. Louise was just a human, Void magician or no. That means that I will never be able to teach her anything aside from dodging danmaku because she will never be able to learn my fighting style. To be able to get around that, I want Cirno to teach Louise how to maximize the skill that she does have, explosions, so my master can defend herself should she find herself without the protection of me or Matilda.

"I see..." Louise muttered as she finally understood what I was trying to do to improve her.

"Because of what happened here tonight, we may not have enough time for Cirno to give you enough lessons to make you awesome overnight. What she can do is give you the basics and at least allow you to grow from there. Now, that is enough for tonight. The princess will probably contact us in some way once she is ready to set her plan in motion. In the meantime, the two of you better get some sleep." I stated before picking up my parasol and leaving the room. I scowled as soon as I closed the door behind me.

I hated tight schedules...

...

I exited Mugenkan the next morning and took in the smell of the flowers. It was already in the middle of summer and the flowers have been replaced appropriately. They were still flowers that would normally be impossible to grow together on Earth geographically, but that didn't stop these flowers from blooming. I liked that. I brought along my parasol to my trip to Mugenkan in case Yukari came in with Cirno and if my former student suddenly accused me for being an impostor since I was a man even though she should know that it would be impossible for anyone else, save for Yukari, to be able to create a fragment of Mugenkan. For all her smarts when it came to situational analysis in combat, Cirno was still an idiot when it came to simple deduction while she was relaxed. However, my precaution didn't seem to be needed as no one showed up, not even Louise. It seemed that the incident that Yukari was helping Touya Hakurei with was taking longer than normal while Louise might have just been too tired to pop up in the field. I sighed and shook my head. There was nothing I could do about that at the moment. However, there was something I've been meaning to do for days now...and it just so happened that a carriage just pulled up at the far end of the academy. I walked up to it and sure enough, out came Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond. I noted that they didn't seem tired at all, they must be used to long trips. Professor Colbert noticed my approach and turned to me with a smile.

"Good morning Mister Yuka." Colbert greeted me with a smile. His greeting prompted the headmaster to turn to me as well.

"Ah, Miss Valliere's familiar. Good morning to you." The old man greeted me, I nodded to both of them and smiled.

"Professor. Headmaster. Good morning. Did you have a nice trip?" I returned their greeting and asked about their trip to the country of Romalia. The old man suddenly started laughing at my words, prompting a raised brow from me.

"You could say that it was rather eventful." The old man vaguely stated.

"Indeed...however, I would like to inquire about a few things. Particularly something that Professor Colbert said, or almost said, during the meeting on how to deal with Fouquet." I steered the subject to the heart of the matter. Both men went silent at my words and looked at each other before looking back at me.

"What ever do you mean?" Colbert asked with an awkward laugh, I sighed and shook my head in response. Was answering a few questions really that difficult? I looked at him straight in the eye and gave my answer.

"Due to various events, both coincidental and intentional, I have reason to believe that I am a familiar of a Void magician, a Gandalfr to be specific. The slip of the tongue that you made before seemed to indicate that you know more about me than you let on. I want to know what you know, both for the sake of my master and for a better understanding on what becoming a familiar of this type entails." I stated seriously and the good professor looked at me like I just grew a second head, which was impossible since I'm sure I haven't used that ability yet.

"It would seem that we should take this conversation to my office." Osmond offered before walking off, to his office I assumed. I used my parasol as a walking stick as I walked after him with a somewhat bewildered Professor Colbert following afterward. The walk to the Headmaster's office was spent in silence. I smiled as I sensed that the good professor was being wary of me as we walked, it seemed that the man still did not trust me completely. He's a smart man. We all entered the the Headmaster's office one by one. I waited in the middle of the room for Osmond to take his seat while Colbert chose to stand at his side.

"Now, I assume that you have a few things that you wish to clear up." Osmond started as he lit his rather long pipe and taking a few puffs.

"Indeed, I wish to start with what the good professor hinted during the meeting on how to capture Fouquet." I said while looking straight at Colbert before folding my arms and leaning back. The balding man winced when I said those words and sighed.

"When you were first summoned by Miss Valliere, you showed us the runes on your hand, yes?" Colbert started and I nodded at his words as I recalled what I did when I first came to this world.

"I only saw them for a moment but I am rather good at recalling certain details of things that catch my eye. Your runes are one such thing that caught my eye." He continued while eyeing my left hand.

"And you determined that the runes represented the familiar runes of a Gandalfr?" I asked as I relaxed my stance and set my hands to my sides.

"No, I did not even know that you were a Gandalfr until you said so a while ago." The balding man said sheepishly. I raised a brow at his words and waited for him to continue.

"You see, each of the set of runes on a familiar are as unique as the mages that make them. The runes could mean a word or a phrase or something about the mage or familiar, they could mean a many number of things. However, the common thing about this is that you can clearly understand what they mean. Your runes are different in the sense that I had no idea what they meant." The man continued his explanation. I heard Osmond hum thoughtfully at the words of his staff member before releasing another puff of smoke.

"If that was the case, then why did you refer to me as a legendary something-or-other before?" I asked Colbert while rubbing my chin with my right hand.

"That was actually partly based of what I managed to catch from the runes on your hand and some guesswork based on some legends from the time of The Founder. You see, there was a part of the runes in your hand that translates to the words 'of God'. After I noticed that, I immediately started researching about it to see what that could possibly means. Obviously a familiar that is partly branded as something used by God would raise a few eyebrows. What I eventually found was that there were four familiars that had that particular designation, Brimir's familiars." Colbert explained, his eyes starting to take on a glint similar to what Keine sometimes had whenever she lectured something about the grand history of Gensokyo.

"I went through the list and tried to determine which of them you could possibly be. By the time when I blurted that out, I thought that you were 'The Heart of God'." He stated while shaking his head.

"What caused you to end up with that conclusion?" In inquired, interested to see the reasoning behind his findings when he had so little information to go on. The man's expression lit up because of my interest of learning more and nodded to himself before answering.

"I did it through a method of elimination based on what each of the familiars are supposedly capable of. I started with 'The Left Hand of God', who was famed for being able to wield any weapon with the prowess of of an expert instantly. However, after your duel with Sir Gramont and the reports on how you handled Fouquet's golem during the evaluation fair, I originally determined that you were not that familiar because you never used any weapons." Colbert reasoned. It was true, I never really held a weapon during my stay here in this realm aside from Derf, and I had finally reacted to the sword after it was cleaned up. I decided to bring up that strange point after Colbert was done with his explanations.

"After that, I thought that you were 'The Right Hand of God' but I quickly dismissed that claim." He said with a sigh.

"Why is that, professor?" I inquired and the man just gave me a wry smile.

"Because the special ability of 'The Right Hand of God' is the power to communicate and control magical beasts. I dismissed that claim because the other familiars are terrified of you and you have never shown the ability to commune nor command magical beasts." He explained. That made sense I suppose. I have never had the instance where I could understand what the other familiars were saying. I suppose could command them...but that would only because of their fear of me and not because I had the ability to command them.

"The next one would be 'The Mind of God' which should allow you to be able to use any magical artifact that you got your hands on. However, this theory ended as inconclusive because I couldn't just give you a magical artifact and ask if you could somehow use it properly...it would have been too dangerous to ask of you." He stated. I nodded in understanding at his reluctance since it would have likely ended up putting the lives of his students at risk if he gave me an artifact and I somehow used it wrong. Though he didn't point out the possibility that I could have figured out how the artifact worked by myself...I seem to be underestimated here.

"And that only leaves the last familiar, 'The Heart of God'. The reason why I thought you were that familiar was because...there wasn't anyone else." Colbert admitted with an awkward laugh while rubbing the back of his head. He stopped when Osmond cleared his throat and gave him a sideward glance. The balding man laughed one more time before continuing.

"'The Heart of God' is potentially the most powerful familiar that The Founder ever had. The reason why is because it was made to be a container of magical energy...a lot of magical energy, so much so that the legends state that Brimir used it to destroy an entire civilization." Colbert explained, making me raise a brow.

"So Brimir used it to fuel his spells? A well-spring of magical energy?" I asked, the utility of a magical battery would be immense and it would make sense if Brimir could tap into it and send out enough spells to eventually flatten an entire civilization.

"No. According to the legends, The Founder used 'The Heart of God' to release all of its magical energy at one and completely destroy everything that was caught in the explosion." Colbert said somberly, I raised my other brow at his words. Brimir used one of his familiars...as a mana bomb? I was surprised by this because of how this realm shows the importance in the bonds between magicians and their familiars. For Brimir to actually use one of his precious familiars as a weapon of mass destruction...I didn't know what to think of the man now.

"I...see..." I said absentmindedly, still uncertain about what to think about The Founder and how he utilized his familiar. I shook the thought aside and focused on the matter at hand.

"Thank you for your explanations, professor. It was very educational for one who is not from here." I stated politely, Colbert beamed when I said that. Something I learned from dealing with teaching types, thanking them for the knowledge they dispense does wonders for their egos and their impression of you.

"However, I would like to know more about certain aspects of a Gandalfr now that I have determined that I am one." I added, moving on to the other topic I wanted to confer with them.

"And you are certain that you are 'The Left Hand of God'?" Colbert asked me expectantly, I nodded in response.

"I held a sword that was fresh off of some major maintenance and I felt a surge of power coming from the runes. I suddenly knew how to wield the blade with the skill of an expert and it even added a passive enhancement on my physical capabilities. The effect disappeared as soon as I let go of the blade but it proves what I am and sheds light as to why the Gandalfr was famed to be a master of all weapons." I explained. The two men shared a glance before turning back to me.

"Then Miss Valliere is a void mage. This is most unexpected..." Headmaster Osmond stated as fact before stroking his beard and humming thoughtfully. Professor Colbert eyed me warily for a moment before relaxing.

"This sword that you spoke of...was it the talking one that you brought in from the capital?" He asked, shifting the topic back.

"So you've heard of it. Yes, the sword is known as Derflinger and was forged and wielded by the very first Gandalfr, Brimir's wife, Sasha. And yes, I realize the irony of me, a Gandalfr, possessing the very sword that was once used by my predecessor. I sometimes think that my stay here was caused and maintained by some sort of higher planar being that can control all aspects of this world to its whim and making a story out of this...or I may simply be over thinking this." I mused. I noticed that both men were looking at me like I was made of solid gold. When they did not respond, I decided to continue.

"More to the point, before Derf was restored to fighting form, I have never had that reaction when I held it. Moreover, I have never felt that surge whenever I wielded my trusty parasol, my weapon of choice for so very long." I pointed out, snapping the professor from his previous thoughts and contemplating what I had just said.

"Hmm...from what I understand from the legend, 'The Left Hand of God' is able to wield any kind of weapon that it can hold. The probable reason why your runes did not react to your umbrella-"

"Parasol." I interrupted the man with my correction. He nodded once before continuing, seemingly not bothered by my sudden interruption.

"It was because it was not made as a weapon, certainly not one that the runes would comprehend as a weapon, even as effective as it is in your hands." Colbert postulated. That makes sense, my parasol was not a weapon per say, it was simply durable enough to outclass actual weapons.

"I see. But what of Derf? It is clearly a sword forged as a weapon but I did not react to it before." I pointed out. This was what was bothering me and it seemed that Colbert didn't have the answer either.

"If I may..." The Headmaster said before opening up a drawer in his desk and taking out two knives, one was a well maintained blade while the other was rusted over and looked like it was starting to break down. I briefly wondered why the old man had those two items but shook off the thought as I understood what he was trying to make me do, an experiment. I picked up the rusted knife and raised a brow when I didn't feel a thing. I put the knife down and picked up the other one and...

"Interesting..." I muttered as I felt the same sensation as before. The knowledge to use the knife in ways I never really thought of flooded into me while the enhancement spell did its work on my body. I smiled as I glanced at my left hand and showed the glowing runes to the two men. Colbert gasped in surprise while Osmond simply gave a sagely nod.

"It would appear that we have found the reason." The old man said before letting out another puff of smoke.

"What do you mean Headmaster?" Colbert asked, rather confused at the whole thing. I was also interested on how the old man figured it out so I remained silent and waited for him to speak.

"The reason why you did not react to your sword before was not because it was not made to be a weapon. It was because it could not function as a weapon in the state that it was in." The old man said and my eyes went wide. Of course! Derf was so rusted over before that even I didn't think that it could function as a weapon. I was starting to get impressed at how well these runes were made. They can provide information on how a weapon should be wielded in the most efficient way possible and can even discriminate between objects that are meant to be weapons and those that aren't or those not fit to be weapons. The physical enhancements might have been an afterthought but they can also be useful if the Gandalfr in question had little to no battle skill or experience prior to becoming a familiar of the void.

"And therein lies the 'why'..." I muttered while setting the knife back on the table.

"I thank you both for clarifying these things for me even after you just came back from a trip to another country." I stated while giving them both a curt bow.

"Not at all! Finding out that one of my students is a void mage and her familiar is the legendary 'Left hand of God' more than makes up for it!" Colbert stated enthusiastically, reminding me of one last thing I wanted them to do in case I confirmed the things I did. I looked at them both seriously and noticed that Osmond was giving me a wily smile.

"You don't want this information to leave this room, yes?" The old man asked even though he already knew the answer, a wise man befitting the power he hides underneath his age.

"What? Why not? This could very well be the most important discovery for Tristain in the last century!" Colbert, ever the scholar despite the aura of power he desperately tries to suppress, did not seem to realize why I wanted this information under wraps.

"Professor, do you realize how much danger my master would be in once it becomes public knowledge that she is a void magician?" I asked the balding man, hoping that he would come out of his brain long enough to realize the meaning behind my words. Thankfully, his wide eyes and serious expression indicated that he did.

"I...understand. Such a shame that we can't share this discovery with the world. The legacy of The Founder right in our midsts and she must be kept secret for her own safety." Colbert stated ruefully.

"In any case, I thank you both again for all this information. Now if you'll excuse me, my master might be wondering where I am." I said goodbye and left the two men in the Headmaster's office.

...

I started to walk back to Louise's room and ran through the information I had so far.

My master is a void magician, the wielder of an element of magic that was thought to be lost to the ages, while I am a master of weapons, 'The Left Hand of God'. I already know how to activate and utilize the effects of the runes though I couldn't think of a situation where I would need a weapon in the first place, making my newfound 'power' seem moot unless I have the sudden curiosity on how to wield a certain weapon with expert skill. But what if I could use the knowledge I attain from the runes on how to expertly wield conventional weapons and apply it whenever I use my parasol? I smiled viciously at the thought.

A possibility worth exploring later.

If anything, the confirmation of my being a Gandalfr only served to prove my original theory that Louise was a void magician. Helpful as a starting point on refining her magic to something other than explosions but we still had no idea what void spells actually were and how to properly cast them. Something to have Matilda look into while Louise and I were away on our little mission for the princess. I suppressed a grimace when I recalled what happened last night. I know that I was one who would point out a mistake or wrongdoing that another has made if only so they could correct it so they can stop bothering me about it.

Last night was different.

I antagonized the princess and pointed out everything I could think of as to why it was stupid to ask Louise to go on this mission. I knew that the most likely cause as to why Henrietta asked Louise was because my master was the only person she probably trusted enough to do this. I knew that logically but I lashed out at her all the same simply because her actions could put Louise in the face of danger. That was not like me. If I was what I had been when I was first called here, I would have just shrugged and went with Louise on the mission, killing everything that got in our way. I certainly wouldn't have given reasons as to why she shouldn't go. Something has changed...and I wasn't sure what it was. I took deep breath and continued on my way to my master's room, I'll figure this out eventually. In the meantime, I have to explain a few things to my master.

...

"Louise? Louise, are you listening?" I called out to my master after I noticed that she adopted a vacant expression. I had just finished relaying the information that I had uncovered after speaking with Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond. Somehow, around the time when I demonstrated the effects of the runes, Louise stopped speaking and her gaze seemed cold and distant. I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes in an effort to call her back to us like I did with Siesta, it wasn't working so far. We were sitting at our usual spot in the academy courtyard after I asked a servant to prepare tea and snacks for us there. It seemed that Siesta was busy with her other duties so I had to ask someone else to do it for us. I must say, I quickly started to miss Siesta's tea since the brew prepared by the other servant, whose name I never bothered to learn, was subpar at best.

"I think you broke her..." Matilda commented from my master's side. It was only me, Matilda, and Louise at the table since everyone else had something better to do. Kirche and Tabitha were still in Gallia while Monmon went back home for the rest of the summer break. Guiche seemed to still be in the academy but was actively avoiding us, possibly due to what happened before.

"I hope not. Breaking her mentally with that little revelation would be rather disappointing after she had endured so much during our training. Speaking of, I am expecting a extra guest tonight to help Louise with some things before this mission got started." I pointed out. Matilda eyed me for a moment before looking back at Louise.

"This guest, it is your former student? Will she help Louise with her spellwork as a void mage?" She asked as she waved her right hand in front of Louise's face to try to get a reaction from the seemingly catatonic girl.

"Yes, I had arranged for Cirno to show up the next time that Louise and I appear in Mugenkan. No, she will not be teaching Louise spellwork. I want her to teach Louise something more...fundamental. Besides, even though we have confirmed that my master is a void magician, we still don't know what void magic actually does nor do we know any spells that use that particular element." I explained and Matilda turned back to me with a rather displeased expression.

"And I assume that you want me to look into void element spells while you and Louise are away, right?" She flatly said while folding her arms and leaning back. I narrowed my eyes at her and took a small sip of my tea before responding.

"I can't believe that you even picked that up...Derf is surprisingly good at reading others." I commented as I put down my cup.

"What are you talking about?" Matilda asked with a raised brow while maintaining her stance. I hummed thoughtfully and imitated Headmaster Osmond by stroking an imaginary beard before responding.

"This..." I stated before folding my arms and leaning back, making the woman blink before looking down at her own stance.

"...and the fact that you managed to piece together what I wanted you to do while Louise and I were away even though I never actually stated it and only gave small circumstantial clues. We may very well be on the same wavelength...which would be a bit frightening if you think about it hard enough." I stated before picking up my teacup again and taking another small sip of the tea, making the most of what I have. I glanced back at Matilda and saw that she was once again beet red and was looking away from me while having a sour look.

"So, will you do it?" I asked since I really wanted to know if that would be taken care of with confidence. Other than Colbert, Matilda was the only person I know that would be able to dig up that kind of information and I really didn't want to rely on the professor because of his...enthusiasm in the subject. I needed this done quietly, and who better to do it than the infamous thief that managed to hide under everyone's nose for who knows how long. I heard Matilda grumble something I couldn't quite hear before she suddenly turned to me with a glare. Thanks to her clothes and haircut, she really does look like Shikieiki on a preaching rampage.

"Fine, I'll do it. Just make sure you keep Louise safe while you're in Albion." She stated in an ordering tone while poking at my chest with her finger.

"Matilda, you underestimate me. No force on this world can harm Louise as long as she is with me." I stated confidently with a warm smile, confidence that was backed with over a millennia of combat experience and power.

"THE VOID IS A LIE!" Louise suddenly screamed out of the top of her lungs before drawing ragged breaths. I was wondering if there were still any lingering traces of the Love Potion still in her system when I noticed that she had her eyes narrowed at me.

"You're a Gandalfr, right?" She asked me warily, I silently nodded in response.

"And since you're my familiar, that means that I'm a...a...a...void mage" Louise said in a distant and disbelieving voice, clearly doubting if this was even happening at all. The distant look in her eyes suddenly refocused and polished out until it was starting to gleam.

"I have to tell the princess!" Louise declared with a bright smile as she stood from her seat. I didn't want to be the one to wipe that smile off her face but...

"You will do no such thing." I coldly stated while reaching over to her and yanking her back down to her seat.

"Yuka!" Matilda yelled at me after seeing what I just did while Louise was staring at me in surprise.

"W-w-why?" My master muttered as I noticed tears starting to form in her eyes, that was before I saw a fire being lit within them.

"WHY?" She screamed at me as she stood back up roughly, rattling the table and the porcelain on it.

"I'm a void mage! A VOID MAGE! I finally have proof that I'm not a failure and you don't want me to tell anyone? You don't want me to even tell the oldest friend I have ever had?" Louise was indignant in her words as she yelled at me and splashed the tea in her cup at my face. I took the hit and calmly wiped the liquid with my handkerchief as Matilda tried her best to calm Louise down. I could understand that, I guess. She had nothing but failures all her life in the craft that she had dedicated her whole being in order to learn and finally, she was able to discover what she was really capable of. After all those years of failure, it was only natural for her to want to share her joy with others. Unfortunately, this was something that cannot be revealed just yet.

"Louise..." I started as I discarded the moist handkerchief on the table. My master's magical power once again started to spike but it seemed unstable, increasing and decreasing at random intervals. It seemed that her emotional state really does dictate the amount of power she had access to at any given time.

"I have already spoken about this with both Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond and they both agree that keeping this a secret is the best course of action. This is for your own safety, Louise." I clearly stated, my voice neutral as to not betray the disgusting feeling that was starting to well up inside me as being directly responsible for my master's sadness.

There it was again...

This was something I normally do not feel after making someone feel bad. Something is causing me to become much more critical about my master's physical and emotional well being. Was it the runes again? Or was is something else that I haven't taken into account yet?

"You fear that someone might come after her if her status as a void mage is revealed?" Matilda ventured a guess that snapped me from my thoughts and once again hit the proverbial bullseye.

"No, I am certain that someone will come after Louise if her status as a void mage is revealed." I stated seriously while looking at Louise straight in the eye. She flinched back as if struck by my words and I noticed that her magical energy started to calm down and subside.

"Explain." Louise said, still visibly upset at me but curious as to why I was being so cautious about this.

"During all of your research about the power of the void element before, have you ever encountered any instance or mention, even in passing, about other void mages aside from The Founder?" I asked while folding my arms and leaning back, ignoring the trace scent of Darjeeling Tea on my clothes.

"No, I haven't." Louise replied as she sat back on her chair and started to calm down.

"Every mention of a void magician or the four legendary familiars have always revolved around the time of Brimir. No mention of any void mages or their familiars are made after The Founder died and his name ascended into legend." Louise added while looking down at the table, recalling what she had read in the academy library.

"Exactly. There is a reason for that. Either every void magician and the familiar were very good at hiding or someone got to them and...well, use your imagination." I explained with a shrug of my shoulders.

"There is also the possibility that I could be the only void mage since The Founder." Louise pointed out and I nodded.

"Unlikely, but possible. However, if that is the case, then you are in greater danger than before. If you are the only void magician since Brimir, then a lot of people will want your power, your own country included. It might even prompt other countries, such as Albion, to initiate hostilities with Tristain simply because they would want to get their hands on you or kill you because of the kind of threat you could be to them." I reasoned and saw Louise's face turn to anguish more and more with each valid point I made. The a heavy silence settled on the table afterward, the sudden revelation and the subsequent problem because of said revelation was a bit hard to swallow for my two companions.

"Even so...I really cannot tell anyone?" Louise asked me in an almost pleading voice.

"Not yet. As it stands, it is simply too dangerous for you to do so. Too many things can go wrong and too many bad things can happen because of it. To top it all off, you don't even know how to cast void element spells...you don't even know any void element spells." I pointed out and Louise predictably let out a familiar 'urk' at the realization that, even though she is a void magician, she doesn't even know how to utilize her power.

"And that is precisely the reason why I want Cirno to take over your lessons for now." I added, making Louise blink at the mention of her senior.

"Cirno-nee will be teaching me? What? I don't know how to perform ice magic!" Louise calling my former student Cirno-nee was both nostalgic and strange since he has yet to meet the ice fairy, though logically it made sense to a degree.

"She will not be teaching you magic directly. Instead, she will teach you how to utilize what skill you have to their maximum potential...well, that will be the intent." I explained with a shrug. Both women looked at me with furrowed brows in confusion as to what I was talking about.

"Skills? What skills could Louise possibly have to refine which would require another personal tutor?" Matilda asked with an edge in her voice, probably offended that someone else will be teaching her student even though we set her up specifically to be Louise's tutor.

"I meant no disrespect, Matilda. However, this is something that must be taught by Cirno. What she will be teaching Louise are the refinement and mastery her newfound skills in balance, spatial awareness, reflexes, and speed. She will also be teaching Louise on how to best use her oldest known power..." I pointed out, giving them a smile and pausing for a beat before finishing.

"...explosions." I finished.

"...what?" Louise flatly stated and seemingly insulted that the very product of her past failures would be something that her senior will be helping her develop.

"Admit it Louise, your explosions have been the most consistent spell in your arsenal thus far. We already know that your explosions have the raw power to destroy magically reinforced objects while inexplicably remaining non-lethal to biological targets. Something that useful can't simply be discarded because you don't like it. The issue you have with it is accuracy and control. Your accuracy is improving now that you are actively trying to make explosions but your control still hasn't been addressed yet." I explained. Matilda nodded in begrudging understanding of my intentions and seemed to finally agree with it. Louise on the other hand was still being as stubborn as she sometimes was.

"They're explosions, what is there to control aside from how big they should be?" Louise asked me defiantly while folding her arms and leaning back. I chose to ignore the fact that both Matilda and Louise seemed to have picked up that little habit of mine. Instead, I chose to address my master's question with something that Yukari once told me about my own power.

"A many number of things, Louise, you just don't realize it yet. Even the most mundane of abilities can become formidable if polished." I answered and my master eyed me with much apprehension and skepticism.

"Just give it a chance, Louise." I added and I was met with Louise humming thoughtfully and rubbing her chin with her right hand.

"She won't be freezing me and shattering me into tiny pieces during our 'lessons', will she?" Louise asked me with narrowed eyes while still rubbing her chin.

"No, I only threaten you with the fear of death as a motivator for you to have a foundation on your spatial awareness and reflexes. Once Cirno manages to get you up to the point where you are a competent combatant, then I will move my lessons up to the next level." I answered with a very warm smile. The effect on Louise on the other hand was less than happy.

"You'll make my training worse?" She yelped out in fear as the thought of something worse than five piranha plants belching fireballs at her will be waiting for her once our lessons resume.

"Don't worry, Yukari has pointed out a minor flaw in my teaching methods and I intend to fix them by the time I will resume teaching you. Besides, you make it sound like you actually have a choice in the matter." I stated with a smile before pouring myself another cup of tea as I saw Louise smack her head on the table before uttering 'Merde'.

...

Louise received a letter from the princess later that day stating that her little mission will commence tomorrow. Upon learning about this, I excused myself from Louise's room with Derflinger and went to one of the academy clearings. I wanted to talk with the sword alone and get a few more answers before we began this little outing.

"So..." I stated as I pulled Derf out completely from its scabbard, the effect of the runes once again flowing through my body.

"So..." The sword replied before I took a couple of practice swings with it, applying the knowledge imparted to me by the runes in my hand.

"Whoa! You got some power behind those swings!" The sword commented as I inspected the blade. The edge was gleaming under the afternoon sun and it really looked like it was brand new. I had asked Siesta when I ran into her earlier if the blacksmith had any problems in cleaning up Derf. The maid thought about it for a moment before stating that the man commented that all the rust that accumulated on the sword was only surface dirt and nothing more. There was no breakdown that occurred on Derf's body at all. That little fact made me more interested in the sword. A magical blade that never rusted over nor breaking down even when exposed to nature. There was also that permanent enchantment that I sense from it. I still couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be though.

"Hey, Derf..." I called out to the sword as I continued to inspect its blade.

"What's up?" The sword replied.

"You have a permanent enchantment on you that I can't seem to recognize. It's not the preservation spell applied to you that prevents you from breaking down due to rusting over. Do you know what it's supposed to be?" I asked Derf as I flicked the blade to my left hand and tested if the runes allow me to wield the blade proficiently with either hand.

"I don't rightly remember right now, sorry. Only thing I could think of is that it has something to do with my name." I raised a brow at its answer, the clue behind the mystery enchantment is the sword's name?

"Derflinger...well, it is a rather unusual name I admit. Do you remember what your name means?" I asked while thinking of ways to apply my newfound knowledge in swordsmanship once I wield my parasol again.

"I think that it's elven for something...hang on a sec and let me think..." The sword said while giving a thoughtful hum. I decided to plant the sword on the ground and let it think in peace. I glanced around the area and noticed that Guiche was approaching me. He was approaching me and he looked like he has something to say. I walked up to him and met the young man half-way before folding my arms and leaning back, waiting for what he has to say. The young man looked at me in the eye, set his jaw, clenched his hands into fists, and...

"I want to come with you!" The young man declared. It was void of his usual flamboyance and fanfare and was a legitimately serious declaration. I raised a brow as I wondered what he was talking about. I narrowed my eyes at him when I realized what he was talking about.

"How much did you hear?" I asked the young man in a grave voice. The seriousness I displayed made him gulp and take a step back but I recovered quickly from the initial shock.

"Only the part about you and Louise going to infiltrate Albion as a mission for the princess. I overheard it from the other side of the door." He admitted while trying very hard to suppress his fear of me.

"Why were you there?" I asked him, more in curiosity than anything. Henrietta's entrance was via the sixth-floor window in the middle of the night so no one should have been able to notice her unless they were specifically watching out for her or were lucky enough to look up at the right moment. So, what was Guiche doing in front of Louise's room in the middle of the night?

"I was meaning to speak with you about what you said about me and my Monmon." He answered. Ah, that will do it.

"And you overheard the three of us speaking about the mission to Albion." I concluded, earning a nod from the young man.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked him, my stance relaxing. He looked at me for a moment as if he wasn't really sure how to respond.

"Umm...what do you mean by that?" He asked, still unsure on how he should have reacted to that.

"The reason why you stumbled into that little conversation was because you wanted to talk to me about you and Monmon, yes? I want to get that out of the way first, we'll talk about the other thing later." I explained and the young man dumbly nodded before clearing his throat.

"I have...reflected upon what you told me...how I treated my Monmon...how I really treated my Monmon. Frankly, Mister Yuka, I found that I quickly became disgusted with myself." The young man said bitterly with a grimace while looking down on the ground. I remained silent and allowed him to finish.

"What I did to Monmon...it should be unforgivable but she...she...she..." He trailed off while clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, unable to finish his own words.

"She continued to love and cherish you regardless and did all that she could to have your sole attention." I finished for him and he nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I...I...don't deserve her..." Guiche let out as he started to cry for what he did to his lover.

"That may be so, but she still loves you. Thankfully, you now seem to realize why you are lucky to have such a woman." I said with a bit of a smile.

"I don't know what to do...how can I possibly make up for what I have done to her?" Guiche asked me as if I was the perfect person to ask advice from when it came to issues of the heart. The irony of that thought was palpable.

"That will be up to you. Telling her that you love her and meaning it would likely be a good start. She would probably play it off as another one of your shallow declarations and ignore it so you will have to endure. It will not be easy Sir Gramont, but then again, that is why it is known as redemption." I suggested, quoting a line stated by Shikieiki after a certain incident involving Kanako, myself, and Yuyuko.

"I understand...but I still wish to accompany you and Louise!" The young man declared, doing a one-eighty emotionally from despair to determination.

"Why?" I simply asked. This was to be a rather dangerous mission, Guiche should know that. So why did he still want to accompany us to that country?

"Because a man of the Gramont family always pays back our debts!" He proudly declared. The fact that he didn't sound anything that the Guiche I knew aside, what debt was he talking about?

"Debt?" I asked with a raised brow.

"For what you did to make me realize the idiocy I was doing in regards to my Monmon. You made me realize how much of a fool I was and may very well have saved our relationship. I wish to pay you back for it!" He answered immediately without any hint of hesitation or doubt.

"And? What use would we have for you if we did bring you along?" I asked the young man seriously. If I was bringing anyone else along for this trip, then Matilda would be far more useful than Guiche. Unless he had something utterly compelling to provide, then I saw no reason to bring him along. The question struck him like a punch from one of his bronze golems and he was left speechless. When he did not respond, I sighed and turned my back on him.

"Your sentiment is admirable, Guiche de Gramont. However, I cannot allow anything to go wrong in this trip. My master's life could very well come at risk during the course of this mission. I cannot afford to have to look after someone else." I stated and left the shocked young man and walked back to Derf.

"You sure you don't wanna bring him along?" Derf asked me from its place in the ground. I raised a brow at the apparent sharp hearing of the sword.

"I don't want to bring anyone who doesn't have anything good to contribute. Anyone else would be dead weight. I don't carry dead weight, I make them." I commented with one of my more sinister smiles, making Derf gulp.

"No matter how many times I see that, I never get used to it." The sword admitted with what could have been considered as a shudder.

"I should hope not. So, have you remembered anything about your name?" I asked the sword.

"Yep! It was something Sasha once said after I was newly forged. She called me Derflinger: Devourer of Magi." It answered with enthusiasm, probably from the fact that it remembered something else about itself.

"That's a rather ominous name, don't you think?" I honestly commented. The enchantment I felt from the sword was passive but it did not feel hostile, certainly nothing that would prompt the name 'Devourer of Magi'. Perhaps the enchantment only activates once I let the blood of a magician flow across the sword? A fair chance to test out that possibility would likely present itself on our trip to Albion. I guess that means that Derflinger will be coming along as well.

...

Louise opened her eyes and found herself once again in the border of dreams. She grumbled about not being able to have a nice dream because of it but she shook that feeling off as she realized that she was supposed to meet her senior tonight. The ice fairy, Cirno. Louise stood up and began walking through the endless field of sunflowers, trying to find that yellow brick road that lead to her familiar's mansion. She reflexively reached for her wand as soon as she heard a very familiar tearing sound from behind her, subsequently cursing the fact that this was a dream for her which meant that she did not have her wand with her. She turned around and saw Yukari appear from the gap in the air like a slithering snake that appeared from a hole in a tree. Louise tried very hard not to remember the way the ancient being of power tried to molest her the last time the two of them crossed paths.

"Why hello there, little Louise!" Yukari greeted her with a wink and blew her a kiss. The young void mage cringed and avoided the trajectory of the kiss like it was one of the kisses blown by Scarron. Before she could complain about the inappropriateness of the border youkai's actions, she suddenly heard another tearing sound from her side. The gap that appeared was much higher in the air, well over the height of a person. Louise realized why when someone dropped down from the gap.

Louise saw a girl who was around as tall as Jessica, though less shapely...especially around the chest area...though this girl still had a better figure than her. Louise suppressed her increasingly hostile thoughts and noticed a few more things about the new girl. She looked around nineteen years of age who had shoulder length blue hair that was tied into a ponytail by a sky blue ribbon. She had an orange scarf that wrapped around her neck and settled on her shoulders. She was wearing a black and blue one piece dress that had a short skirt. The sleeves and the part that covered her shoulders and chest were all black while the part that covered the rest of her torso as well as the skirt was blue. Louise also noticed that the girl was wearing something that looked like black stockings over her legs. No, what she was wearing looked elastic, regardless, it prevented anyone from looking up her skirt and seeing anything significant. The...elastic stockings looked like they reached all the way to her feet but Louise couldn't confirm it due to the fact that the girl was also wearing brown boots that reached to just below her knees. All in all, her clothes accentuated her femininity while giving out a mysterious air about her. What was most striking about her though were the six crystals made of solid ice that were floating just behind her, their tips were almost touching her back and have the semblance of wings.

This was Cirno. The strongest fairy in Gensokyo and former student of her familiar...and she was currently staring right at Louise, studying the young magician as much as she was studying the ice fairy. Louise glanced away in embarrassment from being scrutinized to intently by someone other than her mother or sisters.

"You know...I didn't really believe Yukari when she suddenly told me about what happened to teach after she dropped off the map back home. But seeing you here, I still don't believe it but I'm willing to listen to what you have to say." Louise wondered what she could possibly say to satisfy Cirno. She couldn't just say that it was an accident and she didn't mean to summon Yuka. She also couldn't just say that she summoned Yuka on purpose either. Louise opened her mouth to say something when Cirno turned around, folded her arms, and leaned back.

"Well? Out with it. What happened to teach?" Cirno asked to the field of sunflowers. Wasn't she talking to her? Or did she just decide that her back was enough for Louise to speak to. The young pinkette didn't like that thought and she felt her anger starting to boil. That was when she noticed that someone was walking toward them from the direction that Cirno is facing. It seemed that the ice fairy really wasn't talking to her and was actually speaking to someone else.

Yuka.

"Is that any way for you to talk to your old mentor?" Yuka asked as he walked into view with his closed parasol hefted on his shoulder.

"Last time I checked, my master was a woman." Cirno pointed out with a tilted head. Wait...woman?

"You can blame Yukari fooling around again." She heard her familiar say with shaking his head. Louise turned to where the border youkai was and saw that she was looking away while whistling.

"Templates like that are forbidden." Cirno cooly said before stomping her right foot on the ground. Yuka narrowed his eyes and quickly jumped to the side just as a massive icicle burst out of the ground where her familiar was just standing on.

"If you really are teach, then you should be able to handle this." Cirno said with a smile before flying up in the air and creating several icicles around her. Louise turned to her familiar in panic and saw that he was smiling...he was actually smiling.

_~Icicle Fall~Itano Carnival~_

The ice fairy's voice echoed with the weight of power before the icicles she made shot out in all directions before heading straight at Yuka. The projectiles were moving so fast that vapor trails were trailing them as they careened toward her familiar. Louise called out her familiar's name in panic but saw that he was still smiling, as if he was enjoying this. She then saw him point his parasol right at the oncoming wave of death. The parasol opened up by itself and Louise felt something coming from it.

It was power.

It wasn't like any magical spell that she had ever experienced. It was raw power being focused on her familiar's parasol. Louise's eyes went wide as the power she sensed just kept gathering and gathering with no end.

"Undefeated in the Eastern Wonderland." She heard Yuka say as his parasol glowed with awesome power. She heard Cirno laughing in the sky and turned to the ice fairy.

"By the Winds of the King." Cirno replied before Yuka unleashed the gathered power in his parasol.

And so Louise continued to dream of Danmaku and Battle.

...

Please R&R!


	10. Interlude: Spark of Gold

Author's Notes: This isn't an update per say. It is more of an omake I came up with while struggling with the choreography of the Danmaku battle between Yuka and Cirno. It pretty much explains the origin of Master Spark and Yuka's beloved parasol. No, this is not canon in any sense of the word, it is just something I wanted to share but really didn't fit with the next chapter if I added it in the actual update.

So, here it is! Please enjoy.

...

_Master Spark_

It was the very first magic spell I had ever created, though it would not be named for a few more centuries. Well, no. Calling it a spell would have been a bit of a stretch back then. I was simply dabbling with power I had no knowledge off when I first came up with it. I did not have the finesse nor the wisdom I have now so, when I discovered the power of magic, I simply gathered as much of it as I could before releasing it and watched what happened. The result was a ray of light that cut through everything like a sword from heaven. It was then that I decided that I liked that spell. I used to simply use my hands to focus the power and release it, gathering as much of it within my grasp and directing the resulting beam of light at my intended target. That did not pan out as well as I had hoped since I was roasting my hands every time I did it that way, rendering me unable to go to hand to hand combat as effectively as I wanted and limiting me to only one shot.

Since then, I tried out various other objects to use as a foci for the Master Spark. Unfortunately, they all ended up as being inadequate in one way or another and bringing me back to square one. That was until I met her. She was a strange one, I'll admit that. A beautiful woman with hair of gold, a human, who wasn't afraid of youkai. A woman that radiated a kind of power that I have never felt before in golden light. She simply walked up to me and asked what was wrong? I had been so frustrated at all my failures that I simply vented everything on her. The woman stood there in silence while twirling her white parasol as she listened, her brown dress laced with gold making her look like a giant doll. After I finished, she started giggling before breaking out into a full cackle. I felt insulted at the woman's reaction and called out rose vines to restrain her, the woman stopped cackling when she found herself caught with my vines. I gave her a vicious smile before setting up a Master Spark. I cackled back at her as I released the energy gathered within my hands, one shot or not, only one should have been enough to vaporize that arrogant woman. My eyes went wide when the woman gave me an equally vicious smile before her entire body suddenly broke down into countless butterflies made of golden light. The golden butterflies dispersed and flew all around me. I tried to aim the Master Spark at them but they were too fast and they simply kept evading the death ray until it ran out of power. I gazed at my hands and confirmed that they were once again burned to a crisp and would take hours to fully heal.

The butterflies converged together and combined, once again turning into the woman. I asked her who she was and how she was able to do that. She smiled at me and only said that it was because of magic. I asked her what her name was and she responded my asking me if my hands were okay. I snarled at her and asked her who she was one more time before I charged at her, trying to deliver a shoulder tackle. I should have known better really. The woman merely turned into butterflies once again and I ended up eating dirt when I lost my balance and tripping on a rock. I stood back up, ignoring the pain coming from my hands, before asking for the woman's name one more time. She smiled at me, opened her mouth, and told me her name. It wasn't anything special or spectacular, a rather ordinary name when I think about it now. I then asked her what she was, reasoning that no human should be able to do what she did. The woman blinked at me a few times before she started cackling once again, I waited for her to finish and got my answer.

_The Golden Witch_

I asked her what she was doing in Gensokyo and she told me that she was looking for someone, a man most dear to her. They were separated because of a certain event that occurred in their home realm and she said that she was trying to find him through the sea of countless possibilities, a kaleidoscope of different realms and fragments of worlds. Back then I didn't believe her, only commenting that it would be impossible to be able to find one person in all of that. I told her straight to her face that there was a zero percent chance for her to be able to find that man, that it would take a miracle for that to happen. She simply smiled at me and told me that she would try anyway, and that it wouldn't be the first time she had to go against certainty to find her miracle. She sounded so certain that she would be reunited with that person that I was starting to root for her so I asked her why she was so confident about it. She simply shrugged and looked up at the endless sky and said:

_After all...without love, the truth cannot be seen._

The woman switched the topic back to my problem. I can gather energy and direct it just fine, it was just that I kept destroying whatever I focus the power into whenever I try. She thought about it for a moment before snapping her fingers, her expression had the word 'Eureka' written all over it. The woman closed her white parasol before giving the object to me. I looked it over and said that it was a very pretty parasol, which it was. The Golden Witch smiled at my words and told me to try to use to cast a Master Spark using her parasol. I looked at her like she just turned into a giant two-headed snail before asking her is she was insane. She giggled softly and answered 'once upon a time' before asking me to do a Master Spark with her parasol again. I asked her if she was sure about this and she confidently nodded. I muttered an apology to her parasol before pointing the tip at a boulder in the distance. I started gathering energy just like normal and I noticed that it was easier this time, I was able to gather energy faster and more smoothly. I was about to stop when I felt that I was reaching the amount that I normally considered as the limit for gathered energy but I noticed that the parasol seemed like it could still hold more. I bit my bottom lip and decided to risk it. I poured as much power into the parasol as I could until I felt it fill up, opening like a blooming flower as it reached its limit. I felt my heart race in anticipation as I carefully aimed the parasol before releasing all the energy built up at once.

I wished that I had picked a larger target.

The boulder, which was around the size of a small shack, was erased from existence along with a nice chunk of the forest behind it. I looked at the resulting damage from the Master Spark, then back at the woman's parasol, then back at the damage caused by my spell, then I smiled like I was the happiest girl in the world. I turned back to the woman and pointed at the effect of my spell and held up her parasol to show her that it was fine. The woman nodded sagely and explained the reason why I had all that trouble in casting that particular spell. It turned out that I wasn't actually casting a magic spell whenever I used Master Spark. Instead, I was simply clumping energy together and pointing it at someone I didn't like before releasing the gathered energy. The problem with that was there wasn't anything regulating the energy while being gathered or released. The reason why everything I have used to focus that energy gets destroyed was because they keep getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of power I was forcing into them. The Golden Witch's parasol was different. She said that it was created using powerful magic to be used specifically as a foci for magical energy, regardless of type of magical energy used. As an added bonus, it also meant that it can take the stress of being filled up with a lot of energy, meaning that it was physically more durable than any parasol ever made. I simply stared at the object in sheer awe. Who would have ever thought that such a simple object could be used in such a way?

The Golden Witch laughed at my reaction to how I was creating my Master Sparks and what her parasol does. She may have done it on a whim. She may have done it because she no longer had use for it. She may have done it because she had taken a shine to me. She may have done it because, somehow, someway, she knew that I will need it someday. Regardless, when I tried to give her parasol back, the simply shook her head and told me to keep it. I was stunned and confused as to why she would try to part with such a useful artifact. She simply said that it suited me and made me promise to take good care of it. I promised her and she said goodbye before vanishing in a whirlwind of golden butterflies.

That was the last time I ever saw her.

...

Review if it pleases you.


	11. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: One-Hundred Reviews! Wohoo! Remember when I said that this was going to be the Albion Arc? Well...it is...but it is only like half of it. For better of for worse, this is Cirno's chapter. I have a surprise for the next chapter, two if I can find a way to fit the Tarbes treasure hunt arc into it. As always, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fic that can be used against me in a court of law.

...

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière continued to dream of Danmaku and Battle.

And she did not know what to think.

She did not know what to say.

She did not know what to believe.

Everything she had experienced up until now when it came to her familiar did very little to prepare her for what she was witnessing. Her training? The piranha plants that plagued her nightmares and continually turned her to cinders? They were nothing compared to what she was seeing right now. There on the ground, her familiar, unleashing a beam of light that completely outclassed any fire or lightning spell she had ever seen before. She believed that such concentration of raw magical energy could even overwhelm one of her mother's best wind spells. In the sky, her familiar's former student, who had just unleashed a rain of icy death upon her former teacher. Yuka's death ray was able to clear the skies of the oncoming onslaught but Cirno was doing something she thought should be impossible.

Louise should have learned by now, the residents of Gensokyo actively replace the word 'Impossible' with the phrase 'Try it and see what happens'.

Yuka's attack was a massive ray of death that was released in the form of light and heat. Cirno took advantage of that by creating a curved sheet of ice that served as a mirror. Normally, Master Spark would simply vaporize such a counter, but Cirno is far from being a normal opponent. Instead of using the ice to try to reflect of redirect the beam, she chose to use her creation to skid across the beam, allowing the reflective property of the ice to keep her afloat. The ice was kept from melting away into nothing by virtue of Cirno simply creating more and more ice to replace what was being lost.

Louise couldn't understand it, how was Cirno able to do something like that without any shred of fear?

Cirno was riding the spark straight toward her master, her expression held a smile while her eyes held purpose. Simply put, she had a plan. This was obviously not the first time she had gone up against Yuka but her former teacher had the advantages of being superior to her in most aspects of combat and the fact that she taught Cirno how become the fighter she that she was. The ice fairy didn't have any delusions of being able to defeat her teacher in a straight-up Danmaku battle...but it won't stop her from trying. After all, that was the most important lesson that Yuka taught her.

Don't stop trying.

...

"Spark Slider..." I muttered as I watched my student skid across the Master Spark with a smile on her face. Very few would be brave enough to try to graze one of my Master Sparks, even fewer would be skilled enough to succeed. Cirno is the only one to try and succeed at 'riding' one of my sparks. Some call it idiocy, some call it bravery, Cirno calls it a calculated risk, I call it my student following my advice and getting results. She raised her hands in the air and created dozens of bullet-sized icicles and fired them at me in cascade like a machine gun. I raised a brow as to why she would try something so pedestrian, then I started going through every possible reason why Cirno was grinning like she already won our match...wait...

No one declared the winning conditions of the match yet!

"First Hit Wins!" Cirno triumphantly declared just as her ice bullets were about to hit me. I cursed inwardly at not being able to notice that sooner and canceled Master Spark before jumping away from the path of the bullets. I looked up when I heard Cirno laughing and I saw that the ice fairy had her hands on her hips and was looking at me with a smirk.

"What's wrong? Teach wouldn't have fallen for a trick like that?" My student taunted me with a bored look and a dismissive wave. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Normally I wouldn't let her get the jump on me like that. It seemed that my time in Tristain has made me a bit complacent since there were so few challenges in that realm. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, finding my center. Cirno's gambit was clever and managed to nearly allow her to get an easy win over me. However, it was a gamble for her to declare this match as a 'First Hit Wins' match. If she declared the condition a second later, then she would have already won. However, she didn't and I slipped free. Additionally, we were in Mugenkan and I have every advantage available in this realm. That was probably the reason why she used a gambit like that. Now that I have overcome her trap, now that I clearly know what I need to do to win, she does not have any hope of defeating me in a head-on battle. She should already know that, yet she continues to smile. This was either because she was putting up a front and trying to bluff her way out of this or she really does have a plan to be able to defeat me in my own realm while we were using this set of rules. Regardless, this was a match she made to have me prove that I was indeed Yuka Kazami, despite the overwhelming evidence that proves my identity and the fact that Cirno should know that Yukari was indeed fooling around again. Oh well...it should be fun.

"And my student should have been able to follow through with that tactic and capture victory." I shot back with a sly smile. Cirno blinked at me a few times before she started laughing again. I prepared to begin out match in earnest when I heard my master call out my name. I turned to her and saw that she was standing alongside Yukari, who was still only half there, and had an expression of disbelief and fear.

"What in The Founder's name are you doing?" She yelled out at me. The momentary distraction proved to be enough for Cirno to whip up another Itano Carnival, which she immediately fired at me without any reservations. I looked at the oncoming wave of projectiles and turned back to Yukari.

"Keep her safe." I said and the border youkai simply gave me a smile and winked at me.

"Only if I get a kiss later~" She said before throwing up a Quadruple Barrier around Louise. I heard my master yelp in surprise at suddenly being enclosed in a pulsing box of pink and purple energy. I decided not to think about what Yukari just said and focus on the matter at hand. Cirno already knows that I cannot be defeated in Danmaku inside Mugenkan, that was why she used 'First Hit Wins' to give her a chance to win against me. Even so...

"You asked me what I was doing..." I addressed Louise as I pointed my parasol at the oncoming icicles, a good number of my sunflowers turning to face Cirno.

"This, Louise, is Danmaku." I declared before starting. Each one of the thirty-two sunflowers I activated started glowing before starting to fire yellow energy bullets in a deliberate frequency. Over the years, the most difficult part of fighting Cirno in a Danmaku battle was because of her analytical mind, her ability to make well thought out decisions under pressure. The second most difficult part was because she can freeze Danmaku, both physical and energy based ones. I set my sunflowers to fire in set intervals to prevent them from clumping up and making it easier for Cirno to freeze them all in one go. Of course, that meant that there were literally entire corridors of open space for my student to weave through. Cirno did just that and navigated through the curtain fire while countering with icicles as much as she could. Her projectiles were easily intercepted by my sunflowers but I knew that Cirno was just biding her time, her mind should already be going over every possible way she could get a clean hit on me and win. I compensated by making seven sunflowers fire streams of lasers aimed deliberately in the path that Cirno was using to navigate through the field. My student's eyes went wide when I effectively boxed her in. She had one way out, and that was to burn a third spell card to do so...which she did. I just didn't expect that she'd use that particular card so soon.

Perfect Freeze~Flash Freeze

In an instant, a bright blue flash consumed the entire sky. This was Cirno's second most powerful spell, the upgraded version of her Perfect Freeze. It could instantly freeze all Danmaku up to a maximum range of nintey-nine feet, regardless if the projectiles were physical or energy based. I once even saw her freeze up Kaguya's Salamander Shield spell card during a duel, Cirno subsequently lost that duel but I think she made her point that she wasn't just some dumb fairy. The same thing was happening in the skies of Mugenkan as well. The projectiles that came from my flowers, both bullets and lasers, were frozen right above us and were giving off a soft blue hue and made them look like odd pieces of art. They were odd pieces of art that were made up of ice which were currently surrounding an ice fairy who was at the peak of her power. The result was pretty much what one would expect it to be. The impromptu ice sculptures shattered and rained down upon me like a hail of shrapnel that prevented me from evading in any direction. I had to burn a card to prevent myself from getting hit, I decided on a second Master Spark. I used the beam of light to destroy the rain of ice from the sky and I smiled when I realized something.

Cirno was nowhere in sight.

I immediately turned around and aimed my sunflowers at the empty skies and fired ruthlessly. Cirno had already burned two Itano Carnivals and a Flash Freeze, Spark Slider was not a spell card and was just a regular technique, which means that she only had one spell card left. I have only used two Master Sparks, so I still had two cards left to play. I can either hit her right now and win or simply wait for her to use her last card and survive it until it breaks. I grinned when I saw a small blue flash of light weaving through my bullets. I stopped grinning when I saw three more blue flashes flying around. I narrowed my eyes when I finally saw what they were. It was Cirno's most dangerous spell card, the spell that she learned from a certain vampire.

Fairy Storm~Four of a Kind

That was fine, as long as I kept firing at them, they won't be able to get close enough to counter. All I had to do was to wait until the spell breaks and I win. The most dangerous aspect of Cirno's version of Four of a Kind was that she can coordinate their attack patterns to entrap their target and finish them off. No matter what her opponent does, she will find a way as long as the four managed to get close enough to get started. That was the reason why I kept this match in a longer range than either of us were normally used to. I still made sure to keep a close eye on them though. Range advantage or not, this was still Cirno I was facing and there were currently four of them in the air. two of them were flying one behind the other, likely setting up for Frost Stream Attack if they got the chance to. One of the other Cirno's was trying to get closer, testing the waters as it were, as she tried to graze through the bullet screens I was making. The last one was simply hanging back and watching the events unfold, that was either the real Cirno or simply a decoy.

I was wondering what she was planning when the Cirnos finally made their move. They created three large chunks of ice and threw them at me. That was it? I felt slightly disappointed but kept my head in the game and used my sunflowers to fire at the oncoming ice. The chunks of ice were large enough to withstand sustained fire from my sunflowers but I was still able to alter their courses and they crashed around me, missing me by several feet but managing to take out a few of my sunflowers. This was her plan? I wasn't given any more time to speculate as the Cirno that was trying to get past my kill zone was able to get closer and start firing icicle bullets at me, while the others were starting to weave closer as well. I decided to end this and pointed my parasol up for another Master Spark just as the four Cirnos were lined up just right. I fired and managed to take out the first one and one of the two in the midd-what? My eyes went wide as the Cirno that was trailing one of the others came out of my Master Spark without any damage or even registering that it was anywhere near my Master Spark...no...that Cirno...it was an after-image that had mass?

The large chunks of ice that landed around me shattered and exploded in waves of frozen fog and shrapnel, revealing the real Cirno hiding in one of them. Well played Cirno. However, the chunks of ice her copies threw at me were too far away to tag me as soon as they exploded so I still had time to cast my last card of the match. If this didn't convince Cirno of who I was, then nothing will.

Blossom Sign~Reflowering of Gensokyo

...

"Yo buddy~! Still alive~?" I heard Yukari asked teasingly as she floated above Cirno who was lying on the ground and was completely covered by a pile of flowers. I was standing with Louise who predictably was reduced to a stammering pile of disbelief.

"What was...but that was...I mean there was...and the four...and the flowers...and the ice...and...and..." Louise muttered while looking straight at the ground like she had just witnessed a slaughter of innocents and was still in shock. I waved a hand in front of her face to check if she would respond. I sighed when she didn't and conjured up a glass of water and splashed the liquid on her face. I blinked a few times when she still did not respond, was seeing a Danmaku battle that much for her? I wondered what it would take to get her to snap out of her shock, probably something that would be even more shocking. I decided to take a page from Marisa's book and leaned in closer to Louise and whispered...

"Look, Yukari is trying to take Henrietta's chastity." I said and immediately stepped back after I felt Louise's magic spike higher than I ever felt before. Maybe I overdid it a bit by using the princess as-

"YOU OLD HAG! EXPLOSION!" Louise roared as she pointed her finger at Yukari and tried to cast a broken Explosion spell, nothing happened and Yukari simply blinked at my master a few times while pointing to herself. I was rather thankful that she didn't have her wand at the time because I personally did not want to see what a broken Explosion would look and feel like while Louise was that emotionally charged up. It was around that time that the pile of flowers that was covering Cirno started to stir before my former student sat up and spat out a few flowers.

"Yep...you're teach alright..." Cirno said with a lopsided grin before standing up and brushing off the flowers that were still caught on her hair and clothes...she suddenly made a bitter expression before spitting out one more flower.

"Blegh! I hate getting hit with 'Reflowering'..." She muttered before gazing upon Louise and adopting a neutral expression.

"She doesn't seem that special...wait, before that..." Cirno shook off her train of thought and turned back to Yukari.

"Why is teach a GUY?" She asked while scratching the back of her head and glancing back at me.

"Who cares, he's hot?" Yukari replied while trying her best to look innocent. I suddenly felt something tug on my sleeve and turned to Louise who was looking at me like I was a sexual deviant.

"What. Are. They. Talking. About?" Louise emphasized each word by pulling my sleeve harder and harder as she said them. I made a thoughtful sound before rubbing my chin with my felt hand while using my parasol like a walking stick with my other hand.

"Haven't I told you yet? I was a woman before you summoned me to Halkeginia." I stated with a tilted head. Louise promptly responded by fainting on the spot. Maybe that was too soon...

"That is the human that managed to snag you as a shikigami?" Cirno asked as she walked up before looking down on Louise's unconscious form while putting her hands on her hips.

"The technical term for what I am is apparently a familiar and not a shikigami." I corrected her before kneeling down and checking if Louise would wake up from light slaps on the face. She didn't.

"So...about you gender-flipping out of nowhere?" Cirno asked while folding her arms and leaning back. I looked up at her and shrugged before pointing at Yukari. Cirno turned to the border youkai, who promptly turned away and started whistling, before turning back to me.

"Templates like that are forbidden." She replied automatically after understanding what I was implying.

"No, seriously. It really was Yukari fooling around again." I stated while giving a pointed look at the border youkai who puffed up her cheeks while placing her hands on her hips.

"And why are you complaining? I turned you into an incredibly delicious specimen of the male gender! You should be grateful!" Yukari shot back, determined to reject our logic and replace it with her own.

"So, why haven't you changed back? You should be able to Ultimate Magic your way out of being a guy right?" Cirno asked me accusingly while kneeling down before poking Louise's cheek with her index finger, my master gave a scowl but still seemed to be unconscious. Yes, this was Cirno's response to any problems that involved me. Fairies swarming around the Garden of the Sun? Ultimate Magic! Newcomer youkai suddenly think that they can defeat the strongest youkai in Gensokyo? Ultimate Magic! Lactose Intolerance? Ultimate Magic! Constipation? Ultimate Magic! Ultimate Magic causing reality to warp into itself? Ultimate Magic!

"No, Cirno. I will not use Ultimate Magic to turn be back into a woman. If anything, I find the experience rather novel." I stated and Cirno merely shrugged and continued to closely peer over my master's face, probably trying to gather as much information as she could about Louise while she was asleep.

"BY THE POWER OF GREY SKU-Augh!"Of course, this was the perfect moment for Louise to suddenly wake up screaming more nonsense as she suddenly sat up and hit her head against Cirno's. I internally hoped that those two weren't two of a kind when it came to these situations. The last thing I needed was having to teach another nine-ball. Then again, it might give Cirno an easier time to teach Louise if they were on the same wavelen-no...having another nine-ball wouldn't be worth it.

"Birds of a feather, aren't they~?" Yukari commented teasingly as she floated beside me.

"Don't joke like that." I flatly responded before turning my attention back to Louise and Cirno, who were still clutching their respective foreheads in pain.

"I assume that the two of you already know each other by now?" I asked the two of them as I leaned against my parasol. They both looked at me before looking back at each other, Cirno smiled before offering her hand to my master. Louise looked at my former student's hand before she hesitantly took it.

"The name is Cirno, the strongest and smartest fairy in Gensokyo! Ice Fairy by birth, butt kicker by trade!" Cirno proudly declared after she helped my master to her feet. Louise dusted herself off before straightening up her clothes and recovering her composure. I smiled despite myself, dream or not, she was still a proud daughter of the Vallière family and she will not be one who would embarrass her family name during an introduction. Such is the pride of my master for her family. Louise gave Cirno a near-perfect curtsy before introducing herself.

"I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, third daughter of Duke Vallière of the country of Tristain. Noble by birth, student of magic by trade. I'm the one who summoned and made Yuka Kazami as my contracted familiar." She finished and I saw that Cirno was giving her an appraising look before nodding to herself and turning to me.

"First of all, long name is long. Seriously, and I thought that Shikieiki Yabadabadoo's name is the hardest name ever to pronounce." Cirno said while shaking her head. Louise narrowed her eyes at the ice fairy, likely not appreciating my former student complaining about the length of her name.

"First of all, it's pronounced 'Yamaxanadu' and not 'Yabadabadoo'. If you're going to complain, do it right." I shot at my former student who just gave me a snort before turning back to Louise.

"Secondly, I'm actually pretty impressed by you. That magic spike I sensed from you when you tried to cast a spell on Yukari was pretty awesome. Chaotic and unrefined, but it gets the point across." Cirno commented while gesturing with her hands to emphasize her point. Louise nodded shyly as a blush crept on her cheeks from the sudden compliment from her senior.

"Third, I'm assuming that you'd want some answers from teach about her-ahem-his...circumstance in regards to gender confusion." Cirno stated slyly before giving me a sidewards glance. Me turning into a man would be par for the course in Gensokyo which was why Cirno didn't seem too broken up about it, just another little incident for someone who came from a realm where the fantastic was commonplace. Louise on the other hand...while Halkeginia was a fantastical realm, it just wasn't as 'out of the box' as Gensokyo was.

"That's right! Familiar! What is all this talk about you being a woman before I summoned you?" Louise suddenly yelled at me, making Cirno wince because of her proximity to my master. I turned to Yukari, the perpetrator of my gender change and found that she had already gone.

God Dammit Yukari!

"It is exactly as you heard. I was a woman up until the moment when you summoned me, my original gender was indeed female." I admitted and Louise looked like she was trying very hard, and failing, to understand what I had just said.

"That makes no sense! The Springtime Summoning Ritual can't change a familiar's gender! Especially someone with your power!" Louise yelled at the absurdity of the circumstance surrounding my summoning. Cirno had already learned her lesson the first time and made sure to be a few steps away from Louise in case any further news about my gender would prompt her to yell.

"You are correct. While I was being pulled into the summoning portal that you seem to have created, Yukari thought it would be amusing to change me from a woman to a man." I explained to Louise the last thing that happened to me while I was still in Gensokyo.

"Why...why would she even do something like that?" Louise asked, seemingly unable to comprehend the reasoning behind Yukari's actions. Cirno and I looked at each other, then back to Louise, before shrugging at the same time.

"Because she can." We both said at the same time.

"Wh-wh-wh-what?" Louise screamed while gawking at us incredulously.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just hurt yourself." Cirno admonished my stuttering master while shaking her head almost ruefully.

"F-f-fine...I'll drop the reasoning for now...but..." Louise trailed off before turning back to me.

"...why didn't you ever tell me that you were a woman before?" My master asked me with accusing eyes.

"First, you never really asked." I answered before holding up my left hand just before Louise was about to retort.

"Also, would you have believed me?" I added and Louise's counter-argument died in her throat. I walked up to the diminutive young magician and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"What is important is that I am your familiar and partner now. My gender, my origins, my circumstances, they don't matter to me and they shouldn't matter to you either." I stated honestly while giving Louise a warm smile that she returned.

"Now that is out of the way, I want to get down to business." I said as I turned to my former student, who gave me a knowing smirk while rubbing her chin with her hand.

"Got yourself an incident on the other side?" Cirno inferred while looking more and more interested about what would prompt my personal request for her presence.

"Nothing as simple as that, I'm afraid. Circumstances have arisen which prompted my need to have Louise trained in things beyond basic dodging discipline." I started before giving Cirno a rundown of what we had been experiencing in Louise's realm up until Henrietta's request for Louise to infiltrate the currently war-torn Albion.

"Damn, having to handle incidents left and right one after another in such a short period of time...who the hell are you, Touma Kotiya?" Cirno snarked at me with a raised brow. She was talking about a priest of the Moriya Shrine a few generations after Sanae passed away. That man had the ungodly knack of being at the wrong place at the right time whenever an incident happened, so much so that he was most well known for vexing about his misfortune whenever something bad happens while he was around.

"I must admit, it keeps things interesting. Although, the frequency is slightly annoying." I admitted while shaking my head. Cirno nodded to herself before turning back to Louise with a smile.

"Well then, let's get started! I want a baseline of your abilities, so we'll have a Danmaku battle right now!" She declared enthusiastically while Louise could only look at her in shock before muttering...

"What?"

...

"They just don't make magicians like they used to...she can't even fly." Cirno commented as she poked Louise's face who had a thin layer of ice coating her entire body.

"You've got the touch..." Louise muttered in a daze as she laid on the ground after her 'Danmaku Battle' against Cirno. My master had started off rather well against Cirno, managing to endure Icicle Fall~Easy with only minor grazes. Unfortunately, she was suddenly introduced to Cirno's other spell cards and Louise didn't last very long after that.

"You overdid it, Cirno. She's not Marisa nor is she Alicia." I pointed out to the ice fairy. Louise had raw power in her grasp but she was still not ready for high-speed Danmaku at her current level of skill.

"You've got the power..." Louise continued muttering as Cirno and I continued our discussion.

"I guess. Is Explosion really the only spell she can cast?" The ice fairy asked me as she begun her analysis of Louise.

"Yes and no. Explosion is simply the result, not the intent." I answered vaguely, a small test to see if Cirno's intellect was still as sharp as before.

"When all hell's breaking loose you are right at the eye of the storm..."

"So every spell that Louise casts...turns into an explosion? How does that work? If a spell fails, it should just fizzle out of existence or nothing should happen at all." Cirno asked, both in curiosity and surprise.

"You've got the touch..."

"Louise is a bit different than most magicians in her realm. You see..." I then explained Louise's circumstances as a void magician. The results of all the spells she had previously tried to cast, our discussions about what we thought her power was, the subsequent revelation that I was a Gandalfr, and the fact that we didn't know how to find out more about Void Magic at the moment.

"You've got the motion..."

"Spontaneous Spell Breaking because of incompatibility of element and spell as well as casting method. Whatever this Void element is, the guy that came up with it went through a lot of trouble to bend a lot of rules. Needless to say, those spells, whatever they might be, better be worth all those restrictions." Cirno commented. I smiled at how knowledgeable my student had become over the centuries. I remember back when I had to literally drag her to the Scarlet Devil Mansion's Library in order for her to be taught by little Patchouli on the nuances of spell casting. The magician was apprehensive about letting Cirno into her sanctum but I made sure to remind her that the family of the Scarlet Devil owed me after I helped them with a certain little something involving the little sister. Thanks to her lessons with Patchouli, Cirno started learning more about how spells work and it had resulted in many instances where her creativity shone through as well as her abuse of some technicalities of the spell card rules. Her initial gambit against me during out match in front of Louise is a prime example of that.

"You know that when things get too tough..."

"That is exactly why I needed your expertise. Because of the fact that Louise and I will be going into hostile territory soon, I wanted her to learn a few basic skills when it came to maximizing the utilization of her one spell." I said and Cirno gave me a knowing smirk.

"You've got the touch..."

"So you want me to teach your master to completely abuse her ability to turn any spell she casts into an explosion? I'll probably end up teaching her how to deal with any situation using explosions, size, shape, proximity, intensity, wow...now that I think about it, explosions are actually pretty versatile. Alright, I'll do it!" Cirno accepted my request with a smile before turning back to my master.

"And what has she been muttering about anyway? Some kind of incantation?" The ice fairy asked as she pointed out what Louise had been muttering while the two of us were discussing things.

"It probably doesn't mean anything at all. Louise has been occasionally slipping into random non-sequiturs ever since the incident with the Love Potion. It usually manifests when she is under great stress or is unconscious." I explained as I knelt down and sat Louise up before shaking her unceremoniously, waking her up and shaking off the layer on frost all over her.

"No! Ultra Magnus!" Louise yelled out before blinking a few times and looking at me and Cirno in turn.

"Where am I?" My master asked in a daze.

"Still in Mugenkan, Louise." I explained as I helped her to her feet.

"Your master has issues. Then again, she has you as her familiar." Cirno snarked before preparing for an attack from me for that comment. I let it slide for now because I needed Cirno to teach Louise as soon as possible.

"Oh right...what was that? I've never seen so many things thrown at me at once...I just panicked and I couldn't move." Louise said as she recalled her first real Danmaku Battle.

"That's a beginner's issue. Having too many things to keep track of makes you doubt your own decision-making which is why you froze up, you couldn't decide where to go until it was too late. Don't worry, we'll work on that." Cirno explained as she patted Louise on the shoulder.

"Work on that?" Louise repeated, unsure about what Cirno had meant by that.

"Cirno has agreed to teach you a few things that should be able to help you once your little mission for the princess is underway." I explained and Louise started looking at me and Cirno in turn before adopting a look of horror.

"Hey, now! Don't go panicking right off the bat! Don't worry, I already have a good baseline for your abilities so we'll just start with a little lecture." Cirno stated as she tried to steady my master, who looked like she was about to faint from fear.

"A-a-a-a-a l-l-l-le-lecture?" Louise stammered and Cirno nodded before giving Louise a big smile.

"That's right. Welcome to Cirno's Perfect Math Class~"

...

"And that is why you should learn how to take in and use every surface possible. You can't fly, so you have to make due with utilizing your surroundings instead." Cirno logically pointed out as she tried to reason and prove to Louise that learning parkour would be a good idea for her in order to improve her mobility. Their lecture started out with Cirno gathering information from me on how well Louise managed against my training regiment. The ice fairy then concluded that Louise needed a way to utilize the three dimensions that was available to her and not just relying on 'two dimensional thinking' as she put it. Hence, Cirno's insistence that Louise learn parkour as the start of her use of three dimensional maneuverability.

"I understand that much but...jumping around all over the place like how you described it...that should be impossible, right?" Louise countered. Indeed, in her realm, the very concept of free running and parkour would sound very foreign and insane since one cannot utilize such skills outside of major cities.

"Louise...magic should be impossible, flying should be impossible, the fact that we're having this conversation should be impossible, you having teach as your familiar after being genderbent should be impossible. What I'm trying to explain to you still falls well within the Laws of Physics." Cirno countered and Louise suddenly looked at my former student with an expression that said 'you lost me'.

"The laws of what now? Is this Physics person some kind of lawmaker or king?" Louise honestly asked and I swear that I could literally hear Cirno's opinion of my master drop a few points. My former student looked at me like she had just seen so something utterly impossible that all she could do was gawk at me with that expression.

"They never taught Physics in her school?" Cirno asked me like she was trying to confirm if what she had just said was a lie or not.

"Their society seems to be built upon a system of Magocracy. However, it seems that their understanding of their own magic is limited to what they can feel and the results of their spells. The mere fact that they don't seem to have a firm grasp of how exactly their own magic works, I doubt that they would have time to think about the fundamental laws of the Universe." I gave Cirno my assessment as to how Halkeginian society in general understood how their world works.

"Is that true? You've never been taught the fundamental laws of Physics? Your society doesn't even know the SCIENCE behind your magic?" Cirno asked Louise frantically as she shook my master's shoulders.

"N-n-n-no! I don't even know what you're talking about! Now explain what you're babbling about!" Louise yelled back while pushing away from the increasingly frantic ice fairy.

"Okay...okay...just give me a minute to gather my thoughts..." Cirno stated before she took a few deep breaths to regain her composure.

"Okay, I'm not even going to touch your magic system because I don't know anything about it and that isn't what I was called here for. Instead, I'm going to give you a quick lesson on the Laws of Physics. Specifically, the Law of Gravity and the Laws of Motion. All of which will be instrumental to how I'm going to teach you later on, so pay attention." Cirno outlined her lesson plan for Louise before making a pair of crystal clear glasses made of ice and putting it on. Louise, being the good student that she was, nodded before preparing to listen to what her senior was about to tell her about.

"We'll start with the simplest one, something you should already know about to a degree, Gravity. Gravity works off a painfully simple concept, which is: 'What goes up, must come down'. It is one of the laws that will almost always work unless something is preventing it from acting upon something...which is tied to the other Laws I want to teach you about." Cirno said, giving Louise a very simple version of the concept of Gravity.

"Question, what do you mean by 'what goes up, must come down'?" Louise asked with a raised hand as if she was in a classroom. Hmmm...

"Before you two continue..." I interrupted their little session, making the both of them turn to me. I closed my eyes and reached into the border of dreams until I found what I wanted to manifest.

"Ohhh...nice!" I opened my eyes at Cirno's words and saw that what I conjured up came out properly. It was a simple chair and desk for the student and a white board for the teacher.

"Thanks teach! Okay Louise, take a seat." Cirno instructed and Louise obeyed like a good student should. My former student created a snowball in her hands and started tossing it up and catching it over and over again.

"This is what I'm talking about. Anything that leaves the ground will inevitably go back down because of the force known as Gravity. Another example of this would be if you jump up off the ground. No matter how high up you jump, you will still end up coming back down eventually." Cirno emphasized the point by tossing the snowball so high that it disappeared in the sky. After a few moments the snowball fell back down and into her hand.

"But what about things that can fly like birds, dragons, griffins, manticores, the country of Albion...?" Louise countered as she listed the things she knows can keep themselves up in the sky.

"Good question, Louise. However, I go back to the part where I said that Gravity will always be applied on something unless a force prevents Gravity from pulling something to the ground. Everything you listed aside from that floating country requires the act of flapping wings to be able to stay off the ground. I'm not sure what Albion uses to stay afloat, but it should be some force that prevents it from coming down on the ground. Simply put, Gravity is always active as long as you don't do anything to cancel it out or use something that can overcome it." Cirno clarified and Louise seemed to have grasped the concept just fine.

"So...did anyone make this Law of Gravity? Is there a sorcerer powerful enough to enforce such an absolute law in different realms?" Louise suddenly asked, both awed and frightened at the prospect of a magician powerful enough to create and maintain the Law of Gravity. It seemed that she didn't quite get the concept completely if she thinks that the Law of Gravity was created using magic.

"No...no, Louise. The Law of Gravity was not made by magic. It has just been that way ever since the beginning of time. It's one of the corner stones of how everything works the way they do. No one created the Law of Gravity, it is just the way it is ever since the very start." Cirno explained, trying her best to emphasize that magic had nothing to do with the creation of one of the Laws of Physics.

"So who called it a law then? If no one made it, then how was it called a law in the first place?" Louise asked with puffed cheeks, not appreciating that her idea was shot down so quickly by her senior.

"Another good question. The guy who discovered and made this concept a law is the same guy who made the concept of the Laws of Motion into laws. He was a human that lived a really long time ago. I forget his name but he's supposed to be the deadliest something-or-other in space. He didn't make the laws, he was just the guy who educated everyone else about it." Cirno answered and my master seemed to accept it.

"So this person must have been a really smart man to do all that..." Louise muttered, earning a laugh from Cirno.

"If you only knew Louise. In any case, you'll be very well acquainted with those particular laws during the course of our lessons since they will be the keys to your success in becoming a one-of-a-kind spell caster. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be a Physics Crunching Badass! You'll be the complete package!" Cirno declared triumphantly as she pointed skyward while giving Louise a confident smile.

"I assume that you will need a few things to get the ball rolling when it comes to teaching Louise about Inertia?" I interjected, making Cirno think about it for a few seconds before nodding.

"I'll need a lot of duct tape, a sledgehammer, and a penguin." Cirno said with a smirk as the gears in her head started turning.

...

"So anything that moves will keep moving unless something stops them..." Louise muttered sleepily as we both stood in front of the front gates of the academy while waiting for the griffin knight that was supposed to accompany us. I had Matilda hit the books as soon as Louise and I got ready to leave, though the former thief still tried to convince me to bring her along one more time. I admired her determination to stay with her charge even in the face of the very people that were threatening her life and the lives of her sister and the children of their orphanage. Unfortunately, we can't take any further risks with this little mission any more than what we were already risking. She then settled on speaking with Louise alone for a while before we left. I saw nothing wrong with it and allowed the two of them to speak in private in Louise's room, making sure to take Derf and my parasol with me before I left. I waited for Louise at the front of the main academy gates and she joined me after several minutes with a look of determination on her face and her cowboy hat on her head. Whatever my master spoke about with Matilda, it seemed to have done wonders to her resolve. Unfortunately, she was still sleepy, hence her current grogginess.

"So, the little miss has been taking Physics lessons lately?" Derf suddenly commented as it partially came out of its scabbard which was strapped to Louise's back. I had Louise carry Derf for me both because it was practical weight training for her later parkour lessons with Cirno and because I don't want to be bothered to carry Derf and my parasol at the same time.

"You are familiar with the concepts of Physics?" I asked the sword in slight surprise that a mostly inanimate object would know more about science than most of the people in the country.

"This comes back to Sasha. I've heard her talk to Brimir about the Laws of Physics and how they can be used to their advantage in battle against numerically superior foes." The sword answered, earning and intrigued look from me while Louise glanced back a bit to regard the sword.

"It was a bit of a rough patch in their lives." Derf added, a bit more information as to why The Founder and the first Gandalfr needed to utilize the Laws of Physics in combat while they were outnumbered.

"To answer your question...yes, Louise is currently studying up on the Laws of Physics to help her if she ever found herself in a combat situation." I explained. If the sword was capable of nodding, it probably would have given an understanding nod at that point.

"Just remember, little miss. Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out." Derf dispensed its words of wisdom to my master, making Louise look back to the sword.

"What the founder does that mean?" Louise inquired. Derf merely gave a sword shrug, which rattled Louise a bit since she was carrying it on her back.

"I dunno, something Brimir said one time. The context is still really hazy but I'm sure you'll understand once the time comes. Just keep it in mind just in case." The sword answered before going back into its scabbard.

"It might be a clue about Void magic. I suggest you keep that phrase in mind as well, just in case." I threw in my two cents and Louise nodded in response before adopting a very serious expression.

"Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. What does it all mean?" Louise yelled out before scratching the back of her head. Before any further conversation can be made, I suddenly heard the flapping of wings in the air along with a particular aura of magical power...one I have not encountered before.

"It would seem that our escort has arrived." I stated before looking up. Louise followed by gaze and saw a small dot in the sky grow larger and larger until it formed into a familiar shape.

"It's a griffin..." Louise muttered in awe as the beast landed some distance in front of us.

"Yes, that would be what one would expect considering our escort is a member of the Griffin Knights." I flatly stated while ignoring Louise's glare and Derf's snicker. Instead, I focused on the man who had just dismounted from the griffin. The way he carried himself suggested that he had confidence in his ability. From what I had sensed from him, he seemed to be a magician on par with Matilda. At least the Princess provided a competent companion for this journey. He was well dressed, his clothing in perfect condition in addition to his cloak. He had a wide brimmed hat on, complete with a long white feather stuck in it like a character in a book from the outside world. He also carried a sword at his side, an odd looking one since it was too big to be a rapier but too small to be a broadsword like Derf. Nevertheless, it was a given considering his status as a knight in the service of his country. His light blonde, nearly ashen, hair was long and well cared for. His facial features were dignified and gave a certain sense of rugged handsomeness that Rinnosuke had during the later years of his life. His features were punctuated by a neatly trimmed beard which he was stroking as he stared at Louise and I. That was when I noticed an odd spike in Louise's magical power. I turned to my master and...

"V-V-V-Vi-Vi-Vis-Visc-Viscount Wardes!" Louise stammered in recognition of who our escort was. The man smiled at Louise and tipped his hat to her, my master returned the gesture using her own hat and making me wish I had brought my straw hat along. I raised a brow at the scene. Louise and our escort, Viscount Wardes as Louise stated, knew each other personally. Was this a coincidence or something Henrietta intended if Louise was willing to accept her request? Regardless, this man seemed to be someone that Louise knew so at least it would not be an awkward first meeting.

"That's a lovely hat you have on Little Louise." The Viscount complimented my master's hat, earning a blush and a nod from Louise. Well, if he likes hats, he couldn't have been that bad. I then noticed that he raised a brow before narrowing his eyes when he noticed what Louise was carrying on her back.

"Little Louise, I understand your concern for your safety during this mission for the Princess. However, don't you think that carrying a sword may be a bit much? I can assure you that no harm will befall you so long as you are with me." The Viscount stated before giving Louise a smile and a wink.

"Th-th-th-this isn't...I-I-I mean..." Louise continued to show her loss of the ability to speak coherently while under great emotional stress, this time being embarrassment in front of an older man.

"The sword was not meant to be wielded by Louise. It is simply something that she brought along as part of a training regiment to improve herself." I helped out my master to explain the reason why she had a sword on her back. The Viscount eyed me carefully while stroking his beard while I simply leaned on my parasol casually like a walking stick.

"And you are?" He finally asked, an edge and a tone of curiosity in his voice. I gave the man a small smile and a curt nod before introducing myself.

"I am Yuka Kazami. I am the contracted familiar of Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière whom she summoned during the springtime summoning ritual in this academy. And you are?" I asked him after introducing myself. The man eyed me carefully for a few moments, probably considering my words, before laughing out loud.

"I am Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. Captain of the Sixty-Sixth Squadron of the Sixth order of the Tristain Royal Griffin Knights. My runic name is 'Lightning', I am a Square-Class Wind mage, and I am Little Louise's fiancé." The Viscount introduced himself with a sweeping bow. Interesting...did he provide all those titles to intimidate me? To make me see that he was more than capable of protecting Louise on his own and-

"Fiancé?" I suddenly asked while turning to my master who was now redder that she had ever been.

"Indeed, it was something that was originally arranged by our respective families but I eventually could not help but be drawn to Louise over time. You could say that it was a love that blossomed long after the seed has been planted." Wardes eloquently elaborated as he walked up to Louise and picked her up bridal style, Derflinger and all.

"Lord Wardes! What are you doing?" Louise panicked at the sudden action and was feebly trying to free herself from her fiancé's grasp. Wardes merely laughed before he started walking back to his griffin. I wordlessly followed them and noticed that Wardes' griffin took a few steps back when it noticed me approaching. I took another step forward and noted that it was trying very hard not to take another step back. I see...that griffin was Wardes' familiar which was why my presence was unnerving it quite a bit. Although, I admitted that it was very disciplined since it hadn't ran away in terror yet.

"Don't worry, this is just Louise. Now come, we must make haste to La Rochelle. I will provide further details of the mission as we ride there. Shall I wait until you get your horse Sir Kazami?" Wardes asked as he mounted his griffin with Louise before pointing out that I did not have a horse. I blinked a few times and shook my head, as if I would actually ride a horse to our destination. No, I had other plans on getting there.

"Yuka is fine, Sir Wardes. Don't worry about my transportation, I will meet you at La Rochelle later." I said with a curt nod.

"You're not riding with us?" Louise asked in surprise while Wardes simply raised a brow and nodded.

"Worry not, Louise. I promise that I will meet you at our destination. Besides, I'm sure that your beloved Viscount can keep you safe while I am not around." I stated a bit teasingly at my master. She puffed her cheeks at me before snorting.

"Fine, just don't take too long! I want you by my side the moment that we arrive there!" She stubbornly said while glaring at me.

"I will do my best." I replied with a warm smile.

...

I flew above the cloud line, just high enough so that no one would notice a human shaped object flying in the sky. I gazed down and saw the griffin that was currently headed for the port city of La Rochelle, the griffin that carried my master and her beloved, and Derf too I guess. While it was reassuring to have a mage knight of Wardes' standard accompanying us, less things for me to worry about, it did raise a few questions. If the Princess had someone like Wardes as an ace in the hole, why did she have to send Louise? The knight seemed more than capable of accomplishing this mission by himself, especially without the need to look after a civilian like my master. Was this all some clever gambit that the Princess or someone in her court orchestrated to ensure that this mission is accomplished? Was this just Henrietta not trusting one of the Captains of the Griffin Knights to do this alone? Was this something else, a ploy made by someone about something far more sinister than what I had previously expected?

As I flew toward my destination, I could not help but feel that something is off. I rarely have bad feelings about situations seeing as I could simply blast my way out of them. This was different though. I silently hoped that this was just me overthinking things again as I continued toward La Rochelle.

...

"What is all this?" I asked as I approached Wardes and my master as they stood in front of an inn, behind them were luggages that I was sure that we did not bring along when we left the academy. Louise turned to my voice before smiling then quickly giving me a scowl.

"These are luggages. And I thought I said that you were supposed to be by my side the moment that we arrived here!" Louise stated, completely ignoring the fact that we did not leave the academy with any bags. Instead, she chose to grill me because I had arrived late.

"Yes, but what are they doing here? Why so much stuff?" I asked, sidestepping the issue about being late and instead asking where the mystery packages are and how they got here. I was 'late' because I had to stay in the air and see where Wardes' was planning on stopping for the night. I wasn't about to walk around a city I had never been in before without knowing how to get to my destination. I made sure to take note to the location of the inn he had chosen before going to the city outskirts and landing, making my way to my master on foot afterward.

"That doesn't matter!" Louise yelled at me before stomping her way into the inn, an odd scene considering she still had her hat on her head and Derf on her back. I was wondering why she seemed so angry at me and hoping that the people within the inn did not mistake her for a hooligan when I noticed that Wardes was laughing the way see always seems to before patting my shoulder with his hand.

"Quite the master you have there!" He stated in a friendly tone.

"Quite the fiancé you have there." I shot back, earning another round of laughter from the man.

"Indeed, we must make sure to keep her safe until this mission is over." Wardes suddenly said in all seriousness. I raised a brow at the sudden mood whiplash when the Viscount decided to continue.

"I did not approve of the Princess' decision to send Louise to Albion, it was just too dangerous to do so with everything happening up there. Unfortunately, both the Princess and Louise seemed adamant about it so I had no choice but to go along with it and hope that I will be strong enough to protect her." The Viscount voiced his opinion about this whole mission, it seemed that he was not happy about the arrangement either.

"Tell me, are you capable of protecting Louise?" The man suddenly asked me in all seriousness.

"If it comes down to it, I will protect Louise from any harm." I answered simply, not letting it known just how safe Louise was if she was with me. I resisted to frown when I heard the Viscount sigh before giving me a pitying look.

"I admire your dedication, but you seem to be a commoner. As it stands, even with the sword that Louise carries, I do not think that you will be able to protect her by yourself. I do not mean any disrespect but..." Wardes trailed off before looking at the late afternoon sky. I was not sure if this was just him stating that I had no means to be able to protect my master so I should just stay out of the way or if this was genuine concern that harm may befall both to my master and to myself if I went with them the rest of the way.

"I understand your concern Viscount. However, it will not change the fact that I will do whatever I can to protect Louise. Besides, my master is not as helpless as she looks." I stated confidently. Wardes sighed one more time before looking at me with a warm smile.

"True. She did help defeat Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt after all. I apologize if I offended you." He said before walking into the inn after Louise. I looked at the back of the man that was going to marry my master someday and wondered. What is this uncomfortable feeling I keep getting when I see him with Louise?

...

I had arranged the luggage that mysteriously appeared in front of the inn to be sent to my master's room. She was roomed with the Viscount while I was in the next room over. She had originally protested about being roomed with a grown man but the Viscount assured her that he would be the perfect gentleman while she was with him. Louise went along with it eventually since she trusted the man to an extent and the fact that she knew what I would do to him if he tried to force her into anything she did not want. I made sure to wait until they were both asleep before making my way outside and into a nondescript alleyway. Not exactly the most ideal place to set a door to Mugenkan but I couldn't be picky about it right now. I entered my dream realm and saw that Louise was already there and was talking with Cirno.

"...and that is what shape charges are." I heard Cirno say, seemingly at the end of her explanation while Louise nodded to her words.

"That does sound very useful." Louise admitted before they both turned to me after noticing my footsteps.

"Sup teach? Just giving Louise an overview of tonight's lesson." Cirno stated with a confident smile.

"You will not be teaching her parkour?" I asked with a raised brow.

"No time. Louise gave me a rundown on the current situation on your end. She has you and a badass magic knight to keep her safe so I can afford to push back that lesson to a later date. Instead I want to get her started on the practical applications of her explosive spells." Cirno explained.

"Hence 'shape charges'." I pointed out.

"I'm still not sure about all of this though. I didn't know that explosions can be that versatile if you use it correctly. I'm not sure that I can do half the things Cirno-nee was talking about." She admitted sheepishly as she fidgeted in place. She suddenly gave a surprised yelp when Cirno slapped her on the back.

"Don't worry. For now we'll work on your casting time and your accuracy, we can start with the rest of the stuff if we have time before you wake up." Cirno stated, she seemed to have thought this out well. I guess having a pseudo-apprentice got her in a good mood.

"Casting time?" Louise inquired, not sure about what Cirno was talking about.

"Yep. The best thing about your explosions is that it can activate regardless of what spell you try to cast. Do you have any idea how exploitable that is?" My former student asked rhetorically. When Louise didn't seem to catch on, I decided to do it for her.

"What Cirno is trying to tell you is that any spell you cast turns into an explosion...regardless of how long it takes to cast that particular spell." I provided, earning a nod from the ice fairy and a tilted head from Louise.

"Look, why don't I just show you. Teach, could you set up some dummies for us?" Cirno asked and I complied by making three mannequins a short distance away that resembled Sunnymilk, Lunachild, and Star Sapphire. I also conjured up a wand for Louise to use for the duration of tonight's lesson.

"Nice...now, I want you to cast a spell with the shortest incantation that you know." Cirno instructed while pointing at the Sunnymilk mannequin. Louise nodded and complied and the mannequin was turned to splinters five seconds later.

"Now, I want you to cast a spell with the longest incantation that you know." My former student continued while pointing to the next target. My master obeyed her senior and blew up the second target thirty seconds later.

"Now, I want you to cast a spell with an incantation of average length." Cirno said while pointing at the last mannequin. Louise destroyed the last target in little over twelve seconds.

"Now, what have we learned?" Cirno asked Louise, who looked at her wand and the mannequins that she destroyed before turning to her senior.

"I can make explosions faster by trying to cast a shorter spell." She stated with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"Exactly. That will be the focus of our lessons today. Your accuracy will improve as you keep casting but what I want you to get out of this is to be able to cast explosion with just one word." Cirno revealed her plan for Louise.

"Just one word? Is that even possible?" Louise asked at seemingly absurd concept of being able to cast magic with a single word.

"Keyword casting. It is a method of casting by which you bind a spell to a certain word and cast it as soon as you focus enough magical energy for it and say the magic word." I provided.

"That's right. Normally, this is used to really mundane spells since trying to bind powerhouse spells into a single word is horrendously hard. Then again, teach can silent cast Master Spark...so yeah." Cirno explained, I smiled as I finally understood what Cirno was trying to do.

"I see...since Louise can turn any spell into a explosion, she can bind a simple spell to a word and still be able to create an explosion using it." I said, earning a smile from the ice fairy.

"You got it. Eventually, I want Louise to be able to create shape charges or rapid cast explosions but for now...this should be enough." Cirno said with a confident smile before turning to my master who was still in an uncertain state.

"Whenever you're ready, Louise." My former student said, snapping my master from her thoughts. She gulped before nodding as she gripped her wand tightly.

"Alright...let's do this." She said with determination.

...

"Louise, Viscount. It is already dawn, it is time to leave." I called out to my master and her fiancé as I knocked on their door. I raised a brow from the lack of a response. Louise's lesson was most productive and she was able to bind an explosion spell to a particular word of her choice. Cirno and I asked her why she chose such a word to bind her spell to but Louise only answered 'because it is appropriate'. We let the subject drop and I left Mugenkan a few minutes ago before making my way back to the inn.

"Louise? Louise?" I called out to my master while practically banging on the door. She should be up by now. I sensed that uncomfortable feeling again and I decided to enter the room without their consent. I gave the door a gentle nudge and the lock broke without much resistance. I opened the door and narrowed my eyes before gritting my teeth. I immediately left the inn and went back into Mugenkan where I saw Cirno and Yukari talking.

"Where is Louise?" I quickly asked. They blinked at me for a second before looking at each other.

"She just popped out a few moments ago, why?" Cirno answered and I suddenly felt something I have not felt in a long time.

"What happened?" Yukari asked with concern when she noticed my expression. Both Yukari and Cirno knew what I was like when I was angry. You wouldn't like me if I was angry.

"Louise is missing..." I said through gnashing teeth, trying to figure out what could have happened. There was only one possibility to this, one reason why Louise is gone.

Wardes

"...and someone is going to die."

...

Please R&R!


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: Okay! Here it is! The end of the main Albion arc and another major divergence from canon. I hope I did a good job with this one as this is the first major multi-perspective chapter of this story. Please voice any and all questions and opinions about this chapter and how I handled it, especially the fight against Wardes because that thing went through four different versions before I got this one.

As always, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter.

...

Louise started to regain consciousness and noted that the bed she was on seemed more comfortable than she remembered it. Strange, it seemed larger than she remembered it too. The young Vallière cracked open an eye before snapping both her eyes open and quickly sitting up and looking around.

_This isn't our room at the inn._ Louise quickly deducted before getting off the bed and putting on her boots. She made sure that her clothes were still in order and that her hidden wand was still secure. Matilda had insisted that she bring a spare wand with her that was cleverly concealed in her clothes in case of emergencies, Matilda noting that having a spare wand has saved her countless times in the past. She walked up to the door and tried to open it but...

"It's stuck? No, it's locked from the outside." Louise muttered to herself, her worry increasing because of the situation she had found herself in. The fact that Yuka and the Viscount were nowhere to be found simply added to her growing panic. She pulled out her main wand and decided to blast the door open, it was a good chance to test out Keyword Casting outside of Mugenkan.

_Just as soon as the room stops swaying..._ Louise thought before...

"Wait." She said before walking up to the nearest window.

"This can't be happening..." Louise muttered to herself as she saw clouds fly by. She quickly realized that she was in an airship. Was she kidnapped? Was this some sort of prank? Was this all part of the plan? Louise quickly whirled around and pointed her wand at the door when she heard the sound of locks being undone. The young mage was ready to pump six explosions at whoever was responsible for this, all she needed to do it is to say a single word. Unfortunately, her confidence started to wane the more she thought about it. Whoever managed to get her on this air ship was able to get past both Yuka and the Viscount. If those two couldn't prevent this, then what chance would she have against whoever took her from the inn?

_Calm down, Louise. Just remember what Cirno-nee taught you._ Louise thought as she started to analyze her surroundings. Nowhere to hide but there were plenty of things she can use as distractions or as projectiles if it came to that. Louise kept the wand in her hand but decided to place both her hands behind her to conceal it.

"Ah! You're awake." The voice of Viscount Wardes threw Louise completely off balance.

"Vi-Vi-Vi-Vi-Viscount!" And it showed. Louise relaxed at the sight of the man she would eventually marry but a voice at the back of her head said that she should keep that wand behind her just in case.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up. Are you hungry?" Wardes asked her nonchalantly. It seemed that nothing was wrong but...

"Not at the moment. Umm...what happened? Where's Yuka?" Louise asked.

"Ahhh...I knew you would wonder about that." The Viscount said casually as he poured himself a glass of wine before sitting down on a chair that was set up in the middle of the room.

"Please, sit." The man added, gesturing to the chair across him.

"I'm fine." Louise quickly responded while slowly shaking her head, keeping her position near the window which gave her a good view of the entire room at all times. Wardes regarded her for a few moments before nodding and giving her a smile.

"Very well. There has been a change in the situation." Louise gulped when Wardes suddenly adopted a serious tone of voice.

"I have received a report that a detachment of Albion soldiers have been sent out to look for Prince Wales and they are starting to get closer and closer to his safe house. It will only be a matter of time until they find him." Wardes explained. His tone was grim and Louise could feel the gravity of his words. Prince Wales was the only known member of the Albion Royal Family who was able to escape the capital alive when Cromwell's coup took place. If he was caught or worse, killed, then not only would Louise have failed in her mission for the Princess, it would also mean that Albion would be completely under Cromwell's control.

"That is why I had to arrange a ship that would leave much earlier than the one we had originally set up. Unfortunately, this ship would only take two more passengers so only we were able to get on. Your familiar will be following us on the ship that we were originally supposed to take but it would probably take half a day for him to catch up to us." Wardes continued, explaining the lack of a Yuka in the ship.

"I...see..." Louise replied, still a bit apprehensive of not having her familiar with her. Although, for all she knew, Yuka could already be with Prince Wales by now seeing as he could fly and all. Louise decided not to point that little fact out since she didn't want anyone else finding out what her familiar really was, even if it was the Viscount.

"Don't worry. I gave Mister Yuka directions on how to get to the Prince's safe house. I'm sure that you will be reunited with him soon enough." Wardes assured Louise, who didn't seem convinced by the man's kind words. After all, if he was as kind and nice as he seemed...

Why did he need to lock the door from the outside?

...

I exited the inn after inquiring with the management on where Wardes and Louise took off to. It seemed that my master's fiancé had taken my master away in the middle of the night while she was having her lesson with Cirno in Mugenkan. They took a different flying ship to the floating country of Albion instead of the one that we had agreed upon before they 'slept'. I frowned when I realized that I had no way of tracking them. Getting to Albion was easy enough, it would be rather hard to miss a massive chunk of land that is floating in the sky. The problem stems from the little fact that I don't know where in Albion I'm supposed to look for Louise. I was starting to consider simply going after Cromwell and nip the problem at the bud before starting my search for Louise, even if it meant possibly nuking the site from ground zero, when I noticed the sound of a galloping horse.

"Sir Kazami!" The all too familiar voice of Guiche de Gramont called out to me from atop said horse.

"What are you doing here Guiche?" I asked the young man, not particularly in the mood for him at the moment considering that Louise is missing.

"We have a problem! It's about Viscount Wardes!" I narrowed my eyes at Guiche's words but I waited for him to dismount his horse and catch his breath.

"Explain." I said once Guiche had stopped heaving like an asthmatic. Instead of answering, the blonde walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"There's no time! We have to get Louise away from the Viscount as soon as possible!" Guiche cried in panic as he shook my shoulders. I gave a low growl as I suddenly recalled the familiar feeling of anger that I felt when I first realized that my master disappeared on my watch.

"It's too late, they are already gone. Louise and the Viscount disappeared when I went to wake them up. The proprietor of the inn said that they left for Albion in the middle of the night. I was...careless." I admitted with a hint of a wince at my oversight.

"Oh no..." Guiche muttered in abject terror. I took the young man's wrists and got his hands off my shoulders before looking at him straight in the eye.

"I am not happy with the current developments either. However, you seem to know more about the situation than I seem to. Now, calm down and tell me what you know." I calmly said to the young man while lowering his hands.

"How...how can you be so calm about this? Your master is gone!" Guiche yelled at me. I shook my head at his words. I understood where he was coming from, I really did, but...

"Panicking will not bring Louise back. I need information so I can find a way to get her back safely, nothing else matters right now." I answered and Guiche seemed to understand.

"Alright..." He said before I led him into the inn. Louise's safety was my only priority at that point, damn everything else. I sat on the bed in the room that was used by my master and Wardes and patiently waited for Guiche to gather his thoughts as he paced around the room.

"Okay...here's what happened..." Guiche started as he took a nearby chair and sat on it before looking at me seriously.

...

Guiche de Gramont woke up the morning when Yuka and Louise were going to set off toward Albion and was prepared to make the Familiar of Zero see that he is more than capable of coming with them on this mission for the Princess...or, that was what he would like to believe. The son of the famed general of the Tristain military had spent the previous night trying to think about just that. Unfortunately, his attempt at forming a good enough argument kept falling short considering that he was still a dot-class mage. He still felt that he would be of some use to the pair but it was highly doubtful that Yuka would let him come with them if he did not provide a very good reason for him to go.

"There has to be a way..." Guiche muttered to himself as he sat on his bed. He felt that he owed Yuka for making him see the error of his ways when it came to how he treated Montmorency and women in general. He wanted to pay him back for it, to help him in some way when he needed it. He gazed out the window and found that the sun was already up and it was about time for Louise and Yuka to leave.

_Nothing for it then!_ The young man thought before standing up and putting on his cloak. He was determined to give it one more go before he threw in the towel. He stepped out of his room and started thinking of one more argument for Yuka to consider before heading toward Louise's room. He rounded the corner and was suddenly surprised at the sounds of crashing wood and porcelain...and it was coming from Louise's room!

"Louise? Mister Yuka? Miss Matilda?" Guiche called out as he tried to open the door to Louise's room. After confirming that it was locked, he started banging on the door to try to get someone from the inside to open it.

"Guiche? What are you doing so early in the morning?" The young man turned to the familiar voice of Kirche. Sure enough the Germanian was standing in the hallway with Tabitha at her side.

"Something is wrong! I heard some things crashing inside Louise's room but no one would answer and I can't get the door open!" The young man quickly explained in a worried voice. The effect was immediate as Tabitha lowered the book she was reading and walked over to the door before pointing her staff at the door handle.

"What are you doing?" Guiche asked the young Gallian.

"Opening the door." Tabitha said before sending a powerful but focused wind spell at the door, effectively breaking the locks and swinging the door open.

...

"And?" I asked Guiche when he paused in the middle of his story. That seemed to snap him from his thoughts and he shook his head.

"We entered the room and found Miss Matilda sprawled on the floor unconscious and breathing heavily. The tea set that Louise had as well as the table and chairs were knocked over from when she seemed to have been trying to leave the room." I narrowed my eyes at Guiche's answer.

"What happened to Matilda?" I inquired neutrally, barely able to contain the emotions I was feeling from showing in my voice. What is all this? Worry? Anger? I've never been the one to be provoked by such emotions before except under dire circumstances. So why now? I shook off the feeling of unease and waited for Guiche to respond. I need a cool head for this...at least until I confirm Louise's safety.

"At the time, we didn't really know. Kirche called for help and managed to find Professor Colbert, who suggested that we bring her to the infirmary. We thankfully found a healer there and she was able to stabilize Miss Matilda's condition. And before you ask, Professor Colbert didn't recognize Miss Matilda as Miss Longueville. Her secret is still safe." Guiche answered. I highly doubted the last point though. Colbert was a sharp man, despite his appearance as a fumbling but earnest teacher. He should have figured out who Louise's 'mysterious new private tutor' was especially since she appeared after Miss Longueville resigned as Headmaster Osmond's Secretary and set off to a different country. Seeing as he hasn't done anything about it, the good professor seems to be confident in letting Louise and I keep the former thief in check. Thankfully, only the people inside the academy knew about Matilda other than the Princess, the people in the Charming Fairy Inn and Louise's family.

"What happened afterward? When did Matilda wake up?" I asked Guiche. There was only one thing that I know of that could do that to Matilda, so I wanted to know what triggered it and why she was unable to recover like she did before.

"Well, the healer said that there was nothing physically wrong with her. Instead, she attributed the collapse to either mental fatigue or severe willpower depletion. I think that she had another attack from that spell from before. You know, the one that prevents her from thinking about the people that made her steal the Staff of Destruction." Guiche postulated. If he was able to determine that much, then Kirche and Tabitha should have shared the same suspicion.

"I think you are correct. I had left Matilda behind because Cromwell, the man that caused most of the messes we have found ourselves in, is currently in charge of the country of Albion. If she had another attack, then I would normally assume that she was trying to investigate something about Cromwell instead of trying to look into...something else I asked her to. However, since you mentioned Viscount Wardes..." I trailed off, understanding but not liking where this was going.

"Yes. Miss Matilda woke up several hours later, long after Professor Colbert and the healer on duty have left. She immediately told us to stop Louise from going to Albion, we had to keep her from getting up from the bed for her own sake. She said that she suddenly felt her head feel like it was going to split open when she saw who it was that was going to escort you to where Prince Wales was located. She collapsed again after she said that, probably from the strain of the spell on her mind again, but it was more than enough for Tabitha..."

...

"Traitor." Tabitha muttered in a voice a bit colder than her usual monotone. Kirche and Guiche looked at each other before looking back to their friend.

"It can't be...the escort is a member of the Griffin Knights, someone who was hand picked by the princess herself!" Guiche reasoned, completely disbelieving the possibility of someone so close to the princess to be a traitor.

"I don't know...Miss Matilda and Tabitha give a pretty convincing argument." Kirche chimed in as she wiped some sweat from Matilda's forehead.

"Louise is in danger." Tabitha pointed out the obvious in case her two companions did not realize it yet.

"Please, Yuka is with her. I'd feel sorry for that griffin knight if he tried anything." Kirche casually hand waved her friend's concern. Indeed, after what the three of them have already witnessed, there should have been no doubt that Yuka would be able to deal with any enemy that would appear during the course of their mission under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, this was far from being a normal circumstance.

"Cunning. Conspiracy. Louise is still in danger." Tabitha argued.

"Tabitha is right. If one of the people that did that to Miss Matilda was holding such a high rank and was trusted by Princess Henrietta, it was not out of the realm of possibility that he would be able to find a way to be able to separate Louise and Mister Yuka." Guiche begrudgingly agreed with the blue-haired girl.

"Do we even know who the escort is?" Kirche asked a basic but crucial question. Guiche and Tabitha looked at each other before looking back to Kirche, Guiche's expression was grim while Tabitha's was still neutral but a hint of worry could be seen in her eyes.

"Wardes..." All three of them turned to the struggling voice of Matilda.

"Miss Matilda! Are you alright now?" Kirche asked the older woman before trying to wipe more sweat from he forehead. Matilda grunted as she caught Kirche's wrist and pulled her closer.

"His name is Wardes...a Viscount...he was the bastard that...threatened me...get Louise away from him...tell Yuka to show him...no mercy...hurry!" Matilda hissed before collapsing back onto the bed from the strain.

"This is bad..." Kirche muttered as she removed Matilda's hand from her wrist.

"Find Louise." Tabitha stated.

"How? We don't even know where they went to." Kirche countered and Tabitha was unable to come up with a response to that.

"I do..." Both girls turned to Guiche who had adopted an expression similar to Louise's when she was dead set on doing something.

...

"And I rode all the way out here to tell you...I wish I was able to get here earlier..." I heard Guiche say ruefully as he lowered his head, ending his explanation.

"No...what you did was enough. I thank you Sir Gramont." I stated while standing up before I started pacing around the room.

"But...I wasn't able to make it in time!" Guiche all but yelled at me. I stopped to regard him for a moment before resuming my pacing.

"True, but you have confirmed that the Viscount is an enemy...one that Matilda wishes to be rid of. At least now, I will not have to second guess killing him because of the off chance that he was really on our side and because he is Louise's fiancé." I clarified, making Guiche blink at me for a few moments.

"He is Louise's fiancé?" The young man asked and I nodded.

"Yes, I became complacent around the man because of that and because Louise seemed to genuinely trust the man. It was my mistake." I answered while continuing to pace around the room.

"Then we should go after them now! Why are you still even here pacing around the room?" Guiche asked before standing up and pointing at me.

"Because I don't know where they went. All I know is that they are headed to Albion, no more than that. Our 'escort' should have been the one to guide us to the actual location of the Prince's safe house. Obviously, that did not work out so well. If only there was a way to track Louise..." I explained before continuing my pacing around the room. I wasn't even sure why I started pacing around in the first place but I was too busy trying to figure out a way to find Louise to care.

"Is there anything on Louise that could help you find her?" Guiche asked me.

"She has Derf with her. She also has a letter written by Princess Henrietta along with a rare jeweled ring called the 'Water Ruby'. Unfortunately, I have no way to track Louise using any of those things." I admitted, hence my current dilemma.

"Did you say a rare jeweled ring?" Guiche asked in an inquiring voice, one that betrayed the tone of hope.

...

Louise spent the ride on Wardes' griffin in silence. She was situated in front of the Viscount so the man's arms were around her to be able to keep the reigns of his mount. She was very glad that her hat hid her face from Wardes and that Derf was remaining silent since that feeling of something amiss has not went away yet.

_Is this feeling a premonition? Or is this simply because Yuka isn't at my side? _Louise thought in silence, it was true though. This was likely the longest time that she has gone without Yuka with her ever since she summoned him. Even in her dreams, her familiar was still there at her side...whether she wanted to or not. The thought made her smile despite herself. For all intents and purposes, she had summoned a monster. After what she saw in Mugenkan during his Danmaku battle against his former student, Louise had no doubt that Yuka is capable of defeating even elves if he felt like it. However, rather than being a horrible, psychotic, and bloodthirsty beast that she saw in a dream so long ago, Yuka had shown himself to be polite, reasonable, often aloof, yet caring in his own way. Put simply, she missed Yuka.

"Louise, we're here." Her fiancé's voice snapped her from her thoughts, much to her dismay. She remembered back during her childhood when she thought that the Viscount was her knight in shining armor, her prince who will whisk her away from her life of failures and burdens and make her the happiest girl in the world. She well and truly believed that...back when she was a child. She will admit, Wardes was still as handsome and dashing as they come but she didn't feel the same...spark...she did when she was younger. The young Vallière simply chalked it up to outgrowing her old crush. Louise shook her head to rid herself of such unnecessary thoughts and decided to pay attention to the situation at hand for now. She noted that they were currently in front of a gated complex somewhere in the countryside, a church surrounded by stone walls. This was the prince's safe house?

"Halt! Identify yourselves!" One of the four armed guards in front of the gates called out to them. Louise looked back as Wardes dismounted his griffin before helping her dismount as well. He then turned to the guards and gave them a sweeping bow.

"I am Captain Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes of the Tristain Royal Griffin Knights. I come as the escort of a hand picked emissary of Princess Henrietta de Tristain of the country of Tristain." Wardes introduced himself, Louise noted, using his rank as a Captain of the Griffin Knights instead of his title as Viscount. They were told to wait where they stood as one of the guards went inside the complex, possibly to get council from someone with more authority in order to confirm or deny their claim.

"Does it really take this long?" Louise whispered from behind Wardes, her natural impatience shining through the cracks. She heard Wardes chuckle before he turned back to her, adjusting her cowboy hat in a way that Louise didn't really find comfortable.

_Because it wasn't the way Yuka adjusted her hat for her when she first got it._ The tiny voice of a mini-Louise said at the back of her mind. Louise unconsciously scowled at the thought because, while it was true that she had adopted the adjustments Yuka made with her hat whenever she wore it, it didn't seem fair to say that she didn't feel comfortable simply because it wasn't Yuka who adjusted it. Louise blinked when she noticed her escort and fiancé give her a concerned look.

"Don't worry about it too much, Little Louise. They're just being cautious about this. After all, we managed to track down the exact place where their exiled prince is currently hiding. If I were them, I'd be jumpy too if two strangers suddenly appeared out of nowhere claiming to be a Knight Captain and an emissary." Louise could only nod at Wardes' reasoning so she decided to wait patiently for their concern to be addressed by whoever was fit to do so. Eventually, the same guard that let them in came out and regarded them both seriously.

"You can both enter but the mount stays outside." The guard stated as his comrades opened the gate enough for them to enter.

_That's it? They're just letting us inside? _Louise thought in confusion and surprise. If what Wardes was saying is true, they should have been put under more scrutiny than this. Unless the princess prepared for this beforehand or something…

"Come now, Little Louise. Can't keep the Prince of Albion waiting." The Knight Captain stated as he directed his griffin and familiar to the side of the wall to keep it out of the way and place it in some shade. Louise nodded before following him inside the complex. The young void mage noted that, despite the seemingly adequate security measures outside, the inside of the complex was only guarded by a handful of soldiers...and none of them were mages.

_This is all that's left of the ones who are loyal to the Albion Royal Family? _Louise thought to herself both in surprise and worry. If she was right, then the princess has a lot more to worry about than a stray love letter being found. Princess Henrietta's beloved Prince Wales might really get himself killed if he stays in Albion. Louise's worry carried over until they were led to the front door of the church. The young void mage gulped as the doors slowly opened to reveal a handsome young man with blonde hair and sharp, determined, blue eyes speaking with an elderly man in a priest's garb. No guesses as to who the sharply dressed young man was as he turned to Louise and Wardes and gave them a smile.

"Founder be with you. I am glad that you were able to get here safely despite the current situation of my country. Captain Wardes I presume?" Prince Wales regarded them both warmly and Wardes gave the prince a respectful bow.

"Indeed I am. This is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, hand picked emissary of our princess and also her close friend." Wardes answered while introducing Louise to the prince as well. Wales nodded at Wardes words before turning to Louise, who blushed but managed to keep the sense of mind to give a proper bow to the prince.

"It is a honor to meet you, your highness." Louise greeted him with as much respect as she would Henrietta.

"Ah! I have heard much about you from Henrietta. I am glad to finally meet such a good friend of hers." Wales said as he approached Louise and, much to her eternal surprise, took her right hand and kissed it.

"A-a-a-awa-wawa-awawawa-you-wa-shock-" Louise stammered as she slipped into another emotionally induced non-sequitur.

"It seems that the gesture was a bit too much for her. It's not every day that a girl gets her hand kissed by a real prince." Wardes jokingly stated before chuckling.

"True. I apologize if I caught you off guard." The prince said with an embarrassed smile. Louise quickly shook her head before taking a deep breath.

"It was just unexpected. That is all." Louise responded before taking out the envelope that contained Henrietta's letter as well as the Water Ruby.

"The princess said to give you this letter and that this ring will prove the validity of my claim to have been sent here on her behalf." Louise said, her determination to accomplish her mission superseding her embarrassment.

"Thank you, though the ring was not needed. I'd like you to keep it and return it to Henrietta. Please make yourselves at home while I read her letter." The prince said as he returned the ring to Louise before walking away to read the princess' letter to him. Louise sat down on one of the pews and took a deep breath.

_I wonder when Yuka will arrive? _Louise idly thought as she unconsciously started to scan and take note of her surroundings.

Every Surface.

Every Corner.

Every Object.

Every Occupant.

Every Possible Variable.

Just like how Cirno-nee taught her.

...

"Are you certain that this is the place?" I asked Guiche who quickly nodded after consulting with his familiar. We were currently atop a hill in the Albion countryside overlooking a church and I was making sure that this was indeed the place where my master was.

"Yes, no doubt about it. When it comes to finding fine jewelry and gems, none can match my Verdandi. In fact, she says that there are two rings of great worth in that place." The young Gramont stated confidently while pointing to his familiar, who was several yards away from us for obvious reasons. We managed to get here much faster than we would have if we took a ship thanks to my wings. Although, we would have gotten here earlier if Guiche hadn't spent our first half hour in Albion regurgitating because of air sickness and if his mole wasn't so adverse about flying in the first place. I narrowed my eyes when I noticed something in the distance.

"It seems that this has become a rescue mission of a different sort." I noted as I noticed several hundred men approaching the church where Verdandi indicated Louise was located at, presumably with the traitor Wardes and Prince Wales.

"Oh no..." Guiche exclaimed when he noticed what I was looking at.

"It would appear that Cromwell has found the prince." I stated plainly as I thought about how to deal with this situation.

...

"Report! The guards outside have spotted several hundred soldiers heading this way!" A guard practically screamed after he burst through the church doors. Louise suddenly stood up at the news in panic while Prince Wales and the priest with him looked absolutely shocked. The only one to keep their composure throughout the announcement was none other than Viscount Wardes.

"We have to get the prince to saf-!" Louise quickly yelled as she turned to her fiancé, but her words died in her throat when she noticed something...something that made the whole world seem to slow down around her. There was the Prince, who was telling the priest with him to get to a safe place within the church. There was the priest, who was insisting that the prince be the one to get to safety. There were the guards who were hurriedly getting ready to make their last stand in the name of their prince. And there was Viscount Wardes. The man she looked up to as a child. The man who was her first love. The man who was supposed to become her husband, the father of her children. The man who had just taken out a gleaming throwing knife from within his robes. Judging from the way he had drawn it out and where he was looking, there was only one conclusion Louise could make. Her fiancé was about to throw a knife at Prince Wales. Without a second thought...Louise moved.

"Augh! Aaaahhh! Haaaahhh! Haaaaaaaaaaaahh!" Pain...the knife dug deep into Louise's left arm after she scrambled to get between Prince Wales and Wardes' knife. Her pained breathing was the only thing that could be heard inside the church as everyone else was either outside or inside but too shocked to do anything. The young void mage, a petite girl of seventeen, slowly used her right hand to grip the handle of the knife that was embedded in her left arm before looking right at Wardes.

"This...is...nothing...compared...to...CHOMPING FLOWERS!" Louise screamed in agony as she pulled out the knife before throwing it to the ground, her blood and her tears staining the floor of the church.

"Milady Vallière!" Prince Wales yelled out as he quickly went to Louise's side. She didn't notice because her gaze was still locked onto her fiancé's.

"Why?" Louise ground out through the pain. Wardes sighed before shaking his head.

"We needed him dead." The Viscount simply stated as he drew is sword-wand and beginning to chant a spell.

"Guards!" The priest cried out but none of the guards came as all of them were already outside the complex preparing for their final battle against their brothers.

"No...I won't be able to cast fast enough to counter his spell." Wales said with grit teeth when he saw that Wardes was nearly done with casting a powerful wind spell.

"Pull me out and use me to block the spell!" Derflinger suddenly called out while popping up from the scabbard strapped on Louise's back. Wales looked at the sword in shock for obvious reasons until the talking sword started to rattle.

"Hurry!" The sword's panicked voice was enough to spur the prince into action. Wales cleanly pulled out the ancient blade with the skill of a practiced swordsman before stepping in front of the injured Louise just in time to meet a razor sharp whirlwind made by Wardes. Wales held his ground in the face of certain death and was rewarded when the edge of the talking sword suddenly started to shine. The wind warped around the edge before getting drawn into it, devouring the spell until the very last drop of magic was gone. This was the reasoning behind its name. This was what the 'Devourer of Magi' is truly capable of.

"Amazing..." Wales could only mutter at what Derflinger had just done. Louise, despite the pain and the blood loss, pushed Wales aside and aimed her wand at Wardes. The tears flowing free from her eyes were the only indication of her pain, both physically and emotionally. Without hesitation, she screamed her magic word.

"ZERO!"

...

_ZERO!_

My eyes widened when I thought I heard Louise invoking her Keyword. When I sensed the magic spike coming from the church and the subsequent explosion that came from within the structure, I knew that it really was Louise.

"What was that?" Guiche cried out when he heard the explosion. I was about to fly right into the church when I heard Louise invocation and the effect of her spell.

"Louise is fighting Wardes." I stated as I watched the handful of guards who were still loyal to the prince get quickly slaughtered by a few hundred Albion soldiers and a few dozen magicians in the field near the church. I'll need to do something about them first.

"We have to do something!" Guiche stated the obvious while stepping right in front of me. I gazed at the young man, then at the church, then at the oncoming soldiers. I knew what I had to do, but there was something inside me, a feeling that kept saying that what I was about to do was wrong and that Louise should be my only priority. I squashed that feeling quickly because I knew that if I didn't do this, my master's safety would still be compromised. Besides, I have faith that Louise's training will pull her through.

"Go to the church and help Louise and the prince. I'll take care of the soldiers." I stated as I walked past the young man.

"What? You mean to fight an entire detachment of soldiers by yourself? Are you mad?" Guiche said in panic, obviously not realizing who it was he was talking two. I turned around and gave him one of 'those' smiles.

"Now, whoever said that I would be alone?" I said and Guiche stepped back a few feet when he saw what it was that I just did while his familiar was already running for the hills, smart move.

"You once told me that you would do anything to pay me back for helping you see the wrong in what you did with Monmon. Now is your chance, Sir Gramont. Help my master against Viscount Wardes and consider your debt repaid in full." I stated before I turned toward the oncoming wave of soldiers, spreading my wings, and flying right at them...my other half following close behind, complete with her own parasol. We landed several yards in front of the Albion soldiers, all of whom suddenly froze when they saw two people with wings suddenly land right in front of them. To my side stood my other half, the means of which I was able to use Dual Spark. I was amused that she was still a woman instead of becoming a man like I did, I guess what Yukari did only affected me exclusively. She looked exactly like I did back when I was a woman, except that her green hair was longer that mine was and part of it was covering her right eye. She also permanently had an expression that Flandre Scarlet would have if you gave her enough coffee.

"Hold it right there, little humans!" My other half suddenly yelled out while pointing her parasol at the soldiers. The sudden declaration caught them off guard and they all took a step back at the same time.

"I! Yuka Kazami! Have personally come here to make you regret the misfortune of your birth!" She continued with a sadistic smile before her parasol opened up and started to glow.

"SO BE GRATEFUL!" She roared before unleashing a Master Spark that blew through the middle of the Albion formation, effectively cutting the force in two. She then turned to me and gave me an excited smile.

"Betcha I can kill my side faster that you can~!" She playfully challenged me as she pointed to the soldiers to the left side.

"You're on." I replied with my own smile and the battle was joined.

...

"Zero!" Louise yelled out again as she aimed an explosion underneath a church pew, sending it flying right at Wardes to countered it with a slicing wind that bisected the wooden object in half and away from him. The Viscount was able to survive Louise's initial attack because of a well timed magic shield made of wind that Wardes cast as soon as Louise pointed her wand at him. He wasn't given a chance to counter attack because Prince Wales, still wielding Derflinger, quickly closed on him from the side and forced him to use the 'sword' part of his sword wand. The two men were locked in a match of strength as both of them were vying from positioning and the upper hand in the fight.

"Why? You are a Griffin Knight! A Captain! A man sworn to the Crown of Tristain! Why are you doing this?" Wales yelled at the man who nearly killed him and showed no remorse when he hit Louise instead.

"Because someone else made a better offer!" Wardes said confidently before pushing Wales away and pointing his sword-wand at him and casting a quick tornado spell.

"That won't work!" The Prince of Albion said as he once again used Derflinger to absorb the magic. Wardes anticipated this and cut the spell short and darted to the prince's left side, intending to do a diagonal slash with his sword-wand while Wales was still occupied with getting Derflinger to devour his spell.

"Zero!" Louise yelled out, aiming at the space between Wales and Wardes before an explosion detonated. The force of the blast made Wales fly back a couple of feet but it saved him from being slashed by Wardes. The Viscount was thrown outside the church because of the blast where he struggled to get back up. Louise fell to her knees as the constant quick casting of spells in addition to her would and blood loss were really starting to get to her.

_I have to get up. _She thought as she stared blankly at Wardes who was starting to recover his footing. Prince Wales was also up but Louise wouldn't even think about letting him face Wardes by himself even with Derflinger. And so, Louise stood back up. She's been through worse. She's been roasted alive so many times that her pain threshold should be better than even her big sister Eleanor. She's witnessed magic and power the likes of which Halkeginia has never even dreamed of before. She's a Void Mage! She's the daughter of The Heavy Wind dammit!

"Haaaahhh! Haaah! Haaaaahh! Louise...smash..." The young void mage said through the pain and fatigue as she slowly walked out of the church where Viscount Wardes and Prince Wales were already engaged in combat.

"Not bad for a royal!" Wardes taunted Wales as he blocked and parried each strike that the prince made. The Prince was smart enough to make sure to keep the fight in close quarters since giving the Viscount any kind of range longer than the length of his sword would guarantee another wind spell sent right into his face.

"Guh!" Wales grunted in pain as Wardes managed to get a lucky stab in and nick his left shoulder. He quickly adjusted his footing posture to get his shoulder out of range before doing a series of stabs of his own. Derflinger was longer than Wardes' sword-wand but it was also thicker and heavier. Wales lamented the fact that even he was noticing his movements start to slow down. He was getting tired.

_No! For my country! For Henrietta! For Milady Vallière! I must not fall here! _Prince Wales thought and his body responded. The Crown Prince of Albion started to fight with much greater fervor, as if this was supposed to be his final stand.

"Dammit!" Wardes cursed when Wales managed to score a shallow diagonal slash across his chest.

"Don't get too cocky!" The Viscount showed his years of experience by blocking the next strike cleanly before grabbing Wales' wrist with his left hand, pulling him closer, before delivering a head butt.

"Gaaah!" Wales yelled out as his head recoiled from the strike. Wardes smiled at his work and readied his sword-wand for one final stab.

That was when three of Guiche's bronze golems tackled him.

"Keep him down!" Guiche commanded as his golems kept Wardes on the ground before he ran to the Wales' side.

"Are you alright?" The young blonde asked the prince who looked up to him in surprise.

"Who are you?" He asked his apparent savior.

"Guiche de Gramont. Son of General Gramont of the Tristain Military and a friend of Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Where is Louise anyway?" Guiche managed to say before his golems suddenly found themselves up in the air. His bronze valkyries crashed onto the ground, completely trashed, and both he and Wales turned to see Wardes standing back up. His sword-wand was in his right hand and a regular wand was in his left. He also looked very angry.

...

"You may not understand it..." My other half seductively said to a soldier who was trying to run away from her.

"...but you're already dead~" She ended her sentence, and the soldier's life, by using her parasol like a javelin and impaling itself in the middle of the man's chest.

We were almost done cleaning up. The four-hundred and fifty soldiers that were sent to find and kill Wales were a bit of an overkill considering what they were originally up against. However, it felt almost like a chore for me an my other half as we started slaughtering the soldiers like we were in one of those video games that Kaguya liked...Regime Warriors? Or was it Dynasty Fighters?

"Now!" I turned to the source of the voice and saw that a group of magicians that were with the soldiers were gathered together and seemed to have just finished casting a spell. A second later, a massive torrent of flame headed right for us, intending to engulf us in an inferno along with the corpses of their fallen allies. My other half walked up to me and gave me a knowing smile. I nodded to her and we both raised our parasols in unison and pointed them at the oncoming blaze. We both gave a demented smile before unleashing a Dual Spark that wiped out the flames and the magicians that created it. That felt good, I admit. We then turned when we saw that there were still a few more soldiers around, so we continued cleaning up.

...

"How can he be this good?" Guiche cried out as he watched Wardes tear through the last of his seventeen Bronze Valkyries. The Viscount used a combination of swordplay and magic to dispose of the golems. It was as to be expected of a Captain of the Griffin Knights and a former student of The Heavy Wind.

"Playtime is over. You both die." Wardes stated in a very serious voice before he pointed his sword wand at them and...watched as it was consumed in an explosion. The Viscount cursed and dropped what was left of his weapon before turning to the entrance of the church. There, with an exhausted but determined expression, her clothes stained with her own blood, a shaking right hand holding her wand and pointing it at Wardes, however...she still had her hat and it was back on the way it was before Wardes adjusted it for her.

"By the founder...what happened to you?" Guiche asked in horror at the current state of his friend. Even the prince, after he finally got a good look at Louise post-knife-stabbing, could not contain the feeling of regret and worry for the young woman.

"Milady! Please stay back! You are not fit to face this man!" Wales, with all this chivalry, tried to make Louise back down in fear of her getting any more hurt for his sake. Louise didn't hear any of it. The only thing in her mind right now was the man she was currently looking at. Wardes saw her lips move, not a sound reached his ears but his years of training and combat experience bade him to move. Move he did, just in time to avoid an explosion that detonated on the spot where he once stood.

_Dammit! I can't even tell if she's casting a spell or not anymore!_ Wardes complained as he pointed his wand at Louise and prepared to launch a spell at her.

"Too bad, I'd hoped to have gotten a child out of you before I killed you." The Viscount coldly stated before-

"No!" Guiche suddenly cried out as he created a bronze sword before charging at Wardes.

"Stop!" Wales called out before joining Guiche to intercept Wardes before he could attack Louise.

"Gotcha!" The man suddenly said as he revealed a hidden wand in his right hand that was aimed at the two young men. Wales froze when he realized that he was too close to get Derflinger up into a defensive position to devour the spell. Guiche stopped and adjusted his stance in a futile gesture to try to block the attack using his bronze sword.

"...zero..." Louise muttered after using what was left of her energy to carefully aim at the hidden wand. The explosion that resulted was a small one because of Louise's fading consciousness and depleted willpower, but it was enough to knock the wand out of Wardes' hand.

"Meddling kids!" Wardes screamed as he tried to whip his left hand to use his other wand to strike at the young men. It was too late though, as Prince Wales managed to get close enough to Wardes to slice of his left hand just as the Viscount was about to point the wand at them.

"Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Wardes screamed as he stumbled back while holding the stump that once had his left hand using his right.

"Give it up..." Wales said grimly as he raised Derflinger and readied himself to finish the fight.

"No..." Wardes replied before whistling. A bronze blur confused and disoriented Guiche and Wales, it was enough to give Wardes the chance to throw himself atop his griffin and setting off into the skies.

"Traitor! Come back here!" Guiche all but screamed at the flying griffin that managed to snatch away Wardes.

_The...prince...is...safe..._ Louise managed to think before darkness finally consumed her vision.

"Milady!" Wales yelled out when he saw Louise collapse on the ground.

"No...she is bleeding badly! Father Benedict! The healing agents! Hurry!" The Prince called out to the priest who was still inside the church. For the first time since the coup started, Wales Tudor doubted if staying in Albion was the right thing to do if it meant that good people like Louise would end up this way.

...

"Ah! We've got a runner~!" My other half said as she pointed at the griffin that was flying away from the church. It was likely Wardes trying to get away after getting his ass handed to him.

"Take care of it." I stated as I threw the last dead soldier on the pile we made after we finished killing everyone. I didn't wait for her reply as I immediately started walking to the church. I entered the complex and noted the telltale signs of battle in front of the church itself. I saw Guiche sitting on the steps that led to the church, his expression grim.

"Guiche." I called out to him. He slowly looked up to me and his face twisted in horror and disgust when he saw the blood that covered me. I'll need a bath after this...

"Where is Louise?" I asked him.

"How can you be so calm? You and that...other you...just killed so many people..." Guiche grit out without meeting my gaze.

"I've lived a long time Guiche de Gramont, that's why. Now, where is Louise?" I answered and repeated my initial question while folding my arms and leaning back.

"She is inside, being treated by the Prince and Father Benedict. She has a stab wound on her left arm and she bled out pretty badly..." The young man answered, his voice void of emotion and full of exhaustion.

"...we let him get away..." He added as I stepped forward to get inside the church.

"No, I have someone taking care of it. Your debt to me is now repaid." I stated before passing Guiche and entering the church to check on my master.

...

_Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I'm going to kill that little bitch!_ Wardes thought as he struggled to close the wound that was formerly his wrist as his griffin flew him away from Albion.

"I'll be sure to come back for you, Louise..." He said with dark determination. That was until he felt someone watching him. He quickly turned around and his shocked expression met a dementedly happy one.

"Heeee~eeey~!"

...

Louise opened her eyes and once again found herself inside Mugenkan. She sat up and touched her left arm. It was fine. Of course it was fine, this is a dream. She stood up and looked around. Yuka wasn't there yet. Was he going after Wardes? Was he looking after Prince Wales? Was he fighting the Albion Army?

"He's actually watching over you." Louise turned around and saw Yukari smiling at her.

"You can read minds now too?" The young void mage asked the border youkai sarcastically.

"I can do a lot of things my dear~" Yukari teasingly answered.

"But really, he stopped by here earlier and told me what happened. He asked me to watch over you for a while in case you managed to pop up here while you were unconscious in your own realm. And don't worry, he managed to take down that traitor for you too." Yukari explained.

"So the Viscount is dead..." Louise said in relief and not in sadness.

"Now then, looks like you'll be stuck here for a while so...how about you tell me stories about your realm~" Yukari changed gears and approached Louise like a child. The young woman blinked at her a few times before shrugging.

"Only if you tell me some of yours." She said with an awkward smile.

"Deal~" The border youkai responded before gapping in a table, a chair, and a tea set.

And so, Louise dreamed of tea and stories about the Eastern Wonderland.

...

"So..." I said when I saw Louise open her eyes to a brand new day.

"...so..." She replied weakly. She was lying on one of the church pews that weren't destroyed during their fight with Wardes while I sat next to her and let her use my lap like a pillow. She blinked at me a few times before scowling.

"You stink of death..." She complained. I was able to get myself cleaned up in Mugenkan before I started my vigil over Louise, but it seemed that my master could still tell what I did yesterday.

"Speak for yourself." I shot back with a sly smile. Louise grumbled unintelligibly before struggling to sit up, I helped her up and we sat side by side in the now quiet church.

"Where is everyone?" Louise asked as she looked around for the others.

"Guiche is outside with Prince Wales and Father Benedict. They are working on making a mass grave for the guards that died and soldiers that attacked. I had offered to simply burn or vaporize the corpses, but they didn't seem to like that idea too well." I answered and Louise nodded weakly, she still looked very tired and very...sad.

"Viscount Wardes tried to kill me..." Louise muttered while looking up at the massive stained glass window in front of us. I nodded in response but remained silent, allowing Louise to continue with what she wanted to say.

"He tried to use the confusion during the attack from the Albion army...he tried to kill Prince Wales with a throwing knife. I managed to get in between the prince and the knife because of all that training I did in Mugenkan. It hit my arm...it hurt a lot..." Louise continued, her words betrayed her exhaustion and just how scared she really was at the time. She then turned to me and gave me a tired smile.

"I did it, you know. I managed to perform my Keyword Casting on my first try. I even managed to do it over and over and over again. I'm not a failure...I'm not a Zero..." She told me with as much pride as she could muster. She told me those things as if she still needed to seek approval from me of all people.

"You were never a failure, Louise." I simply said while picking up her hat from my side and putting it on her head, making sure to adjust it just right.

"Is the Viscount dead?" Louise asked me without any fear or hesitation in her voice.

"Yes. Wardes was the one who originally threatened Matilda, seemingly on behalf of Cromwell. She gave explicit instructions for me not to show any mercy towards him. I simply complied with her request." I answered. Louise expression hardened when she heard that Wardes was part of Cromwell's conspiracy and was the one who made Matilda go after the Rawket Lawnchair.

"I can't believe that I was supposed to marry that man. I can't believe that I actually wanted to marry him for the longest time. By the founder...I have awful tastes in men." Louise said ruefully before burying her face in her hands.

"I think that you are worrying about the wrong things..." I commented offhandedly at Louise's words. She suddenly glared at me before puffing her cheeks, folding her arms, and leaning back.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who has lived for over a thousand years without even falling in love once." She chastised me, or so she thinks. I simply shrugged and stood up. Louise tried to stand up as well but she yelped when her legs didn't support her and nearly made her fall over.

"Easy." I said as I caught her by the shoulders and helped her sit back on the pew.

"Thank you..." She muttered while looking away from me, her face was flushed and her shoulders were still shaking.

"You did well, Louise. You overcame much even without my help. I'm proud of you." I told Louise with a warm smile. I wasn't sure why I said those words at that moment, they just seemingly came out of my mouth on their own. I didn't have any time to further speculate on the matter as Louise suddenly wrapped her arms around me, buried her face on my shoulder, and started crying. I was not really sure how to deal with this situation so I simply decided to let her cry until she was done.

...

"Milady Vallière! Are you well enough to be up?" Prince Wales exclaimed when he noticed Louise and I emerge from within the church. My master was still weak from all the sudden exertion that she went through the previous day, only managing to stand and walk by holding on to my arm for support.

"Hey there, little miss!" Derf partially popped out of its scabbard, which was strapped on Wales' back, and greeted Louise.

"I'm fine, your highness...just tired." Louise replied with a smile.

"Where are Guiche and Father Benedict?" I asked the lone prince.

"They're currently looking for appropriate clothes and other things we can use for your plan of extraction." Wales explained and I nodded in approval.

"Plan of extraction?" Louise inquired, obviously not privy to our meeting last night since she was asleep.

"It was actually originally Father's Benedict's idea. After much deliberation along with logical and deductive thinking, we came to the conclusion that Wales staying in Albion any longer would be a very bad idea." I explained and Louise simply gave me a flat stare.

"I could have told you that." She stated with equal flatness. We both turned back to Wales when he suddenly gave an awkward cough.

"Well, I had been intending to stay in my country and organize those who are still loyal to the crown to rise up against the usurper but..." Wales trailed off and I decided to pick up the line of thought for him.

"...you would have been found and killed within days, especially now that Cromwell has an idea of the general area where you are. Staying here would not only risk your own life but the lives of anyone who would give you sanctuary. Additionally, if you die, Cromwell officially gets Albion...I, for one, would be personally insulted if someone like that would gain a country to rule." I stated, voicing my dislike for Cromwell, earning solemn nods from my master and a resigned sigh from the prince.

"They got you there, bro!" Derf piped up. Louise didn't seem to approve of the way Derf addressed Prince Wales as I noticed her magical power spike up again, nowhere near the usual amount for obvious reasons but it was still noticeable.

"Derflinger! Don't speak that way to Prince Wales!" Louise yelled at the sword, showing that she can still snap at you even in her relatively weakened state. Wales looked startled at Louise's sudden outburst but managed to recover quickly and give a lighthearted chuckle.

"Worry not about it, Milady. Derflinger has saved my life as much as you did and has proven to be quite the sword. I do not mind him calling me that." Wales assured Louise but my master didn't seem to approve of Wales' actions either and she showed it with a small scowl.

"Now I understand why Henrietta admires you so. You wear your heart on your sleeve and you are not afraid to voice your opinion. Those are very rare virtues for a noble, Milady." Wales added with a friendly smile. Louise flushed at the sudden compliment and stammered something about 'affection values' or whatnot.

"It has been bothering me for a while now but...why do you address Louise as 'Milady'? Technically, she's already a Chevalier...a knight...so shouldn't you call her by Dame or Lady or simply Chevalier Louise?" I piped up, turning everyone's attention toward me.

"She is? I apologize, Dame. You did not have the mantle of a Chevalier so I did not know." Wales suddenly said, embarrassed that he's been addressing my master incorrectly all this time.

"It's fine, your highness! I am but a mere servant to my princess. I do not care for my rank so long as I can serve her." Louise immediately responded, once again showing just how loyal she was to Henrietta. I shook my head at her words. I still think that her devotion was blind without reason but she probably won't listen to me even if I pointed out every flaw in her undying loyalty to her princess. Instead, I decided to ask about something else.

"Mantle of a Chevalier?" I asked, curious about such a thing. Wales looked at me like I just grew a second head, which I've already done once by the way. Louise eyed me like I was an idiot before facepalming and turning to the prince.

"My familiar isn't from around here, your highness..." She said to Wales who nodded in understanding.

"A mantle essentially shows the status of a noble. It can be shown in a number of ways, from the symbols and standards of a country or a family to the sheer quality of the cape or cloak that the noble is wearing." Louise explained to me. I nodded before glancing at Wales and remembering something.

"But what of the prince here, he does not have a mantle? I don't think I've seen Princess Henrietta wear one either." I pointed out. Louise rubbed her eyes in obvious frustration before looking at me like I was an idiot.

"They're royalty, Yuka. They have crowns. They don't need mantles." Louise ground out.

"Ah...I see. I apologize for overlooking that." I said to both of them.

"Don't worry about it Mister Yuka." Wales said with a shrug while Louise still looked like she thought I was an idiot. The sounds of footsteps and something dragging across the ground caught our attention. We all turned to the source of the disturbance and saw Guiche and Father Benedict dragging a large blue suitcase along with a few bags of cloth.

"What is all that?" Louise asked as Wales ran over to help the two men.

"Our ticket off this rock." I replied with a smile.

...

"This is not going to work..." Louise muttered as she adjusted her hat to make the front brim cover more of her face. Currently, Father Benedict, Guiche, Louise, myself, and the large blue suitcase were waiting in line to get in the port city of Manchester and hopefully to one of the commercial ships that were headed for Tristain. Apparently, the sudden coup, the elimination of all but one of the members of the Albion Royal Family, and the minor civil war that happened didn't sit well with several locals and a steady trickle of emigrants who wanted out of the country...at least until it stabilized again.

"Just relax and let me and Father Benedict do all the talking. Guiche, make sure to always stay with Louise and Father Benedict, the last think we need is getting separated from each other." I stated as I carried the suitcase with my right hand while my left held my parasol. Guiche currently had Derf equipped and had traded in his usual clothing with a rather bland green tunic with matching pants, his shoes were also done away with and were replaced with worn worker boots. Louise got changed from her bloodied clothes into a quaint brown one piece dress, though she still wore her hat which made to look a bit out of place. The good Father and I didn't need to change since the man was a priest while I looked like a commoner anyway. The suitcase was fine as well, in case you are wondering.

We managed to get into the city without incident. Unfortunately, getting a ship to Tristain was harder that I had expected. In fact, getting into any ship headed anywhere outside the country was a challenge. Apparently, Cromwell…or someone smarter than him…anticipated something like this would happen and instigated massive emigration taxes up any and all who would try to leave Albion. Sadly, no one really had anything resembling a traveling budget in our little group. This was when Father Benedict had the idea of trying to use his status as a priest to try to get us on a ship. I accompanied the priest to the registry station of a particular ship that was headed for La Rochelle, Louise and Guiche stayed outside the building we went into along with the suitcase. The priest started to explain the current situation without embellishing the fact that we had a rather important luggage that we needed to deliver to Tristain.

"Denied. This ship will only accept supply cargo for merchants. No additional people can be allowed to board." The stressed out middle-aged man in front of us stated in a drawl as if he's had to say that string of words several times already through the course of the day. The priest turned to me apologetically before sighing.

"I'm sorry, maybe we will have a better chance with a different ship?" Benedict said optimistically. Unfortunately, I didn't want to stay here any longer so I decided to use a little trick I had already used in this realm. I walked up in front of the man before giving him a smile. He sighed in response and gave me a dismissive wave.

"Look, I don't care what you say. We won't allow any-" I cut him off by waving my right hand in front of his face, allowing a Body Snatcher to sneak into his ear and into his brain.

"You will make an exception for our traveling party." I stated in a calm soothing voice.

"I will make an exception for your traveling party." The man repeated without blinking. Father Benedict on the other hand seemed to be utterly gobsmacked at what I had just seeming done.

"You will add to the ship manifest that our party will be provided full accommodations due to our friendly relation to the clients of this vessel." I added with the same voice.

"I will add to the ship manifest that your party will be provided full accommodations due to your friendly relation to the clients of this vessel." The body snatcher repeated perfectly before starting to write down something on the parchment in front of it.

"Please show this to the guards in front of the ship, it will allow you access to the vessel and explain why you are there." The body snatcher stated as it handed our voucher to me.

"Thank you, have a nice day." I said before turning back to the still shocked priest.

"I'm very convincing in arguments." I said to the priest before walking out to where Louise and Guiche were.

…

"We're finally headed back to Tristain." Guiche stated tiredly as he sat down on a chair in the quarters that was provided to us by the Captain of the 'Trojan Horse'. The ship was rather large but its size was due to the fact that it was a transport ship for goods instead of people, it was not meant to ferry passengers around regularly. Because of this, we found ourselves inside a spacious three bedded room with a couch and some extra chairs. I put the suitcase down in the middle of the room and heard a banging noise coming from within.

"I think it's about time you let them out, it should be safe now." Louise said in a concerned voice. I nodded and laid the suitcase on its side and opened it.

"Guaaaaaaaah!" A very grateful Prince Wales immediately sat up and took a few deep breaths of air. The reason being was not because he was stuck inside a suitcase all day, it was because of what he was stuck with during that time.

"Ah! Verdandi! You didn't make the Prince uncomfortable, did you?" Guiche asked his familiar which emerged from within the confines of the suitcase.

"It's a giant mole. Anyone would be uncomfortable being stuck with it inside a suitcase for hours." Louise deadpanned. Said mole quickly hobbled towards it master before cowering behind him.

"Do not worry about such things. I certainly know that I would be much worse off had I not come with you all. Although, I do wonder why your familiar seemed so…afraid…like it was too scared to move at all." Wales pointed out. Louise and Guiche looked at the prince, then to the mole, then to me, then ot each other, then back to the prince.

"Don't think about it too hard." They both said in unison.

"Very well…" Wales said, deciding to drop the topic.

"I will see if I can find the kitchen and get us some food." The priest chimed in before moving to the door.

"I'll accompany you there, father." Guiche offered before following the priest outside. That left only me, Louise, and Prince Wales in the room, Derf was still with Guiche.

"I never got the chance to say it with all this happening so suddenly but…" Wales suddenly said before walking up to Louise and going down to one knee in front of her and looking her in the eye.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wha-atatatatatatata-" Louise stammered as the prince gave her a gentle smile before taking her hand and kissing it.

"The courage you showed before was breathtaking, Lady Louise. I can honestly say that I would not be here, alive, if not for your efforts. You are one of a kind, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. I thank you from the bottom of my heart." The prince said with so much sincerity that I'm rather certain that it would have been misunderstood by someone who did not know the situation.

"Bu-bu-bu-but your highness already has Princess Henrietta. I-I-I-I-" Though it would seem that Louis misunderstood the gesture regardless. The prince suddenly adopted a look of concern before putting his hand on Louise's forehead and leaning closer, making my master blush even harder.

"Is something the matter, Lady Louise? Are you ill?" And it would seem that, for all the skill that he displayed while speaking with Louise, the prince was rather dense when it came to the feelings of women.

I suddenly had the feeling that, if she were here, Yukari would taunt me about 'hypocrisy' as soon as I made that thought.

"I-I-I-I-I-I'm fine!" Louise stammered, her quaking frame and intense blush indicated otherwise though. I sighed at the scene. Only Louise could probably do such a thing even during a situation as tense as this one.

...

"Louise! You're safe!" Matilda exclaimed as we entered Princess Henrietta's personal audience chamber. It was me, Louise, Father Benedict, Guiche, and the large blue suitcase on one side and Princess Henrietta, Tabitha, Kirche and Matilda on the other, I left Derf and my parasol back at the academy because I had to carry the suitcase. We wondered where Matilda was when we came back to the academy and Professor Colbert was nice enough to tell us that she, Kirche, and Tabitha were summoned by the princess. Obviously, this meant that the castle was the last leg of our journey and thus how we found ourselves in our current situation.

"I'm so glad you are alright Louise Françoise!" Henrietta exclaimed a second after Matilda before both women proceeded to smother my master with affection. I glanced at Guiche and noted that the young man regarded the scene being played out with keen interest and a hint of jealousy considering that Louise's head was long lost within the ample bosoms of the two women. A soft bumping noise coming from the suitcase reminded me of something.

"As much as I'm sure you two are enjoying yourselves doing that to Louise, I need to show you a little souvenir we picked up in Albion." I stated as I set the suitcase down on its side before opening it. The expressions on both the princess and Matilda were nearly priceless.

"Well...that was certainly an experience..." Prince Wales Tudor muttered as he sat up from within the confines of the suitcase, we left Guiche's mole at the academy as well. The reactions of the two women were understandable when you think about it though. It's not every day that you see the crown prince of another country suddenly come out of a suitcase, especially one that was being hunted down by his own country because of a man that staged a coup that disposed of his family and thus leaving him as the only survivor and the true heir to the crown. Vicious, if cliché, geopolitical upheavals aside, Louise took advantage of the sudden shock that took over Matilda and Henrietta and pulled herself free from their grasps. She then turned to Wales who had just finished climbing out of his suitcase.

"I apologize if the trip was uncomfortable..." Louise said sheepishly and Wales merely chuckled before stepped out of the suitcase and patting Louise on the shoulder.

"Worry not about that, Lady Louise." He assured Louise, who just blushed before looking away.

"Prince Wales!" Henrietta finally exclaimed before embracing her lover. Kirche suddenly walked up to me and pulled at my sleeve.

"Hey, where can I get one of those?" Kiche asked me as she pointed at the blue suitcase we used to transport Wales with. She didn't honestly think that there was a place where she could get princes in suitcases, did she?

"You brought him here?" Matilda whispered, pulling at my other sleeve.

"Yes we did. It was either that or leave him there to die and let Cromwell have Albion." I pointed out to the woman. She looked very conflicted about the matter. I wondered why for a moment before I realized something. Matilda was originally supposed to have been married off to the son of the Kind of Albion. That meant that…

"Milady Mathilda?" Wales confirmed my line of thinking as he called out to Matilda, who twitched. She slowly turned to Wales with an uncertain look. The prince on the other hand practically radiated with joy at the confirmation of his query.

"You are alive! This is wonderful!" He exclaimed as he left Henrietta go and walked over to Matilda before taking both of her hands.

"You have no idea how relieved I am! When I heard what my father did after you rejected his proposal, I immediately sent out a detachment of knights to look for and aid survivors. I was devastated when I heard that your manor was burned to the ground with everyone inside. I…I am sorry for your loss...had I known beforehand…" Prince Wales trailed off before looking away from Matilda with a pained expression. I looked at the woman in question and she looked like she didn't know what to think of the man in front of her. Matilda gained her hate for nobles because of what Wales' father did to her family. To find that Wales himself did everything in his power to try to help her family, well it must have been an unexpected turnabout.

"Miss Matilda knows the Prince of Albion?" Guiche suddenly piped up with the question.

"Arranged Marriage." The ever sharp Tabitha provided, having already connected the dots and deciding to read a book instead of watching the rest of the proceedings.

"Ah! Of course! Matilda was supposed to have been married to Prince Wales!" Louise suddenly exclaimed, only realizing it at that moment.

"Umm…arranged marriage?" Everyone turned to the voice of Princess Henrietta de Tristain. She was currently staring flatly at Wales like any young woman would after seeing her loves release her from an embrace to greet a woman who was apparently supposed to have been promised to him in marriage before. Irony can be rather amusing to watch once you piece everything together.

"Uhhh…yes…I will explain everything in detail later on…" Wales said uncomfortably like any young man would while trying to buy time to explain the awkward situation to his lover.

…

"This has been the worst tenday ever…" Louise summarized the events of the past few days in a few concise words. It had been three days since we got back to the academy and classes were about going to start in the following week, which was why a few students have started to come back. We were all sitting at our usual spot for an afternoon tea party, except for Monmon who has yet to return.

"I'm sure that your luck will get better soon, Milady." Siesta said, trying her best to cheer up Louise despite my master's gloomy mood.

"She's right though. You've already hit rock bottom so the only way left would be up!" Kirche chimed in teasingly as Siesta poured her another cup of tea. Louise grumbled something about 'dropping Axis on Kirche' before taking a bite out of the strawberry cake she had.

"You have to admit though, even with everything that happened, Louise did incredibly well." Guiche stated with a smile.

"Best outcome from a disadvantageous situation." Tabitha added while reading another one of her books. Louise blushed and shrank from the sudden compliments from her friends.

"Exactly! You even scored some points with the prince! I'm looking forward to seeing how long it would take for you to snatch him away from Princess Henrietta~" Kirche pointed out, making my master and Matilda twitch, but for completely different reasons. That reminded me…

"Did you find any more leads about Void Magic while we were gone?" I whispered to Matilda. The woman blinked at me a few times before scowling at me and looking away.

"A few…" She said a bit irritably. I will never understand women.

"Oh! Before I forget…" Kirche suddenly said before reaching into her cleavage and pulling out a parchment.

"A friend of the family clued me into a lead about something very interesting." The Germanian said slyly before opening up the parchment and showing it to us.

"What is it?" I asked and I heard Matilda draw in a sharp breath before slowly reaching out to the parchment.

"Is that…a treasure map…?" Matilda hesitantly asked with a sense of hunger in her voice.

"I know that place!" Siesta suddenly said from behind Matilda. We all turned to the maid, who suddenly looked flustered at becoming the center of attention.

"Th-th-that is the mountainside near my home town…" She timidly said. I was startled when I heard Matilda slam both her palms on the table, making the porcelain rattle. She turned to me and to Louise in turn, a dangerous looking sparkle in her eyes.

"We're going!" She exclaimed.

"We are?" I asked with a raised brow.

"We are!" She repeated.

"Going where?" Louise asked, sounding slightly nervous at the sudden change in her tutor's demeanor.

"Treasure hunting~" Matilda stated with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm.

…

Please R&R!


	13. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: Ta-da! Here's the update that has gone through three revisions because I kept hitting walls for some reason. Anyway, have fun hunting for references and the like. I hope you all like my replacement to the Zero Fighter.

As per standard protocol, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: You should know this by now.

...

"Louise, at some point, you must realize that jumping in front of a throwing knife without any means to neutralize its stabbing and slicing properties is a very bad idea." Cirno flatly stated after Louise recounted what happened in Albion. Obviously we were all back in Mugenkan, except for Yukari who left as soon as she brought Cirno into the border of dreams. She was likely up to something again in Gensokyo...but that wasn't my problem. This was Louise's first return to Mugenkan after she had tea and exchanged stories with Yukari back when we were still in Albion. Her fatigue got to her more than we had anticipated and she was more like being out cold than sleeping and dreaming whenever she turned in for the night after we returned to the academy.

"I didn't even think about it at the time, all I saw was the knife and it was headed straight for the prince. I knew that if I just called out to him, he wouldn't be fast enough to evade it. I'm nowhere nearly good enough with my aim to blast the knife out of the air. The only way I was going to save Prince Wales back there was to take the hit for him." Louise admitted, giving the rationale of her actions after deliberating that it was the best option at the time. Cirno considered her words for a few moments before giving a nod of understanding.

"Just don't make a habit of it. You can't respawn in your realm if you die like you can in here." Cirno pointed out, earning a confused look from Louise.

"Respawn?" Louise asked quizzically.

"It means, getting brought back to life after a certain period of time after you die." I explained before turning to Cirno.

"Just because she can slip into non-sequiturs does not mean that she understands what she is talking about. She certainly wouldn't know about jargons like that, so keep that in mind while teaching her." I pointed out to the ice fairy, who pouted at me before shrugging.

"Got it. Well, aside from getting stabbed in the arm, you did pretty well. You managed to use Keyword Casting smoothly multiple times even while suffering from blood loss. Your accuracy is significantly improving as well, so I believe that it will continue to improve as long as you keep casting. I have to admit, you're pretty talented aren't you?" Cirno said with a smile. The sudden praise and the assumption that she was a talented magician caught Louise off guard and she started stuttering again.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about? I'm not a talented! I can't even cast any magic that doesn't turn into an explosion!" Louise yelled out, earning sighs from both me and my former student.

"Didn't you already say that you weren't a Zero?" I asked my master with a raised brow. She frowned and me and snorted.

"Of course I'm not a Zero! But that doesn't mean that I'm talented! Every spell I cast explodes! That's not talent! That's controlled chaos!" Louise responded, exhibiting surprising finesse at twisting words.

"Louise, you're looking at this the wrong way." Cirno cut in while looking a bit upset. Louise noticed this and gulped but she still stood her ground. The ice fairy rubbed her chin with her hand for a few moments, likely gathering her thoughts before nodding to herself.

"Teach already told me about that element that you have, Void was it?" Cirno said before asking me for verification, I nodded in response and she turned back to Louise to continue.

"The short version is that you're not actually doing anything wrong when you cast your spells. The problem is that none of the spells available to you are compatible with the element that your body is set to use. It'll either be a Void spell or explosions, those are your only options." Cirno laid out the apparent ground rules when it came to Louise's element. Void, for one reason or another, is the magical element with the most restrictions for use. Any magician who can use that element is forever bound to only use spells tuned to that particular element or else the spell will fail and turn into an explosion. Louise has already started to use that limitation to her advantage but the fact remains that she's not actually casting any real spells, she was only shaping failed spells to suit her needs.

"But I don't know any Void spells." Louise said with a sigh.

"Yeah, that does suck...how are things going on that end anyway?" Cirno asked me. She already knew that I was looking into the Void element and, in fact...

"We actually recently received something that would help in that regard significantly...or so we hope." I answered just vaguely enough to earn a raised brow from my former student. I was talking about an artifact called 'The Founder's Prayer Book'. Henrietta sent the book to us after she had a clear enough head to remember that she had the object. The letter that came with the book stated that the artifact was supposed to be Brimir's personal Grimoire, a book that detailed every Void spell that the man ever developed six-thousand years ago. Louise was ecstatic when she found out and wanted to start trying out Void spells but...

"The book is a lie!" Louise yelled out, turning Cirno's attention back to her.

"We can't be sure of that yet. Derf said that the book will reveal what it knows when the time is right. Possibly the book has some form of system that will allow it to determine if the user is ready for it." I argued but my master simply scoffed at my words.

"It'd be nice if I was in the loop you know...just saying..." Cirno muttered, clearly not understanding what it was Louise and I were arguing about.

"The Founder's Prayer Book is the item that we recently received. It is a book that is supposed to contain every Void spell ever made. The problem is...it seems to be encrypted." I provided and thus explaining Louise's obvious disappointment.

"Define 'Encrypted'." Cirno said, intrigued at the prospect of a Grimoire that would have an enchantment on it that would encrypt the contents.

"The book is blank. Completely and utterly blank." Louise answered bitterly while folding her arms and leaning back. Cirno blinked at Louise for a few moments before turning to me.

"Seriously?" My former student asked me with a look of surprise.

"Yes. The sword of the first Gandalfr, as well as Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond, vouched that the book is genuine." I answered. It turned out that the 'Founder's Prayer Book' was the reason for Colbert and Osmond's trip to the country of Romalia. Apparently, they were summoned by the pope and were given the book to be placed under the care of the country of Tristain. The two men immediately gave the book to Princess Henrietta because they both felt that it was the safest place in the country to store it in after the Fouquet incident proved that the academy was less than impenetrable. It was a stray comment from Louise back at the Royal Castle that revealed her status as a void magician. The awkward silence that followed was deafening. Of course, I made sure that everyone there swore secrecy to the matter on the grounds that they will have me to deal with if Louise's secret was ever revealed. I understood that her status as a Void magician will eventually be revealed but I wanted to make sure that she was ready when that time came. Thus it came to pass that the Founder's Prayer Book found its way into Louise's possession.

"And I take it that you guys haven't cracked it yet?" Cirno asked rhetorically.

"Derflinger was able to clue us in that the book will show its contents once the user is ready. I suspect that the book will only start revealing its secrets once Louise is skilled enough to handle the spells stored therein." I answered. Cirno eyed me for a few moments before saying...

"Can't you just use Ult-"

"I will not use Ultimate Magic to remove the encryption enchantment through brute force." I flatly said, interrupting Cirno's catch-all when it came to problems I couldn't deal with normally. My former student started grumbling about something I couldn't quite make out but it was Louise's reaction that bothered me.

"U-U-U-U-U-Ultimate Magic?" She all but screamed. Whoops. I was very glad that we were in Mugenkan when she yelled that out and not inside the academy. Cirno tilted her head to the side in apparent confusion at my master's reaction. She blinked a few times and mouthed an 'Ah!' when she finally realized the reason for Louise's sudden outburst.

"She was unconscious when we talked about it before...wait, you haven't told Louise about Ultimate Magic yet?" The ice fairy asked me with an accusatory glare.

"She never asked." I simply stated with a noncommittal shrug. I suddenly felt Louise tug on my sleeve roughly. Turning my attention to my master, I saw that she had a very irritated expression that was bordering on fury.

"Well, I'm asking now! What is all this talk about Ultimate Magic?" She asked me while still pulling on my sleeve as if she was trying to rip it off. I sighed and conjured up some chairs, a table, and a tea set.

"Take a seat. This will take a while...it happened centuries ago." I said before pulling up one of the chairs I conjured and sitting on it. Louise sat across from me while Cirno sat between us. I poured myself a cup of tea while trying to think of a good starting point for this story.

"Did you know that there are fundamentally three kinds of magic? Those that destroy, those that create, and those that can change how everything works...and that...that magic was all three." I started before sipping my cup of tea. Cirno already knew this story so she was just helping herself to tea and was simply relaxing. Louise, on the other hand, was intently listening to every word I said.

"Around five-hundred years ago, there was an incident that engulfed all of Gensokyo. One day, a portal that lead to Makai, the Demon Realm, suddenly opened and out came a flood of demons from that place. Since you've already spoken to Yukari about Gensokyo, you should already know about Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, yes?" I asked Louise and she nodded in response.

"They were supposed to have been very powerful mages that solved a lot of incidents a long time ago, right?" Louise answered before turning to Cirno, who started chuckling at my master's response.

"Yeah...it has been a long time since those two were around, huh?" The ice fairy said nostalgically before downing all the tea in her cup in one swig.

"Indeed it has..." I concurred with a smile before turning back to Louise and continuing.

"During the course of that incident it became apparent that simply eliminating the demons as they arrive wasn't going to work because they just keep flowing out of the portal like a river. That was when Reimu decided that enough was enough. She gathered those who were willing and she personally led a team into Makai to stop the flow of demons. Among them were the Ordinary Witch, Marisa, the Evil Spirit, Mima, and the Sleeping Terror...me." I said with a proud smile but I raised a brow when I noticed that Louise looked like she had just realized something.

"It's just like the dream I had before..." Louise muttered before looking down at her tea.

"Dream? What dream?" Cirno inquired, immediately getting interested in Louise's dream. I chose to remain quiet and hear what my master had to say.

"The night after you duel with Guiche...I had a dream about you. In that dream you were still a woman and you were fighting countless demons. One of them had a feeling of malevolence that I've never felt before. It looked like a woman with white hair and was wearing a red dress...with six purple wings. I just brushed it off as some weird dream since it was too surreal to be anything else." Louise recounted her dream, Cirno and I looked at each other before turning back to her. For whatever reason, Louise seemed to have been able to access my memories on the Mystic Square incident. Wait...

"The night after my little match with Guiche was also the night when you first slipped into Mugenkan. The transition from when your subconscious mind drifted from your body to Mugenkan may have cause that little dream of yours." I postulated, earning a hum from Cirno.

"Wait...if she was already in Mugenkan at that point, wasn't she already dreaming by then?" Cirno asked me while scratching the back of her head.

"Well yes, why?" I asked back.

"If Louise was already dreaming when she slipped into Mugenkan, why was she having another dream inside the dream?" Cirno asked with a genuinely confused expression. Ah, I see.

"That sometimes happens. Not often, but it possible to have a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream. I'm not sure about the specifics but it only affects certain individuals. Anything more than that and you'll need to ask the dreamwalker sisters about that phenomenon...wherever they may be." I explained. Cinro seemed to have accepted my explanation with a few nods. We suddenly turned back to Louise when we heard her groan.

"We need to go deeper..." She mumbled to herself while clutching her head.

"Right...so about Ultimate Magic?" Cirno said to me, catching Louise's attention and steering the conversation back to the main topic.

"Right, back on topic. The woman with the white hair that you saw in your dream within the dream was the creator and 'goddess' of the demon realm, Shinki." I stated. Louise started choking on her tea after I said that though.

"Y-Y-Y-You fought a goddess? The creator of a demon realm?" Louise asked me with a yell. Because of her proximity to my master, Cirno winced and leaned away from Louise during her outburst.

"Yes, but I certainly wasn't alone. Along with Reimu, Marisa, and Mima, we started..." I continued to tell the tale of the incident that earned me the right to wield Ultimate Magic. The incident where we first met Alice Margatroid. The incident where we lost contact with the Evil Spirit, Mima. The incident that changed both Reimu and Marisa in surprising ways. And at the end of the journey...

"...a vacation..." Louise flatly muttered.

"That's what I said. Apparently, the reason why Shinki opened up a portal to Gensokyo was because she was intrigued at the realm's unusual abundance of magic. It seemed that she thought that it would be an ideal vacation spot for her denizens." I explained, recalling the conversation that Shinki and I had before I fought her. At the time, Reimu was busy dealing with the Doll of Misery, Yumeko, while Marisa and Mima were still fighting Alice and her sisters.

"It was at that point that Shinki asked me why I was in Makai. She asked me why I was there, fighting all her denizens and even challenging her personally..." I continued before trailing off and letting the question of the Infinite Being sink in.

"And...what was your answer?" Louise asked hesitantly, anxious to find out what I said to a being as powerful as Shinki. I smiled as Louise never even noticed my other half sneak up on her and lean in from behind her. I was thankful that Cirno was able to hold in her laughter until my other half managed to say her piece.

"Genocide is nothing more than a game for me. Whether it is humans, demons, youkai, even gods. The only thing I really need to worry about is keeping score~" My other half said in an eerily haunting voice. It was at that point that Cirno started laughing after she saw Louise's face go pale and contort into a nearly indescribable expression of terror. Mission accomplished, my other half walked up to me and I raised my left hand as she was about to pass by, just in time for us to share a high-five before she continued to walk away before disappearing into the sunflowers.

"Ahahahaha~! L-L-Louise! Louise! You should see your face! Here! Look!" Cirno exclaimed before creating a mirror made out of ice and pointing it at Louise. She stopped laughing after Louise still refused to move even after three solid minutes.

"Uhhh...I think you overdid it with you stealth hi-bye." Cirno muttered as she lowered her ice mirror while giving me an awkward smile.

...

"I...hate...you...both..." Louise muttered vehemently as she fought to catch her breath. After she finally recovered from her initial shock, Louise made it a point to show her displeasure toward my little prank by making full utilization of her Keyword Casting. What followed was an impromptu assessment of Louise's proficiency at finding, chasing, and hitting moving targets. Louise managed to score rather competently at the first and third aspects, in fact, she was rather above average at her awareness and accuracy than a regular human would be. It was possibly because of natural talent or because of her blood, something she inherited from her parents. However, as Louise's panting points out, her endurance needed some work.

"Are you okay, Louise? It'd be pretty embarrassing if you collapsed from hyperventilation after doing so well." Cirno pointed out. Louise gave her response by pointing her wand, one that I conjured up for her for this little exercise, at Cirno.

"Zero!" Louise declared and my former student casually leaned away and floated a bit to her left. The explosion detonated but Cirno was able to avoid it by mere inches.

"Give it up, Louise! I taught you how to use Keyword Casting. You can't beat me using a technique I taught you." Cirno confidently said while placing her hands on her hips and giving Louise a smug smile. In contrast, my master just gave Cirno a dry look before aiming her wand at her senior again.

"...zero..." She muttered in a nearly inaudible voice. Cirno started laughing before floating backwards.

"Ha! It doesn't matter how softly you declare your spell! As long as I can see where you're aiming at, you won't be able to hit-Augh!" Further taunting by Cirno was halted when an explosion detonated behind her. The aim was off, high and left, and it detonated several feet behind the ice fairy so it didn't do any real damage...but it proved a point.

"Wait, what? Where'd that come from?" Cirno complained as she looked behind her to the spot where Louise's explosion detonated.

"Ah, yes. Louise's explosions can bypass solid objects. It does not behave like something moving in a straight line or in a ballistic trajectory. Put simply, Louise points and things explode. Of course, her aim still needs some fine tuning." I provided, earning a glare from Cirno while Louise folded her arms and leaned back, an expression of satisfaction on her face.

"And you didn't tell me about that because..." My former student trailed off.

"...you never asked. Also, I had expected that you would have been smart enough to figure it out on your own. It seems that I've overestimated your intellect." I said with a smug smile. Cirno glared at me for another moment before giving a resigned sigh and landing back on the ground.

"Well, nothing for it I guess. Good job, Louise! Your aim still kinda sucks when you don't have adrenaline pumping in your blood but, as a proof of concept, you did pretty well." Once again, Louise suddenly blushed from the sudden compliment given by her senior.

"Now that is out of the way...time for some real training!" Cirno declared with renewed vigor, which was the complete opposite of Louise's expression of dread.

"There's more?" My master asked with fear thick in her voice.

"Aww...don't say it like I'm out to kill you, I'm not teach you know. Speaking of..." The ice fairy turned to me after trailing off, likely going to ask me to conjure up something to help with Louise's real training tonight.

"...can you set up a bunch of balancing poles, teach?" Cirno asked and I raised a brow at her request. If I remember correctly, China uses balancing poles for training purposes to keep her sense of balance razor sharp even when moving at high speeds...

"Three-dimensional movement..." I muttered while eyeing my former student.

"Yep. We put off her parkour lessons in exchange on getting her geared up for Keyword Casting. I wanted to start on that tonight but Wriggle said that I should make sure that her balance is sound before I throw her into parkour." Cirno explained.

"Wriggle? You consulted Wriggle for this?" I asked her. Nightbug's input was valid but I didn't expect Cirno to bring anyone else from her team in on this.

"Yeah, I kind of asked the whole team about this." Cirno admitted without batting an eye.

"Team?" Louise inquired, curious as to what Cirno was talking about.

"Ah, I guess Yukari hasn't told you about that huh?" The ice fairy mused while rubbing her chin with her hand.

"Cirno has an unofficial 'team' back in Gensokyo, they are collectively known as Seventh Heaven. They used to call themselves One Night Stand but Shikieiki had a few things to say about that name. The members of the group are Mystia Lorelei, Wriggle Nightbug, Rumia, Letty Whiterock, Hong Meiling, Reisen Udongein Inaba, and Cirno of course. They've gained a reputation for being the second line of defense when it came to incidents, regularly providing assistance to the Hakurei and Moriya shrines when needed." I told Louise and she seemed fascinated at the thought of having a team that goes around and solves incidents and the like.

"Of course...they've started their fair share of incidents themselves. Remember the Advent Cirno incident~?" I added with a teasing tone.

"Advent Cirno?" Louise asked while looking at her senior who was grimacing.

"Okay, it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But it seemed like a good idea at the time!" Cirno exclaimed with a slightly panicked and embarrassed expression.

"What happened?" Louise asked, her interest completely piqued.

"Something absolutely hilarious. Cirno and Letty are still not allowed inside Hakugyokurou because of what they did." I said while smirking at Cirno who was blushing very hard.

"Just...just drop it, okay. Now about those balancing poles?" Cirno desperately tried to change the subject while trying to force down her blush. Louise still looked like she wanted to know what that incident was but I guess I can tell her about it when Cirno is not around. I conjured up thirty balancing poles equidistant from each other but were of varying heights, all of which I made sure Louise could traverse on so long as kept her balance.

"Wh-wh-what are those things?" Louise asked as she gawked at the sudden emergence of the wooden pillars. In hindsight, I guess I should have crafted them to look like Kanako's beloved 'Onbashira'...oh well.

"Tonight's lesson." Cirno stated simply, earning a gulp from Louise.

...

"See, it says 'Dispell' right here." Matilda said as she pointed at the jumble of symbols that were currently written on a seemingly random page of the Founder's Prayer Book. It was the day of our little outing and Louise had the sudden urge to flip through the Prayer Book before we left. As it turned out, a previously blank page was suddenly filled up with strange writing. Unfortunately, Louise and I couldn't make heads or tails of the writings...that was until Matilda got her hands on it.

"You can understand that gibberish?" I asked Matilda, who just blinked at me a few times before shrugging.

"When you've been hunting ancient treasures as much as I have, you kind of pick up linguistics as you go. This in particular is really old Halkeginian, which makes sense since this was supposed to have been made by Brimir himself. I once uncovered a round mirror inside a deep ruin a few years ago, that ruin was literally slathered with these symbols." Matilda explained as she scanned the pages that had the newly revealed writings on them.

"What happened to the mirror?" Louise inquired, interested in her tutor's old exploits.

"I sold it off to someone in Romalia. I have no idea where it is now." Matilda answered before focusing back on the book and humming thoughtfully.

"Still, this is a Void spell huh?" She muttered after a few moments.

"Anything useful?" I asked her as I secured our bags for this little treasure hunt.

"I can't say for certain. The incantation is horribly long...and I mean, long. Even my incantations for advanced golem creation aren't this long. I guess this is why Brimir needed a Gandalfr to guard him while he casts his spells. The good news is that, if what this book is saying is true and provided Louise can actually finish the incantation, this particular spell can potentially neutralize any other spell it hits." Matilda said with a focused expression as she continued to scan through the pages.

"Interesting...Louise, can you read it?" I asked in the off chance that being a Void magician can give her the clarity needed to read those symbols. Louise peered at the book and squinted, as if the action will allow her a better understanding of what it was she was looking at. She then gave an audible sigh before shaking her head and looking at me.

"No...they look like Halkeginian letters but they're different enough from what we have now that I can't understand what they're supposed to mean." Louise said dejectedly. She then blinked when she felt a hand on her head. She turned and saw Matilda giving her a soft smile...one that Louise couldn't help blushing at.

"If you want, I can give you a translated version of the incantation and you can see if you can cast the spell with that." Matilda offered and Louise literally lit up with glee before embracing her tutor.

"Have I told you that I love you, Matilda~?" Louise happily asked as she continued to cuddle the older woman.

"Yes, you have. Several times. Extremely enthusiastically in fact." I pointed out and both of them froze while blushing bright red before they glared at me.

"That doesn't count!" Both tutor and student stated at the same time. It was then that I heard the familiar sound of rattling steel as Derf decided to pop out of its scabbard.

"As much as I love seeing the little miss express her love toward other women, I'd have to say nay to her using a translated incantation that comes from that book." The sword stated with a surprising amount of seriousness.

"Explain." I said while folding my arms and leaning back on the wall.

"I can't explain it very well...but from what I remember, that book was made by Brimir for the exclusive use of Void mages. That means that a Void mage needs to take the spells from that book exactly as they are written there. Translating the spells, no matter how well you do it, will still change some of the meaning hidden beneath each incantation. At best, the spells will just fizzle out...at worst, something really bad will happen if you try to cast a translated Void spell. Like it or not, the little miss will need to take the spells straight from the book and nowhere else." Derf stated its case, I suppose it was correct. Changing anything in a spell as potent as one that was designed to neutralize every other spell would likely have...interesting results if Louise cast it wrong.

"Then how is she supposed to cast this 'Dispell' if she can't understand what is written in the book?" I pointed out and I was rewarded with one of Derf's sword shrugs.

"Maybe she'll just 'know' what to do and how to cast it when the need for the spell arises? I don't know..." Derf said with an obvious sense of uncertainty.

"Great...now we're back to square one." Louise muttered before hanging her head low.

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say 'square zero'~?" Kirche's teasing voice said from the other side of the door. Said door slowly opened to reveal the Germainian dressed in her uniform and was sporting a smirk that would do Yukari proud. I felt a familiar spike of magic coming from Louise before she took her wand out from within her clothing and pointed it at the redhead.

"I'll show you-" Louise's attempt at vengeance was cut off when placed my hand on her wand and slowly lowered it. Louise glared at me when I did that but I simply shrugged and nodded toward the door.

"I don't think Tabitha, Guiche, and Siesta would appreciate getting a face full of explosion right before we all leave." I stated and Louise paled when she saw her other friends standing behind Kirche. She quickly hid away her wand as she face started to flush, realizing what she nearly did.

"You all were taking too long to get ready so we decided to check to see what you were up to." Kirche said as she strode into the room like she owned the place before giving me one of 'those' winks and tracing her finger across my chest. I ignored her gesture and looked back toward the door where Tabitha and the others were waiting.

"Kirche's idea." The young Gallian provided before turning back to her book. I wondered how she would she be able to turn the page since her other hand was holding her wooden staff. I suddenly heard a loud and deliberate cough. I turned to the source and saw that both Matilda and Louise were looking at me rather crossly while Siesta, who was now standing next to them, was looking at me with disappointment. I raised a brow as I wondered why when I noticed something soft pressing against my right arm. I turned and nearly groaned.

"Hu~Hu~" Kirche cooed at me with hungry eyes. It seemed that during the very short span of time when I turned my attention toward Tabitha and the others, Kirche managed to maneuver herself to my side and latch onto my arm like a leech. I heard disapproving grumbles from Louise, Matilda, and Siesta as Kirche started grinding her body against my arm. I noticed Guiche was glancing away from the spectacle with an uncomfortable expression while Tabitha took time to glance up from her book to make sure that, yes, we were all still there.

What a wonderful way to start this trip.

...

"Zero!" Louise yelled out before another one of those miserable little creatures received an explosion right in the face.

"This makes no factual sense..." I commented as I watched Tabitha encase two of those creatures in ice before Guiche's golems shattered them to pieces with bronze war hammers.

"They're goblins...what sense would you want them to make?" Derf pointed out and asked after it emerged from its scabbard which was strapped on my back.

"Exactly as I said. This mountainside should not have enough resources to maintain a stable goblin population, especially one that has these numbers." I stated as I watched Matilda's earth golem slap away a dozen goblins who were trying to go after Siesta.

"I mean...what do they eat?" I asked as a bright red stream caught my eye. Kirche was roasting the goblins that Matilda took down to make sure that they were really dead.

"I dunno...I've never really thought about it. Now that you mention it...even back then, Sasha was always complaining about where these things keep coming from while Brimir only pondered as to why they sometimes drop gold or items when you kill them." Derf mused as we continued to observe the rest of our party plow through a rather large number of goblins that were came across during our hike along the mountains near Tarbes. I was amazed at how well everyone was working together considering none of them, aside from Kirche and Tabitha, has had any real experience in fighting alongside one another. I guess they all just had good chemistry with each other just like Cirno's little ragtag team.

"Yuka! Don't just stand there staring at us like an idiot! Help us!" Louise yelled at me as she nimbly dodged utterly uninspired charging attacks by the goblins. Louise's impressive ability to take in and implement the things she learns in Mugenkan were showing once again as she managed to use the rocks and boulders scattered around the place they were fighting in to evade pursuit. After she managed to make her way to the top of the largest boulder in the area with nothing more than her legs and her sense of balance, I decided that she was almost ready for Cirno's parkour lessons.

"Zero! Yuka!" Louise shouted at me after dealing with the goblins that were after her before making her way back down on the ground and continuing the battle.

"Stop shouting. You have Tabitha and Matilda with you, you've already won by default." I stated in an uninterested tone. I have been attacked by a couple of goblins when this encounter started but the rest of them steered away from me and simply targeted the others after what I did to the two that did attack me. They were both still being consumed by the piranha plants that I made when Louise yelled at me. I tipped my straw hat, which I thankfully remembered to bring along, toward Siesta who was running toward me. The maid stopped in front of me and fought to catch her breath before looking at me with a somewhat distressed expression.

"Can I stay here with you?" She asked almost pleadingly.

"Of course you can." I said with a smile before adjusting her straw hat to make sure that it was on properly.

"Why are there so many of them?" Siesta asked as she joined me to watch the rest of our party continue the battle.

"I was pondering the same thing. Is there any history of major goblin attacks on Tarbes?" I asked the maid, who pondered it for a few moments before shaking her head.

"No, there hasn't. As far as I can remember, the goblins mostly keep to themselves in the mountains even during winter. They've never actually gone and attacked villages before. However, if you go into the mountains unprepared, they will attack you without hesitation." She said and I nodded in understanding...but it only raised another question.

"Why hasn't there been any effort to wipe them out? I would imagine that the local government would be rather uncomfortable to have such things so close to their town." I asked and the answer strangely came from Matilda who had wandered closer to where we were.

"Goblins like to hide and they are very, very, very good at it." Matilda started her explanation while guiding her golem to fight in tandem with Guiche's Bronze Valkyries...which pretty much meant that Guiche was just trying to make sure that his bronze golems stayed out of the very large earth golem's way. Bronze may be harder than bog standard earth but Matilda's golem had mass, volume, and density on its side. It also helped that Matilda is skilled enough to be able to change the consistency of the earth that made up her golem from regular dirt to hardened granite within seconds.

"They also breed faster than rabbits which explains the numbers they sometimes have. It simply isn't practical to try to wipe them all out since, unless you can be certain that you've wiped them all out, they'd just start to breed while in hiding and start the whole thing all over again." Matilda added as she adjusted her fedora before continuing to prove that a hundred-foot tall earth golem was overkill in this situation. So these goblins were more akin to a pestilence than an actual threat to a civilized culture. I briefly entertained the idea of a possible way to release a specialized virus strain that could render ninety-percent of the female goblin population sterile, hence providing a clamp on their numbers while making sure that they don't go extinct, when I noticed that the sounds of battle have ended.

"Well, that took longer than I expected." I mused as I watched the rest of our party approach.

"It would have taken less if you helped us!" Louise yelled at me with a very displeased expression. I shrugged and pointed at the two goblins, or the remains that the piranha plants didn't like, that I took down when the battle started.

"Inadequate." Tabitha stated in a tone that almost sounded irritated.

"Don't be like that~! My darling Yuka only wanted to watch me in action, didn't you~? Did my heated performace please you, darling~?" Kirche asked me, while latching herself on my arm once again, with a voice that was dripping with sensuality...sensuality that I simply didn't care for. I turned when I heard another round of displeased grumbling from Louise, Matilda and Siesta and saw them looking at me with seemingly disinterested expressions...odd.

"Can we just...move on already? The dead goblins are starting to smell already." Guiche suggested tiredly, a few sniffs later and we all agreed to move on.

We eventually came across a nondescript cave that matched the point on the map that was marked as the entrance to the cavern that held what we were looking for. It was a treasure known as the 'Steel Goddess'. From the name, both Guiche and Matilda postulated that the treasure is some kind of ancient golem...possibly a massive steel monster that may have vaguely resembled a woman. Kirche and Louise on the other hand both agreed, which was an amazing turnabout in itself, that the 'Steel Goddess' was some sort of statue. Siesta said that it was supposed to be a guardian goddess that has protected Tarbes since the days of her great grandfather and was currently sleeping to regain her power from the world. I have personally known goddesses and I have never heard of one that was attributed to something like 'Steel'. Kanako was a goddess of the Winds, Mountains, and Lakes in addition to technically being a War Goddess. Suwako was an ancient native goddess of the Suwa river and the avatar of frogs and other amphibians. It was strange that this was the very first time I have heard of a 'Steel Goddess'. Provided that the rumors were true, this might prove to be a very interesting experience.

"It's dark..." Louise muttered as we entered the rather dank hole in the wall.

"It's a cave, of course it's dark." Kirche shot back and once again earning a glare from my master.

"Watch your step instead of arguing. The last thing we need is someone getting injured." Matilda said sternly from the front. We were walking in a line as we braved the depths of this cave as per Matilda's instructions to minimize the risk of injury. Our resident Treasure Hunter was leading us through the cave. I was walking close behind her while Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Siesta and Guiche made up the rest of out little marching line.

"Yes, ma'am." Both of them obediently said at the same time.

"Can't Kirche light a torch or something? It's pretty hard to watch my step when I can barely see anything at all." Guiche asked the Germanian, making all of us halt.

"Well?" I asked Matilda, who was already considering the suggestion. I, for one, didn't particularly need a torch since I can see just fine in the dark. I'm also certain that Matilda can do just fine in a completely dark cave since she is a very skilled earth mage so she should have some tricks to navigate through a place like this. Unfortunately, the rest of our party was less than prepared to walk into a pitch black cave.

"Okay, just don't make it too bright." Matilda said while halting our progress to allow the others to light up a torch.

"Why not?" Siesta asked curiously as she put down her massive backpack before fishing out a fresh torch that they could use.

"Because you might scare the bats that live in these caves or you might alert any anti-theft system that could be set up here...or you might just alert other treasure hunters of our location. I don't particularly want to deal with any other treasure hunters right now, especially since I don't have my whip anymore." The former thief answered with a shrug.

"You used to have a whip?" Louise asked her tutor in surprise and I could see that Matilda smiled at the memory.

"Yes, it was a long time ago when I was about your age. You'd be amazed at how useful a whip can be when it comes to spelunking." Matilda stated fondly. I could hear Louise mumble something about a 'Lost Ark' before the familiar red glow of a flame caught our attention. We turned to see Guiche carrying the torch after it was lit by a little fire magic by Kirche.

"Much better." Guiche said with a smile. Judging from the expressions of Kirche, Siesta, and Louise, they seemed to agree...though, as usual, Tabitha didn't seem to care for it. We continued our way through the caves with nothing but Matilda's expertise to guide us. Sadly, the map that Kirche provided for this little trip only led us to the location of the cave's entrance and she did not have a map that detailed the interior of the caves.

"Are you sure this is the right way? We've been walking for ages." Kirche complained before being glared at by Louise.

"Are you doubting Matilda? If you are, then you should have brought a map that showed the inside of the cave!" My master hissed at the Germanian, both in defense of her tutor as well as pointing out Kirche's oversight.

"Sshhh! Quiet!" Matilda suddenly said while gesturing for us to stop. I wondered why she made us stop when I narrowed my eyes after picking up the sound of footsteps.

"We're not alone." She added as she crept closer and closer to the source of the footsteps while very carefully pulling out her wand. I gestured the others to stay back as I readied my parasol for any ambush. The source of the footsteps were getting closer and closer and I could already see the telltale glow of a torch from around the corner. Matilda looked back to me and nodded, gesturing that she will take down whomever it was that was approaching. I raised my left hand to stop her when I noticed something very familiar about the one approaching us. The magic power that I can sense from it was familiar...very familiar indeed. I relaxed and smiled when I finally remembered where I felt that magic before. Matilda looked at me with a confused expression before I went ahead and greeted our mystery man.

"Professor Colbert! Can you hear me?" I called out prompting everyone to look at me in shock before registering what I had just said.

"Mister Kazami? Is that you?" The familiar, but obviously echoing, voice of the professor called out in response in order to verify who just called him.

"Professor Colbert?" Louise, Kirche, and Guiche all said at the same time. A few moments later, Colbert emerged from the corner where the footsteps came from and looked at all of us in surprise.

"Oh my, this is unexpected. What are you all doing here?" He asked with his trademark smile. Matilda subtly took a few steps back to make sure that she wasn't too close to the professor but all she did was bump into me.

"Hya!" She yelped as I put my hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Easy. No one is going to hurt you, Matilda." I said assuringly. Matilda looked down, making sure to use her fedora to cover as much of her face as possible.

"Miss Matilda? Are you well enough to be walking about?" Professor Colbert asked as he approached us. Oh yes, he helped Guiche get Matilda to the infirmary when whole Wardes debacle was in full swing.

"I-I-I'm fine!" Matilda stammered as I felt her shoulders tremble in my grasp. I blinked a few times at the strange reaction before letting her go to greet the professor.

"It is good to see you, though I must wonder what you are doing here?" I greeted and sent the professor's question back at him. I thought I heard Matilda give out a disappointed sigh but I ignored it in favor of hearing Colbert out.

"Ah yes! I'm here because I finally had some free time to investigate a certain local legend I got wind of." Colbert explained with a smile, ever glad to dispense knowledge as usual.

"Let me guess, the 'Steel Goddess' right?" I asked him before folding my arms and leaning back. The professor blinked at me a few times before smiling and nodding.

"Why yes I am! Do you know of it?" He asked and was rewarded with a shrug.

"Likely only as much as you do. Kirche provided us a map detailing the way to the entrance to this cave. She suggested that we see if there was anything worthwhile here as a way to unwind and cap off the summer break." I supplied as Colbert looked at the rest of our party with a thoughtful hum, Louise and the rest simply gave awkward smiles and waved at their professor...Tabitha simply glanced up from her book and nodded before continuing to read. How she was still able to read that book in a dark cave...I didn't really care.

"Normally, I would be against student going out adventuring on their own. However, you are accompanied by two capable adults so I guess it's not so bad. Now then, do you all mind terribly if I tag along?" The professor offered. Having him in the party would be very useful, as it would mean that I would have fewer things to worry about.

"I don't know...splitting the treasure with so many people would be troublesome." Kirche mused, seemingly convinced that there would be substantial amounts of wealth waiting for us at the other end of this cave. Her question was met with a good natured laugh from the professor.

"Don't worry Miss Zerbst. I am only here to see if the legends were true. The legend of the 'Steel Goddess' is relatively new compared to most other legends, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Confirming the existence, or lack thereof, of the goddess will be enough to sate my curiosity." The man shamelessly admitted, an intellectual through and though.

"Well in that case, onwards!" Kirche enthusiastically declared while pointing deeper inside the caves.

...

"Amazing...it's like an entirely different part of the forest that is isolated from the rest of the mountainside." Colbert stated in awe after we finally exited the caverns. The other end led to a patch of forest that was cut off from the rest because it was surrounded by mountains, hence the professor's comment.

"So? Where is it?" Kirche asked impatiently.

"We may need to look for a shrine or some sort of structure...something that could have been used to pay homage to the Steel Goddess." Matilda said, her previous shakiness replaced by her veteran treasure hunting instincts. It didn't take long for us to find a structure that fit Matilda's criteria...especially since it was the only structure in the whole area. We all gazed at the front doors of what looked like an old aircraft hangar, if I remembered the books I used to read correctly. Odd, an aircraft hangar was extremely out of place in Tristain. No, a better question was what it was doing here in the first place.

"What is it?" Siesta asked in awe of the strange structure before her. The structure itself didn't look too bad, though there was overgrowth crawling all over the place which was a testament to how long this thing has been here.

"This structure is called an Aircraft Hangar." I stated, pulling everyone's attention to me.

"You know what this is?" Professor Colbert asked in excitement. I nodded in response, noting that Matilda was also looking at me with sharp interest.

"I know of it. I read books that featured this structure in my home realm. These things were used to house aircraft...flying machines...as well as the parts and tools needed to maintain them. I suppose this means that the Steel Goddess is some sort of aircraft." I explained. I noticed a familiar head of pink hair from the corner of my vision and saw Louise and Tabitha looking at some sort of stone monument.

"What is it?" Louise asked the young Gallian but Tabitha merely shook her head in response. I walked up to them and raised a brow at what was written there. It was severely eroded to the point of being unreadable but the engravings on the stone were undoubtedly Japanese characters. I noted the remains of a clay incense holder as well as the dried up remnants of flower stems.

"It's a grave..." I muttered. I noticed Siesta walk to my side before touching the face of the stone.

"It's...my great grandfather's grave...isn't it?" Siesta said in a distant voice.

"Great grandfather?" Louise asked and the maid nodded. She was so close to it that the action nearly made the brim of her hat touch the grave marker.

"I was always told stories when I was a child. Stories that great grandfather came from a different world, a fantastic one where humans and magical beings lived together in harmony. It was a place like Halkeginia but different. According to my grandfather, my great grandfather came here along with the Steel Goddess from a hole in the sky. The goddess protected Tarbes with my great grandfather until his death. They said that he was buried near where the goddess slept, waiting to be awakened again when she was needed once more." Siesta told her story with a voice tinted with melancholy. She smiled sadly at the grave maker and added...

"Hello, great grandfather...my name is Siesta. It's very nice to finally meet you." The young woman said with a polite bow. Louise and Tabitha allowed her a few moments of peace for her first meeting with her great grandfather while I stayed quiet and thought about her story. Her great grandfather fell from the sky along with the Steel Goddess. It would either be a gate portal or a gap that sent them here. He seemed to have been Japanese or of Japanese descent considering the written language used on his grave marker. However, she also said that he came from a realm where humans and fantastic creatures lived together. Aside from Gensokyo, I didn't know of any other realm like that...especially a Japanese one. Could it be a completely different realm altogether? Or could it be possible that Siesta was a descendant of someone from Gensokyo? If her great grandfather really was a human from Gensokyo...then who did he bring with him? Even if it was a little more than a century ago, there wasn't any incident where someone that could be mistaken as a Steel Goddess disappeared. In fact...everyone who was a non-human resident of Gensokyo for the past three hundred years should still be in Gensokyo...except for me of course. Very strange indeed...

"How do you open this thing?" Kirche complained, breaking the solemn silence that we were having until that point. We all turned to the hangar and saw Kirche, Guiche and a few of Guiche's golems trying to pry open the door. I sighed when I noticed that they were trying to swing them open, even though the hangar doors were made to slide to the side instead.

"You're doing it wrong." I said as I walked up to them and gestured for them to move aside. Once Kirche and Guiche were out of the way, I gripped the point of connection between the two sliding doors and tried to open them...it didn't budge. There was an enchantment on it that was preventing any entry, likely to make sure that whatever was inside was safe from bandits as well as making sure that whatever was inside was not subject to natural corrosion. An enchantment that protects the structure...hmm...

"I can't open it. It's protected by a powerful enchantment that prevents anything from entering." I stated while looking straight at Louise.

"Is there any way to bypass it?" Colbert asked me as he placed at hand on the left door.

"Maybe...if we had something that could 'dispell' the enchantment." I answered, making sure to maintain eye contact with Louise and making sure that I emphasized the word 'dispell'. My master blinked at me for a few moments before giving me a very uncomfortable expression.

"I can't do it..." She muttered.

"Then we came here for nothing." I responded while folding my arms and leaning back, earning a glare from her.

"I can't even read it!" She countered while mirroring my stance. It seemed that Matilda caught wind of what we were arguing about since she walked up to Louise and asked her to open up the Founder's Prayer Book.

"But..." Louise muttered while using both her hands to hold the brim of her hat, indicating her uncertainty.

"I have an idea, trust me." Matilda sweetly said. Louise still looked unsure but she eventually lifted up her hat and fished out the book from the top of her head. That was where she was hiding it? I was wondering where she put that book but I was amazed that she was able to fit that thing in her hat without making it fall out or making it uncomfortable for her.

"Is that?" Colbert asked tentatively as he eyed the Founder's Prayer Book.

"Ironic isn't it?" I asked back, answering his question. The man gave a soft chuckle before shaking his head.

"Indeed it is..." He replied. The next few minutes was spent in silence as Louise and Matilda whispered to each other while pointing at or gesturing to the symbols that were written in the book for the 'dispell' spell. Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche took this time to relax while Siesta offered a few prayers to her great grandfather. Colbert and I watched the two of them intently until the professor gave a thoughtful hum.

"Miss Longueville really does look different after a makeover, doesn't she?" Colbert asked me, not even bothering to hide his suspicion but making sure to keep his comment out of earshot.

"She no longer goes by that name nor does she go by any of her previous names. She is simply Matilda now." I provided. Colbert eyed me curiously before turning back to Louise and her tutor.

"Do you care for her? Miss Matilda, I mean." He asked me.

Did I?

"She is Louise's tutor now. It was her decision to allow her to survive. It was the right call considering how much she has helped my master since." I answered. Colbert gave another chuckle at the rather unsubtle way I evaded his question.

"So you are not sure yet then. I guess even beings as powerful as you can still be uncertain when it comes to matters of the heart." He mused with a knowing smile.

"I have no romantic feelings towards her." I clearly stated.

"Yet you don't say it loud enough for her to hear." He shot back before chuckling. I narrowed by eyes at him and he cleared his throat after realizing that he had gone too far.

"I apologize if I offended you. I am merely commenting of what I see. And what I see is that you two seem to suit each other." He stated with a shrug.

"I am a sixteen-hundred year old monster." Not to mention that I was a woman until recently. Instead of arguing any further, Colbert merely shrugged and gave me another knowing smile before walking toward Siesta. I simply sighed and shook my head at the absurdity of the man's insinuation.

"Well, I'm a six-thousand year old sword and I still think the two of you look good together." I ignored Derf's whispered comment and simply waited for Louise and Matilda to finish whatever it was they were doing.

"Alright! I got this!" Louise suddenly yelled out as she took several deep breaths before pulling out her wand and closing her eyes. Did Matilda find a way for her to be able to cast the spell? Did she translate it for Louise? I made sure to observe the proceeding spell casting by Louise to see how she would be able to manage it...or be there to make sure to protect her and Matilda if the spell backfired. What followed was a fifteen minute incantation in a language I couldn't hope to understand. An unfamiliar magic circle appeared at Louise's feet while the pages of the Founder's Prayer Book began to glow.

"And that's what I meant when I said that book will show the little miss what to do when the right time came." Derf commented at the display being shown by Louise. Matilda was right though, the incantation for this spell was cumbersomely long and impractical to use in battle unless Louise was thoroughly protected. Louise finally ended her incantation and opened her eyes, a massive spike of magic came from her and focused on her wand before she finally declared the spell.

"Dispell!" My master roared and a strange steady wave of rainbow colored energy fanned out from her wand and slowly made its way to the hangar. Now that was impracticality incarnate...

However, the wait was rewarded when the spell made contact with the enchantment placed on the hangar. A sharp sound could be heard at the moment of contact, like the breaking of fine glass or porcelain, and the hangar glowed for a moment before it dissipated and vanished. I walked up to the hangar doors and placed at hand on it. The enchantment I felt from the hangar was...gone. I decided to act on my discovery and pried open the hangar doors, enough for us to get inside. I turned back when I heard a squeal of delight coming from Louise.

"I did it! I cast Dispell!" She yelled out triumphantly as she hugged Matilda in joy. Her tutor returned the hugged and laughed along with Louise. I smiled at the scene. This was the very first time, aside from her summoning of me, that Louise was able to successfully cast a spell like it was designed to. The Keyword Casting she learned from Cirno was merely making a broken spell work to her advantage. No matter how effective it was, it was still a failed spell. I couldn't help but feel proud of Louise for what she did, it reminded me of the very first time that Cirno was able to defeat Remilia Scarlet at a Danmaku Battle thanks to her training with me. I walked up to them, unable to hide the smile on my face.

"So, how'd you manage it?" I asked Louise while folding my arms and leaning back.

"I felt it instead of reading it!" Louise immediately answered with glee. Felt it? I looked up to Matilda and raised a brow to indicate the unvoiced question. The woman merely gave me a radiant smile before answering.

"It was actually thanks to your conversation with Derflinger back at the academy. It said that the Founder's Prayer Book will only reveal its contents once the mage was ready to cast that spell. Since the incantation for Dispell was already out in the open, it shows that Louise was ready for that spell. The only issue was interpretation..." Matilda explained while patting Louise on the head, or hat as the case was.

"And? How did she interpret it?" I asked, interested in how Louise was able to decipher the contents of the book. Matilda suddenly looked embarrassed and glanced away from me with a tinge of red on her cheeks.

"I don't actually know...Louise, how did you feel the magic?" Matilda redirected the question to the caster herself.

"I felt the magic in the words! I'm not sure how I was able to but when Matilda asked me to try to concentrate on the symbols, I suddenly felt them talking to me." Louise explained recounting her experience. I see…the book interpreted itself for her. Instead of making a translation spell built into the book, it was designed to simply provide the purest interpretation of the spell to the caster in case he or she couldn't read the native text. Not bad Brimir.

"So that was why the book glowed...it was transmitting the core meaning of the spell to you as you were performing the incantation." I concluded. I was suddenly made aware that we weren't the only ones there. I glanced around and, predictably enough, everyone was looking at us in shock...except for Tabitha who simply put her book away.

"What was that?" Guiche muttered after seeing the spell that Louise just cast.

"Louise called it Dispell. I've never heard of a spell like that..." Kirche muttered as she rubbed her chin with her hand, probably trying to recall a spell that would be similar to what Louise just cast.

"That was a very pretty spell." Siesta chimed in, and indeed, a slow moving rainbow wave would look pretty when you look at it the right way.

"That...that was..." Colbert trailed off, unable to finish his sentence in disbelief.

"Void." As usual, Tabitha was able to hit the nail on the head perfectly.

"No way..." Kirche muttered.

"Yes, that was the first and only Void spell Louise has ever been able to cast so far." I supplied, not even bothering to hide it at this point since they all should already know that Louise was a Void Magician…except for Siesta but I trusted her enough not to tattle.

"What?" Guiche yelled out.

"That's amazing!" Siesta exclaimed.

"Not bad." Tabitha muttered before returning to her book.

"So that was a Void spell..." Colbert muttered while looking down on the ground, trying his best to recall as many details about the spell as he could.

"So wait...Louise the Zero really is a Void mage?" Kirche asked in verification. It seemed that the comment back at the capital wasn't enough to convince them of Louise's status as a Void Magician.

"I'm not a Zero! The only reason why I haven't been able to cast any other spell properly is because they weren't compatible with me!" Louise yelled back at Kirche. The Germanian made a thoughtful hum before looking back at the slightly trembling Louise.

"That makes sense. Well done, Louise. Congratulations on successfully casting a spell." Kirche said with a warm smile, much to the surprise of everyone...especially Louise.

"Awha?" My master blurted out, thoroughly caught off guard at what her long-time nemesis just said.

"I said congratulations. The only reason why I kept teasing you was because I thought that you weren't a mage worth her salt. You proved me wrong, which is why I'm congratulating you." Kirche explained with a smile. It was ridiculously simple logic but it was still enough to keep my master off balance for a few more moments.

"I don't know about all of you, but I'm very interested to see what the Steel Goddess looks like." I stated before walking back toward the entrance of the hangar. Everyone else seemed to have snapped out of their surprise and followed me. I stopped in front of the threshold and remembered something I needed to confirm with everyone.

"I would like to remind you all that Louise's status as a Void Magician remains secret for her safety. Anyone who betrays our trust will die by my hand." I let the reminder hang in the air before walking inside.

...

It was pristine. So much so that someone like Nitori would likely drool over all the tech inside. The inside of the hangar looked brand new but instead of having airplane parts and various tools, there were computers and various other electronic devices littered everywhere and were all interconnected to the thing at the very center of the hangar. It was a metal capsule, large enough for someone to fit inside. I glanced back to where everyone was and saw that they were looking around in awe at all the various devices and blinking lights and strange sounds coming from everywhere.

"Don't touch anything." I warned them. I still wasn't sure what was powering all of these things so I wanted to make sure that no one touches anything that might turn out to the power supply...or a self-destruct button. I know that I've had it with those things thanks to the kappa.

"What is all this?" Colbert asked, completely out of his element in this place.

"I don't know yet...but it seems that this Steel Goddess is of a rather advance race." I answered as I continued to walk toward the white coffin-like capsule. This is the kind of technology I'd expect from the Lunarians or one of the more extreme experiments by the Kappa. I don't know what all these devices did so I didn't touch any of them just to be sure. I reached my destination and looked down upon the sealed metal capsule. Strange...

"It has frost on it..." I muttered as I wiped away a thin layer on ice that was encasing part of the object. I noticed an engraving on it and wiped away enough frost to make it readable.

RKT-001-V4

Military designation? Or was it simply a model number or a serial number. The familiar sound of a 'Big Red Button' being pressed snapped me from my thoughts. That sound was never a good thing. When I heard that sound, things explode. I whipped around and saw that Louise was looking at me in panic while her hand was on a 'Big Red Button'.

"I'm sorry!" Louise cried out, only realizing what she had done. I once again cursed the allure of the 'Big Red Button' before I heard a hissing sound coming from the capsule.

"Stay back! All of you!" I roared as I stood between the opening capsule and the others. White frost burst from the seams of the opening device as the capsule slowly opened up like a clam shell, revealing the contents inside. I did a double-take at what was inside...or rather, who was inside.

A pristine blue maid uniform with a short skirt and a white apron. Black shoes with white stockings. Black laces gloves that extended to most of her arms with silver bracers that looked more like thin gauntlets. Flawless long green hair that had a certain sheen to it. A silver visor that looked more like a circlet wrapped around her forehead. The front part of the visor was circular and held the same model number that was on the capsule, I postulated that the visor could easily cover her eyes and most of her face if it was pulled down. The sides of the visor had what looked to be heat sinks but looked more like fins or silver wings. The eyes open to reveal cold, doll-like, red eyes. I knew this thing. It looks slightly different from the last time I saw it but there can be no mistake. Streams of light ran across its eyes before it blinked a few times as it focused it gaze upon me.

"Fuga?" It asked me and I immediately knew that I was right. Somehow, someway, against all odds, I was looking at something that dropped off Gensokyo so very long ago.

Ruukoto

...

Please R&R!


	14. Chapter 13

Author's Notes: I have good news and I have bad news.

The good news is that I managed to find a good cut off point between Ruukoto's character defining chapter and the start of the Tarbes invasion so…UPDATE! The bad news is that I got my hands on a copy of Yakuza 4 and I've been playing like a madman. This may or may not affect the release of the next chapter…who am I kidding…there's so much shit to do in that game I'm not even sure when I'll be able to seriously start on the next chapter.

For now though, please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Dead men's words hold no meaning on the Round Table.

...

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga?" The gynoid asked me from within its capsule. Ruukoto hadn't budged an inch from her capsule and was only observing me with her red eyes, likely scanning me to try to confirm the situation. Considering the question she posed to me, I was able to conclude that this was indeed the original Ruukoto...or a unit that had her memories or information at least.

"No, your assessment is accurate. Many things have happened since we last met, my current state is simply one of those things. In fact, you yourself look rather different from what I remember back when you were still under Reimu's employ." I replied, making Ruukoto blink at me a few times. Thin streams of light ran across her eyes for a few moments before she replied.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga, Fuga." Ruukoto explained what happened to her in a prompt and logical manner. I nodded along with her explanation and was intrigued as who this Uzuki woman was and why she felt the need to make 'upgrades' on Ruukoto.

"Uzuki?" A voice from behind me said in confusion. I raised a brow and turned to see the others huddled behind me, obviously curious as to whom Ruukoto was. What intrigued me though was what Siesta had just said.

"You understood what Ruukoto said?" I asked Siesta to confirm if it was a fluke or not, turning everyone's attention toward her. The maid blushed as she shuffled uncomfortably from the sudden scrutiny. Nevertheless, she nodded meekly in reply.

"Interesting..." I muttered as I considered the ramifications of Siesta understanding what Ruukoto can say.

"Fuga?" The gynoid asked me while looking right at Siesta.

"Ah, yes. She's the great grand daughter of the man who you apparently arrived here with." I supplied and Ruukoto nodded at Siesta in acknowledgement.

"What the founder is happening?" Louise suddenly shouted. Ah, right...

"I assume that none of you, other that Siesta, can understand what Ruukoto is saying?" I posed the question.

"Is that what that woman's name is?" Guiche asked, suddenly interested that the Steel Goddess turned out to be a beautiful woman...or so he thought.

"Yes. So I can assume that Siesta is the only one who can understand it?" I asked again. Everyone looked at each other and were looking uncertain.

"Is 'Fuga' the only thing you can hear from it?" I changed the question and everyone, except Siesta, nodded.

"Very interesting..." I muttered with a bemused smile at the revelation.

"It would help if you shared what it is that you find interesting, Yuka. Why do you keep calling her 'it' anyway?" My master asked, her previous panic at pressing the 'Big Red Button' was replaced with growing irritation at being left out of the loop.

"Ah, of course. Let me introduce something that I haven't seen in over five-hundred years. This is Ruukoto, an artificially created android that was once in the service of one Reimu Hakurei. It suddenly disappeared after the Strawberry Crisis incident and Reimu didn't really put any real effort in finding it. She said that she thought that Ruukoto just fell in a hole and couldn't get out so she just shrugged off her loss and moved on with her life." I explained and everyone seemed to be torn between wondering what exactly Ruukoto is and feeling sorry for her by being abandoned by its master.

"Question!" Kirche suddenly spoke up like a student, complete with a raised hand.

"Kirche." I acknowledged her and bade her to continue.

"What's an 'Android'?" She asked the obvious question. I thought about it for a moment as I tried to figure out the best analogy for them to be able to understand what Ruukoto was.

"I'm not particularly certain about the absolute specifics but...the simple explanation for it is that Ruukoto is a very, very, very complex human-shaped golem. Also, 'Android' is only the general term for them. A more specific term for Ruukoto is 'Gynoid', a designation for Androids with particularly feminine attributes. Imagine a sentient, self-reliant, self-sufficient golem that can process information much faster and more accurately than any human. And in case you are wondering, yes, her physical prowess far outstrips regular humans as well...if I remember you are also armed, yes?" I explained and threw the question at the gynoid, ignoring the particularly flabbergasted expressions of Matilda and Guiche, our two golem users. I heard the familiar sounds that a computer could make while processing information coming from Ruukoto as more streams of light ran across her unblinking eyes.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga Fuga...Fuga." Ruukoto replied after a few moments. I guess it can't be helped considering how long she had been in storage. I turned back to the others, Siesta specifically, before speaking.

"Can you convey what Ruukoto just said to the others, Siesta?" I asked her and she looked unsure as to what to do.

"Umm...I didn't really understand what she was talking about..." She reasoned as she looked between me and the Steel Goddess.

"Don't worry about that. I just want to know how much of her words did you understand...in the sense of not just hearing 'Fuga' over and over again." I clarified. The maid...well, the human one...remained silent for a few moments before nodding.

"Running diagnostics on all systems. Assessment: Current physical state is still below nominal operating temperatures. Unable to move until defrosting protocols are complete. Estimated time of completion...twelve-minutes and seventeen-seconds. Information processing and memory are operating within optimal parameters. No major problems found aside from minor memory fragmentation. Defrag already in process. Power systems working at one-hundred percent efficiency. No issues found on Erde-Kaiser Sigma Type Seven engine. No hazardous emissions or radiation detected." Siesta started before taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Most available weapon systems are offline. R-Teneritas, Blood Dragon Tooth, D-Shot, D-Scythe, F-Slayer, X-Buster, and Emulation: Fantasy Heaven are under level five security lock-down. Priority password release from Professor S. Uzuki required for lock-down release. G-Revolver, R-Cannon, R-Blade, and Anti-Material Sword 'Arondight' are available for immediate use. Status of special equipment 'Riser' is unknown. Status of special equipment 'G-Wing: Type-Zero' is confirmed and is ready for immediate deployment. Status of special equipment 'Artemis' is unknown. Status of special equipment 'Fantasy Seal' is confirmed but is under level five lock-down protocols as per restrictions against the use of Emulation: Fantasy Heaven." Siesta continued without any hint of hesitation in her words.

"Status of Overdrive System 'NT-D' is unknown. Status of Overdrive System 'Trans-AM' is unknown. Status of Overdrive System 'Level Six Shift' is under level five lock-down protocols. Status of Overdrive System 'White Noise' is confirmed and operable. Addendum: Ruukoto Unit One Version Four is operable but is under heavy restrictive use. Whew! That's all I heard." Siesta said, concluding her recitation of Ruukoto's earlier words...and she did it perfectly. I nodded in approval and glanced at everyone else who were looking at Siesta like she had just grown a second head, was made of gold, and was revealing national secrets.

"What was all that?" Louise finally yelled out after several moments of stunned silence.

"A perfectly translated version of what Ruukoto just said in Halkeginian. I must say, I am impressed that you memorized all of that after hearing it only once." I commended Siesta's skill at retaining information so well. The maid...yes, the human one...blushed at the compliment.

"Th-thank you, Mister Yuka. I got used to remembering things that were said to me because of all my responsibilites back at the academy." Siesta, as humble as ever, tried to play off her talent as simply something she developed for the sake of her job.

"Do you mean that all that information came from those few words from the gol-gynoid?" Professor Colbert asked in obvious surprise at how much information Ruukoto can convey with just a few 'Fugas'.

"Wait...how come the maid can understand what that Ruukoto says?" Kirche pointed out yet another obvious question.

"Well, for reasons that I've yet to understand myself, Ruukoto can only be completely understood by those from Gensokyo. Reimu confirmed this back during the Strawberry Crisis incident when she commented that Yumemi Okazaki and her assistant couldn't understand a word that Ruukoto said. Yumemi and her assistant, Chiyuri Kitashirakawa came from the outside world." I provided, earning even more confused looks from everyone aside from Louise, who was privy to information about Gensokyo.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache. The point is that only those from my home realm can understand the meaning behind Ruukoto's words." I stated. I left the question on how this Professor S. Uzuki managed to understand Ruukoto enough to be able to perform so many modifications on it for a later date.

"Does that mean that Siesta came from Gensokyo?" Guiche asked after following the logic in the conversation.

"Not exactly..." I vaguely stated, waiting for a certain someone to provide the answer.

"Descendant." And as expected, Tabitha provided the final piece of the puzzle.

"I see...Siesta has the blood of someone from your home realm which is why she can understand what that golem...gynoid...can say." Matilda reasoned out correctly.

"Amazing. So this being is also from your realm?" Professor Colbert asked, not even bothering to mask his interest with Ruukoto. Surprisingly, it was the gynoid itself that answered the question.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto answered immediately while forgetting one important thing.

"You know that they cannot understand a word you're saying, right?" I pointed out to the maid...the robot one...and it blinked a few times before nodding.

"Fuga." It said before turning its attention to lifting its right arm up. It flexed its hand and arm a few times, making flakes of ice fall off.

"Siesta, explain." I gestured for Siesta to interpret what Ruukoto said into Halkeginian. After all, since I now know that she can understand the gynoid perfectly and relay that information word for word, I saw no reason why I should do such a menial task myself.

"Umm...well..." Siesta hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes and no. Explanation: This Ruukoto unit is no longer using the version one frame that was used during the Strawberry Crisis incident. Current frame and components therein is the fourth version designed and built by Professor S. Uzuki. Only memory and core personality components and software remain. In conclusion: I am not the Ruukoto that once served Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Hakurei Reimu, not in the literal sense. However, my memories, personality, and line of thinking are still from my first frame. Physically, I am different. Mentally, I am the same." Siesta finished translating what Ruukoto said and gave a slight bow.

"Amazing...the concept of a sentient golem is completely unheard of, especially one that is as self-aware as this. To think that such a thing exists and is speaking to us right now...I'm speechless." Colbert muttered. I chose not to comment on the fact that he had a lot to say despite claiming to be speechless. Everyone seemed to share the sentiment of the good professor though. It was understandable, I may not have been the most technologically savvy being around but even I could understand that being faced with technology that should be impossible for the current level of your civilization can be a bit daunting. I guess that was why Ruukoto was referred to a 'Steel Goddess'. I suppressed a smirk at the thought of the 'Hisoutensoku' or a 'Lunarian Destroyer' wandering into this realm.

"So...what do we do with it?" Kirche suddenly asked. What indeed...

"That's a very good question. Obviously, selling Ruukoto off is out of the question and is non-negotiable." I pointed out, eliciting a groan from the Germanian.

"Why not?" The redhead drawled out. Obviously not happy with being unable to cash in the only thing that we found that was worthwhile...especially one as seemingly valuable as a maid-slash-combat gynoid.

"Too dangerous." Tabitha immediately answered with a serious expression.

"Correct. Regardless of the changes made on her physical appearance, Ruukoto is still something that originally came from my realm. The same realm where the Rawket Lawnchair...the 'Staff of Destruction' came from. The 'Staff of Destruction' is but a mere weapon. Ruukoto is a sentient golem that can hold its own against several denizens of my realm. Think about that for a second and think of what would happen if some warmonger got it...what if someone like you-know-who got it?" I explained, making sure not to say Cromwell's name to prevent further suspicions being voiced by Professor Colbert and to prevent Matilda from having another one of her fits. Of course, I was exaggerating on Ruukoto's destructive potential. As far as I remember, the only real danger about it was if it blew up because of it being Nuclear powered. However, considering the various weapon systems and special equipment that it has -available or otherwise-, I concluded that this 'Fourth' incarnation of the gynoid was much more combat oriented than it originally was.

"So now what?" Louise muttered the question and was met with silence.

"Well the obvious option would be to bring it with us. It's already...awake...so leaving it here won't do any good either." Matilda pointed out another important factor to consider. Thankfully, she didn't seem to have experienced any discomfort any my passing comment about Cromwell.

"Fuga." Ruukoto chimed in as it finally climbed out of its capsule before straightening out her maid outfit and brushing off some leftover frost on her hair.

"A proposal?" I echoed her words in question form. The gynoid nodded before looking at all of us assembled there and giving a polite and professional bow.

"Fuga Fuga. Fuga?" Ruukoto voiced its proposition before standing back straight and causing Siesta to gasp in surprise. I see, so that's what it was getting at...

"Siesta?" I called out to the maid...the human one...and nodded toward Ruukoto. Siesta blinked at me a few times before adopting a look of realization and nodding.

"Proposition for a compromise that would be mutually beneficial. Ruukoto version four's creator, developer, and previous employer are no longer available. This unit was designed for both servitude as a maid as well as a capable combat unit with many talents. In short: If I gain a new master, I will serve and protect him or her until their death. Is there anyone here that could use a unit such as this?" Siesta relayed Ruukoto's suggestion to the rest of our party.

"Me! Over here! I'll take her!" Kirche immediately exclaimed while raising her right hand high. I ignored Kirche and answered Ruukoto myself.

"You may serve my master, Ruukoto." I told the gynoid while gesturing toward Louise. I watched it turn her gaze from me to Louise, a raised brow was the only thing that indicated its wonder as to why I suggested that it serve Louise instead of me.

"Her name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière and I am her familiar, so it would be prudent that you serve her instead of me." I provided, earning a tilted head from the gynoid.

"Fuga? Fuga. Fuga?" It asked me as if it was a challenge to comprehend what I just told it.

"Yes. She summoned me through one of her realm's summoning rituals. No, I am not her servant. I am her partner and protector as well as providing assistance on improving herself in various aspects of combat." I explained. Ruukoto considered my words for a few moments before nodding and stepping in front of Louise. The gynoid was slightly taller than Matilda, likely because its shoes had high heels for whatever reason, which obviously meant that it was much taller than my master.

"Wh-wh-what do you want?" Louise suddenly said out in panic. Despite all her previous experience in both her training and at live combat, it seems that my master was still a bit jumpy when it comes to meeting someone new. It also helped that Ruukoto was staring down at her with its emotionless blood-red eyes, a few streams of light running across its eyes every now and then added to the effect. Ruukoto was scanning her...probably trying to figure out how such a small human girl managed to bind me of all things into a real summoning contract. She turned her gaze toward me before commenting on something.

"Fuga..." It said almost disinterestedly. I shook my head and gave it a flat stare.

"Of course it's not over nine-thousand. She's not Reimu nor is she Marisa." I stated with a shrug. It nodded one more time before setting her gaze back to my master.

"Fuga. Fuga?" Ruukoto said before bowing to Louise. My master looked at me in confusion and panic. I decided to translate the gynoid's words this time instead of asking Siesta to do so.

"This Ruukoto version four is ready to imprint itself for lifetime service under a new employer. I ask of you, are you my master?" I relayed Ruukoto's question to Louise. My master looked between my and Ruukoto in turn, which was already standing up straight, before scratching her head through her hat.

"Is it safe?" Louise asked me with a hint of uncertainty. I smiled at her and nodded.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't. Despite what Ruukoto looks like, what it sounds like to you, and what it is capable of, it is a loyal servant and will add an extra line of protection for you as well as work as a personal maid." I replied. Indeed, the real reason why I wanted Ruukoto to serve Louise is because I wanted to make sure that she still has some form of protection if ever Matilda or I would be unavailable. Additionally, if Ruukoto's memory is still completely intact, it would allow me access to more Gensokyo-esque tea and snacks outside of Mugenkan...which is always nice.

"Alright, I'll be your master. What do I need to do, perform some kind of contract spell?" Louise gave her answer to Ruukoto before asking how to seal the deal. Ruukoto nodded before closing its eyes. I suddenly sensed a powerful energy spike coming from it. Its entire body gave off a soft white glow before subsiding, but the jump in energy remained. It wasn't magic...it was something completely different. Was it its power source? The gynoid's eyes opened and we all noticed that its lifeless red eyes were replaced with gentle blue eyes.

"Wh-what's going on?" My master suddenly asked. To her everyone's surprise, including my own, Ruukoto answered Louise question...in Halkeginian.

"Overdrive System 'White Noise' is in effect. Voice print recorded and archived. Greetings Mistress Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière..." Ruukoto said in a warm motherly voice that reminded me of Reimu's mother as it greeted Louise. It gave a perfect curtsy before continuing.

"I am Combat Maid Gynoid designation Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. To complete imprint of new master, please hold out both of your hands." Ruukoto stated with a warm smile that was completely out of character from the usually stoic gynoid...it was like a completely different sentience was speaking right now. It said that one of its Overdrive System was active. I decided that I needed to know more about this 'White Noise'...no...I needed to know more about this new and improved Ruukoto in general. As I pondered on how exactly I was going to do that, Louise dumbly nodded at the gynoid...probably too shocked with the display to resist...before holding out both her hands toward Ruukoto. The gynoid continued to smile warmly at Louise as it took both her hands and...

"Ooooww!" Louise suddenly screamed out as her face twisted in pain. On the other hand, Ruukoto simply maintained its warm smile as several streams of light ran across its eyes. It finally released Louise's hands and my master used this moment to walk back a few steps away from the gynoid. She looked at her hands before I felt a familiar spike of magic coming from her. Louise showed the palms of her hands to us, a small red dot at the center of each hand were visible.

"You hurt me!" My master roared at Ruukoto. The maid...the robot one...tilted its head to the side and placed a finger on its chin to indicate its confusion.

"I did not harm you Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. I simply needed a blood sample for blood and DNA archiving as well as being able to introduce necessary nano-machines into your system." Ruukoto innocently said in the face of my master's accusations. A blood sample didn't seem too serious but...

"What do you mean by introducing nano-machines into Louise's body?" I asked it. Obviously, I wasn't particularly happy about Ruukoto suddenly injecting foreign substances into Louise's blood stream...especially machines...and my tone of voice made this clear.

"The nano-machines introduced into Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière's blood stream are non-harmful. They relay the mistress' vital signs and current location to me using an information transmission system developed by Professor S. Shirakawa which takes advantage of the fourth and tenth dimensions. Additionally, they are designed to perform micro-surgery and are able to repair any damaged or ruptured blood vessels to a degree to prevent internal bleeding. Do keep in mind that the scope of the nano-machines' ability to repair blood vessels are limited to small holes and cuts. Massive internal bleeding will be impossible to prevent if a major artery or too many blood vessels are compromised." It explained with a prim and proper smile. I nodded in understanding at all the benefits that those nano-machines just gave Louise. However...

"Understood. No need to call my master by her full name...Louise or Mistress should be enough. Also, do make it a point to consult us first before doing anything like altering my master's physiology...regardless of how minor or how beneficial it is." I informed it seriously, earning a nod from the gynoid.

"Acknowledged." It immediately responded with a warm smile.

"Yuka! What did that thing do to Louise?" Matilda cut into our conversation. I turned to her and saw that she had her wand in her hand and was standing between Louise and Ruukoto.

"It wasn't anything harmful. Ruukoto simply needed a blood sample from Louise to register her as its new master. The nano-machines that were introduced into her body will provide up to date information about Louise's vital signs such as her heart rate, her blood pressure, her breathing, among other things. Those things will also constantly transmit Louise's location directly to Ruukoto, which will make it impossible for Louise to disappear without a trace. No matter where she is or where she's taken, we'll be able to find her. And lastly, those things will help close up any wounds that draw blood, making Louise harder to kill." I explained. Hopefully it was enough to satisfy both Louise and Matilda. Thankfully, the former thief lowered her wand and put it away after giving one last glare at Ruukoto.

"So, I'm not going to die, right?" Louise asked both me and the maid...the robot one...as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"You will not die by my hand, Mistress. I am your loyal servant from now on and will do everything in my power to ensure your safety and comfort." It said in parting before it closed its eyes one more time. The same while glow wrapped itself around its body, its energy signature lowering to its previous levels, before it opened its eyes again to reveal Ruukoto's standard blood-red doll-like eyes.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said, once again adopting its previous speech pattern.

"Ugh! And here I thought we can understand it now..." Louise muttered after once again hearing nothing but 'Fuga' from the gynoid. I tapped Ruukoto on the shoulder, turning her attention to me, before leaning in close enough for me to whisper in its ear.

"I want detailed reports in all of your systems that can be disclosed without the need for any security confirmations. Power systems. Mechanics. Computer systems. Weapon systems. Special equipment and abilities. Everything." I stated before pulling back. The gynoid looked at me for a few moments as streams of light once again ran across its eyes.

"Fuga. Fuga?" I replied with a nod as it posed the question.

"I don't care how long it would take for you to write everything down. Make it happen." I insisted, earning another nod of acknowledgement from the gynoid.

...

"I assume that I had missed a few things while I was back home?" Monmon asked as she greeted our treasure hunting party near the academy's entrance.

"Monmon~! I am so happy to finally see you again my love~!" Guiche immediately exclaimed as soon as he heard Monmon's voice and saw her after he got off the carriage he was in. The young man ran toward his lover, only to be completely ignored by her. Monmon didn't even acknowledge his presence and simply walked past him.

"Quite the ensemble you have here." Monmon commented as we got off from our respective carriages. Because of the added members of our little group, we had to hire two carriages instead of one in order to accommodate everyone. Louise, Matilda, Siesta, Ruukoto, and I were in the lead carriage while Tabitha, Kirche, Guiche, and Professor Colbert rode in the second carriage.

"It's good to see you again, Monmon. I missed you." Louise happily greeted her friend with a hug. Monmon returned the hug and told my master that she had missed her as well.

"Hey there, Montmorency! Did you bring us back anything nice?" Kirche suddenly cut in as she and Tabitha walked up to the blonde.

"Nothing for you, certainly." Monmon flatly declared, earning a shrug from the Germanian.

"Welcome back." Tabitha greeted with a nod before turning her attention back to her book.

"It's nice to see you too, Tabitha." Monmon regarded the Gallian.

"Ah, Miss Montmorency! Welcome back." Professor Colbert greeted his student.

"Professor." Monmon returned the greeting with a polite nod.

"Hello there, Miss Montmorency." It was Matilda's turn to greet Monmon and the young woman gave her a meek smile.

"Hello again, Miss Matilda. I'm really sorry about what happened before and..." Monmon said, once again apologizing for the whole Love Potion incident.

"Don't worry about it. I don't hold anything against you." Matilda assured Monmon, who gave out a sigh of relief. I looked around and noticed that Siesta had already left, likely gone back to the servants' wing to report in.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto's question snapped me from my thoughts. The maid...the robot one...stood beside me and was looking at the interaction between Louise, Matilda, and Monmon with about as much visible interest as it could.

"She's one of Louise's friends. You can put her on the 'do not kill' list." I stated, earning a nod from the gynoid. I made it a point to instruct the maid...the robot one...to make sure that it would never go hostile to any of Louise's friends or the people she trusted...the ones that got the okay from me anyway. The list would likely be updated once we meet Louise's family but that would be something to take care of some other time.

"Fuga." Ruukoto acknowledged the order with a nod. The girl in question glanced at me before smiling and walking up to me and the gynoid.

"Hello Mister Yuka." She greeted with a polite bow.

"Montmorency." I returned the greeting with a curt nod while foregoing the use of her nickname. She blushed at bit at the sudden change in the way I referred to her but she quickly recovered before turning her attention to the gynoid beside me.

"And this is?" She asked while nodding toward Ruukoto. Considering the gynoid's physical appearance, Monmon seemed to have come to the conclusion that this was no ordinary maid.

"Fuga." The gynoid in question greeted the blonde with a polite bow.

"Fuga? What does that mean? Is that her name?" Monmon asked me in confusion at both the strange word and the strange way Ruukoto conveyed it.

"This is Ruukoto. It was once a resident of my home realm. Due to various circumstances, it managed to find its way here. It is currently serving under Louise as a personal maid and assistant. The reason why it says 'Fuga' is because it is how it is heard by anyone who either did not come from my home realm or does not have the blood of anyone who came from my realm." I introduced the gynoid to Monmon. The blonde eyed Ruukoto carefully before turning back to me.

"So she's as strong as you are?" Monmon asked, earning a soft chuckle from me.

"I don't think so. Most of its combat capabilities have been locked down for safety purposes but it can still outclass any ordinary human as far as physical and mental prowess goes." I explained, earning a thoughtful hum from Monmon.

"Just as long as she doesn't cause harm Louise or anyone else..." Monmon muttered before nodding toward Ruukoto.

"It's nice to meet you, I am Montmorency Margarita la Fère de Montmorency." Monmon formally introduced herself to Ruukoto.

"Montmorency is fine by the way..." I told gynoid, who nodded in response. Monmon raised at brow at me for the addition that I made.

"It tends to regard anyone with their full name every time it talks to them of referrs to them unless you specify it to do otherwise." I provided, earning a tilted head from Monmon in addition to her raised brow.

"Why do you keep calling her 'it'? I understand that she's a commoner but there's no reason not to treat her as a human being. Don't make it look like she's some form of furniture." Monmon asked me the most common question about Ruukoto so far. I raised my own brow at the way Monmon quickly went to the defense of Ruukoto's human rights...misplaced as it was.

"Obviously, I don't treat it like a human because it isn't one. Ruukoto, R-Blade please." I instructed the gynoid with a knowing smile. It was easier to simply show her what Ruukoto was instead of once again delving into another detailed explanation.

"Fuga." The maid...the robot one...answered before raising her right hand and holding it out to the side.

R-Blade

A robotic but feminine voice declared, I was still unsure if it was Ruukoto's voice or something else since it was destorted enough to not be distinct, before the gynoid's right arm glowed white up to its elbow. Ruukoto's right arm reshaped itself into a double-edged blade that gave of a blue hue around the edges and the tip. It really looked like someone took out the gynoid's forearm and replaced it with a sword...minus the handle.

"What the founder is that?" Monmon exclaimed while pointing at Ruukoto's R-Blade.

"It's Ruukoto's R-Blade, weren't you listening?" I flatly asked her. Monmon suddenly gave me one of those 'you know what I mean' looks before cautiously looking back to Ruukoto. It was at that moment that I noticed Guiche walking up to us after hearing Monmon's yell.

"Worry not, my love~! Ruukoto is completely loyal to Louise and would never harm any of her friends." Guiche declared while stepping in between Ruukoto and Monmon, showing just how safe it was by showing his back to the gynoid.

"Well?" Monmon asked me, completely ignoring Guiche once again.

"Ruukoto, Yuka, stop scaring Monmon." Louise suddenly cut in as she and Matilda approached us. Kirche, Tabitha, and Professor Colbert were already heading back inside the academy while the carriages we hired were already on their way back, leaving only us there. Louise eyed Ruukoto and I before settling her gaze on the R-Blade.

"Put that glowing arm blade thing away before you stab someone in the face." Louise growled at Ruukoto. The gynoid tilted her head to the side before lowering her right arm.

"Fuga Fuga." It said in response to my master's statement, earning a chuckle from me.

"And what seems to be so funny?" Louise asked me. I simply gave a shrug before responding.

"Ruukoto said that the probability of it accidentally stabbing someone in the face with R-Blade while it has full control over its body is astronomical. So much so that it would be far more likely for someone to die by getting stabbed to death with a wooden spoon." I provided, earning confused looks from everyone there...aside from Ruukoto of course.

"A spoon?" Matilda asked with a raised brow, possibly considering how such a thing would have been possible.

"Fuga." Ruukoto responded. Everyone looked at me expectantly as they waited for the translated version of the gynoid's reasoning.

"It's blunt. It would hurt more." I translated. Dead silence followed for a few more moments before Louise shook her head.

"Anyway, put that away. We're going back to my room." Louise said before walking back toward the academy with Matilda in tow.

"I'll come with you. I want to hear what happened while I was gone." Monmon said as she followed my master and her tutor.

"Go." I said to Ruukoto and it gave me a bow before following the three women.

"She's ignoring me...she's utterly ignoring me..." Guiche muttered in shock as he watched his lover walk away from him without even a single word. I was wondering if I should say something or simply walk away when Guiche decided for me.

"What do I do, Mister Yuka?" Guiche suddenly yelled out in despair.

"I am really the very last one you should ask advice from when it comes to love..." I stated flatly.

"But...but...but...how can I patch things up with her if she won't even listen to me?" Guiche asked me, completely ignoring my previous statement.

"Honestly, I don't really see why that is my problem. Figure it out for yourself, Guiche. Monmon should be at least worth that much to you." I said, reminding Guiche of our little talk before Louise and I left for Albion. It was then that I suddenly felt Derf stirring from its scabbard on my back. The sword emerged partially, just enough for it to be able to start talking.

"You should give her some space first. Going after her as soon as you two reunite will only remind her of the reason why she got mad at you in the first place." I raised a brow at the sudden input by Derf while Guiche simply gawked at it while blinking dumbly.

"Let her get settled in first. Let her get back into her usual routines. Approach her as a friend first and show her that you're more than just the damn playboy that was cheating on her for months on end. It will take a while, but if you really love her that much, it shouldn't be too hard." Derf continued its lecture with Guiche now listening intently. The young man suddenly furrowed his eyebrows before adopting a horrified look.

"I'm taking love advice from a talking sword..." He muttered at the realization on what was happening as he held his head in despair.

"Yes...how the mighty have fallen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to check on my master." I said disinterestedly before walking off, leaving the young man to his thoughts.

...

I climbed up the dormitory tower as I made my way back to Louise's room. I thought over what happened during our little treasure hunting trip while using my parasol as a walking stick. We didn't find any treasures during the trip per say. In fact, the only valuables we were able to get were those gold pieces and items that keep dropping off of those goblins whenever we killed them...most of which were simply junk. What we did find though...was Ruukoto. The gynoid's discovery was about as surprising as finding out that Siesta was a descendant of someone from Gensokyo. It didn't seem like her great grandfather had any youkai blood in him since her family's life spans seem to be those of regular humans. Regardless, I planed to have Ruukoto jot down as many things about it as it can possibly provide and give the information to Nitori for analysis. I wanted to know how much the gynoid has changed since the last I saw it and I want to know how to take advantage of any upgrades it had received while in the hands of that Uzuki woman. I was standing in front of Louise's door and was about to open it when...

"He did what?" Monmon's outraged roar came from within Louise's room. I raised a brow at the sudden outburst and heard a few more things from Louise's friend.

"That bastard! You were entrusted to him by your families! He was supposed to be your husband-to-be! Your rock! Your absolute constant throughout everything that life will throw at you! And he...he...he...I'LL KILL THAT BASTARD!" Monmon continued to rant as she started to sound more and more like Louise when she was angry. I shook my head at the odd thought before opening the door. Louise, Monmon, and Matilda were seated at the table in Louise's room while enjoying one tea. Ruukoto was standing behind Louise like any capable maid would just in case that my master would need anything.

"I'm afraid that you're already too late in that regard." I suddenly cut in, turning everyone's attention to me...except for Ruukoto which continued its vigil behind Louise, which was understandable since it should have been able to sense my presence the moment I stepped in front of the door to Louise's room.

"I've already made sure that the late Viscount Wardes regretted what he did to Louise in the few precious seconds he had left before his life was extinguished in a rather creative way." I said while placing my parasol on Louise's desk and propping Derf up against the wall before taking my hat off.

"Are you sure?" Monmon asked with narrowed eyes. I chuckled before giving her a warm smile.

"Matilda requested that no quarter be given to that man. After what he did to both Matilda and Louise...I saw no reason to do so either. Believe me when I say that his final moments were moments no living human should ever experience." I stated with the same smile. Monmon nodded in approval since she already knows how fierce I can be. None of them have ever actually seen me truly lash out in anger...hopefully, none of them ever had to. I then noticed that Ruukoto was now looking at me intently as if it wanted to say something.

"Yes?" I asked it, prompting the gynoid to bow before speaking.

"Fuga. Fuga?" It asked me with a tilted head. Ah, right...I suppose that those things would be needed.

"Valid concerns indeed..." I muttered as I rubbed my chin with my right hand.

"Do you mind letting us in on your little conversation?" Louise drawled out while looking between us with a raised brow.

"I asked Ruukoto to compile as much information about it as possible. I wanted it to write it all out so I can give it to an acquaintance of mine who is well versed when it comes to advanced machinery like Ruukoto." I explained. I am, of course, talking about Nitori and the kappa. They did make the Hisoutensoku after all.

"And why would you want to do something like that?" Monmon asked me before sipping some tea.

"I want Ruukoto's specifications analyzed to know everything I can about it. The reason why is so we can take advantage of all of Ruukoto's capabilities and make absolutely certain that it will not pose any threat to Louise or anyone else she holds dear." I replied with a smile, making my master blush and fidget in her seat.

"Fuga." Ruukoto argued with a tone that sounded almost like it was offended.

"I understand that you already said that you wouldn't to anything to harm Louise. However, I don't want to take any chances. Besides, if there isn't anything to be afraid of, then you have nothing to worry about, right?" I posed the question and Ruukoto immediately nodded in agreement to the logic.

"So what is this whole thing about concerns?" Matilda asked, managing to pick out a critical point that I only muttered out loud.

"As I previously stated, I wanted Ruukoto to jot down detailed reports about all its functions, equipment, and abilities. That would mean that it would need something to write on and something to write with and...if what it says is true...it will need to lot of things to write on and to write with." I explained. Louise made a thoughtful sound while taking small sips from her tea.

"Maybe you can ask Professor Colbert about it. The two of you seem to get along well enough and he should be more than happy to help if it's for the sake of learning more about Ruukoto." Louise suggested.

"Yes, that could work." I agreed with a nod.

...

"How can it write that fast?" Colbert asked in complete disbelief as Ruukoto meticulously jotted down its specifications on the parchment that was provided for it, it even drew detailed diagrams and schematics for its more delicate or advanced systems. The good professor jumped at the chance to learn more about Ruukoto when I asked if he can provide writing material for the gynoid to take down its specifications. We were led to the academy library where Ruukoto requested to see the kind of material it will write on and write with. After being provided a page of parchment and a bottle of ink with a fine feather pen, the gynoid specifically requested five-hundred sleeves of parchment and one-hundred and twently-two bottles of ink and five spare feather pens. I believe that the professor's brain actually stopped for a few seconds when the gynoid made its extremely specific request. Colbert even had to ask permission from Headmaster Osmond to acquire the necessary materials and thankfully, the old man was more than willing to help out especially after he saw Ruukoto personally...even going so far as referring to the gynoid as a 'Gift of the Universe'. And so, it came to pass that Ruukoto was provided the materials it needed to take down its information. Matilda dropped by and voiced her interest in knowing more about the gynoid as well. As a golem user, I supposed that it was only natural for her to be curious as to how Ruukoto worked as it might give her ideas on how to improve her own golemcraft. I asked her where Louise was and Matilda said that she was still with Monmon and they were sharing stories about the various happenings while they were apart. It seemed that the two of them had become the best of friends without me even realizing it.

"Ruukoto already compiled all the information it wanted to take down, the only thing it needed is a way to do so. If you recall, I already told explained that it is superior to ordinary humans when it comes to physical prowess as well as information processing. This is simply that superiority being displayed." I answered. Colbert nodded in understanding before walking up behind the gynoid to observe just how it was accomplishing what it was doing. Matilda took this time to pick up one one of the leaves of parchment that had been completely packed with detailed information about the gynoid's power source, the Erde-Kaiser Sigma Type Seven engine...it even had a drawing of the engine itself on the upper left part of the parchment along with several equations that seem to have been put there to prove the validity of the use of that power source. The former thief stared at the parchment intently before grimacing, I raised a brow as to why. I leaned in closer and that was when I noticed something about what words written on it.

They were in English, not Halkeginian.

"I see that even you have yet to decipher the English written language." I quipped with a smirk. Matilda turned to me and nearly yelped in surprise at our apparent proximity. Thankfully, she refrained from voicing out her surprise. Instead, she simply took a half-step away from me before pouting...yes, pouting...at me while blushing. I ignored the little voice at the back of my head...which, oddly enough, sounded like Marisa's voice complete with a '~ze' at the end of its sentence...that commented on how cute Matilda looked at the time. There was silence between us for a few moments before Matilda looked back to the parchment in her hand and then back to me.

"What do you mean by the 'English' language? I've never heard of such a language before." Matilda inquired, foregoing her previous embarrassment to know more about what was written on the parchment in her hand.

"English is a language from the outside world of my home realm. It originated from an island country of England which is not unlike your Albion...of course, England isn't floating in the sky. The reason why Ruukoto is writing in English is likely because it is the most commonly accepted language in the outside world. Gensokyo used to use it a long time ago, but it was abolished by Yukari in favor on the now used 'Common Language' because too many beings were coming into the realm using too many different languages. No one could understand what each other was saying. In the end, Yukari simply shifted the border of Languages so that anyone who came into Gensokyo could understand anyone else regardless of their native language." I explained. Matilda nodded in understanding before her expression darkened a bit.

"That Yukari seems to be quite powerful to be able to do something like that..." Matilda muttered to herself while staring at the specifications for the Erde-Kaiser Sigma Type Seven engine with a frown. I sighed before looking at the many bookshelves that lined the library. It wasn't as extensive as the libraries of the Scarlet Devil Mansion or the Yama's Archives but it seemed...adequate for the needs of school children.

"Yes, she is. Yukari is one of the handful of beings that can fight me to a standstill when I go full tilt. Although, it has been a very long time since I have been able to unleash that much power." I admitted with a chuckle as I reminisced about the days when the spell card rules weren't established yet.

"Do you miss it? Your home realm, I mean." The former thief asked me in a subdued voice. I gave a shrug before answering.

"Not really. I've lived in Gensokyo ever since I was born a youkai sixteen-hundred years ago. I've seen everything there is to see in that realm. The Hakurei Shrine, The Scarlet Devil Mansion, my own Garden of the Sun, the various human villages that have spread out over the centuries, the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, the eternal mansion Eientei, Youkai Mountain, the Forest of Magic, the Netherworld, the Temple of the Earth Spirits, the youkai village Mayohiga, the Hell of Blazing Fires, the heavenly realm of Bhava-Agra, the demon realm of Makai, the Lunarian capital on the dark side of the moon. If its in Gensokyo or connected to it, chances are I've already been there. Besides, it would be rather embarrassing for me to suddenly get homesick after I wished for a significant change in my life." I answered with a wry smile. Matilda stared at me for a few moments before tilting her head to the side.

"A significant change?" Matilda asked.

"Yes. As it stood, my life was rather boring before Louise summoned me. Nothing new was happening and I wished for something radically different to happen in my life. Interestingly enough, three changes did happen to me. Location, responsibility, and gender. Unexpected changes all around but I find the current experience quite novel." I replied. I then noticed that both Matilda and Professor Colbert were looking at me with expressions that gave off varying degrees of 'what did you just say?'

"Umm...I may have heard wrong but...did you say gender?" Colbert asked me with apprehension. I blinked at them a few times and the only sounds that can be heard in the library were Ruukoto's writing.

"Oh yes, you still don't know. I used to be a woman before Louise summoned me." I admitted and Professor Colbert suddenly looked at me with renewed shock and confusion. I tilted my head to the side in wonder when I suddenly heard a loud thumping sound to my side. I turned and saw Matilda on the floor, unconscious.

"...Matilda?"

...

"You're kidding me…" Yukari voiced her disbelief after I explained to her and to Cirno what we found near Tarbes. I took Matilda back to Louise's room after she fainted, she didn't seem to have taken the news of my genderbending nearly as well as Louise previously had. When I arrived, Louise was already by herself and was talking to Derf about the Founder's Prayer Book and how to pry out more spells from it. When Louise asked what happened, I simply told her the truth and was rewarded with Louise calling me an idiot for not understanding a woman's heart even though I was previously a woman myself. In the end, I set Matilda down on Louise's bed and headed back to the library to check up on Ruukoto. By the time the sun had set, Professor Colbert has offered to provide us reading lamps to allow the gynoid to continue its work without interruption from the lack of light. It was at that time that Ruukoto pointed to one of the leaves of parchment that it had already finished writing. I picked it up and scanned through it to find that the gynoid apparently had five different vision modes that allowed it to see through nearly every spectrum of light. Naturally, night vision came as standard so it didn't really need a lamp to continue its work. I explained that tidbit to Colbert and he became even more amazed with Ruukoto than he already was. Although, judging from the sheer amount of material Ruukoto was taking down, it looked like the little robot maid that everyone forgot about had a lot of new things to amaze others with. Ruukoto managed to finish everything just as the clock turned midnight. We organized the reports and I guided it to the academy garden and into the door I made to be able to access Mugenkan. I still have my policy about not letting humans into my dream realm, aside from Louise of course, but Ruukoto was far from being a human so I allowed it inside if only to prove a point to anyone who wouldn't believe my story…like now, for instance.

"So you're telling us that Reimu used to own a Nuclear-Powered Robot Maid but she lost it and never bothered to look for it ever again. Five-hundred years later, you find it in a hidden Aircraft Hangar that had a protection enchantment that you couldn't muscle through. You find the Robot Maid and it turns out that it had all sorts of awesome upgrades and is now sworn to service under Louise, right?" Cirno asked for verification after she plotted out most of the important points on the subject.

"A rather abridged assessment, but yes." I responded. Yukari and Cirno looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to me.

"Pics or it didn't happen." Cirno challenged before folding her arms and leaning back. I responded with a smile that Cirno should have recognized as the smile I use when I have successfully suckered someone into a situation that completely favors me.

"Oh, I'll do you one better. Ruukoto." I called out to the maid and it walked out from the sea of sunflowers behind me with her reports in hand.

"Lily White on a stick! It's true!" Cirno exclaimed as she quickly walked up to the gynoid before looking studying its features.

"I don't believe it. It's really her…" Yukari muttered. I walked up to Yukari and gave her a knowing smile.

"You were the one who caused her disappearance from Gensokyo in the first place, weren't you?" I asked her, even though I already knew the answer.

"What ever makes you say that?" Yukari asked coyly as she opened her fan to cover the lower part of her face with.

"The only one in Gensokyo at the time that could do anything like making someone or something drop off the realm completely without a trace is you. What I want to know is why you wanted to get rid of it in the first place? From what I remember, it was quite helpful to Reimu back when it was still in her employ." I said as we watched Ruukoto and Cirno introduce themselves to each other.

"Ruukoto was too dangerous to keep. When I found out what its power source could do if it went nuts…I couldn't take that chance." Yukari answered. I guess that was fair. If Ruukoto's original Nuclear Reactor blew up, most of Gensokyo might have been completely destroyed and rendered uninhabitable for centuries.

"Well, I have good news for you. It does not use the same power source anymore." I provided to the border youkai while giving her a measured glance.

"And how is it powered now? Magic?" Yukari asked me and all I could do was shrug.

"I don't believe so. It says that it has something called an Erde-Kaiser Sigma Type Seven engine. I have no idea what that is and that's the reason for that large bundle of parchment in its hands." I answered while pointing at the gynoid and what it was carrying.

"You made it write down all its specifications. You want someone who actually knows something about that kind of thing to give it a once over. What brought on such a move from you?" Yukari asked me after correctly deducing the reason for all the parchment.

"Like you, I don't want to take any chances. If it's completely safe, I want to know what Ruukoto can do which would benefit Louise. Regardless, could you pass the reports on to Nitori? And make sure she doesn't get any ideas about making her own robot maids. The last thing you need is another Maid Revolt." I said with a chuckle when I remembered that particular incident. Thanks to that, Remilia has been giving more respect toward her maids without having to go through bouts of charisma breaking tantrums.

"I'll have Chen pass it along." She said with a smile before looking around.

"But Louise is taking her sweet time to get here. Is she still awake?" Yukari asked me.

"I'm not sure, I never went back to her room. I immediately came here with Ruukoto after it finished writing its reports." I said while rubbing my chin with my hand.

"Hey, don't tell me Louise is missing again." Cirno said with annoyance as she and Ruukoto approached us. My former student had actually originally requested for me to bring her to Halkeginia after Louise was kidnapped by Wardes so she could dispense, quote, 'Cold Justice' on Louise's then fiancé. I turned her down after stating that it was my fault that Wardes managed to take Louise without my knowledge so it was my responsibility to get her back. Cirno backed off but she still seemed to be sensitive about the safety of her junior.

"I don't think so. Ruukoto, can you tell me Louise's current location?" I asked the gynoid and it nodded once before several streams of light ran across its eyes.

"What's it doing?" Cirno asked with a tilted head in curiosity.

"Ruukoto had injected Louise with a package of nano-machines that monitor her vital signs as well as provide minor first aid and relay my master's location directly to it. I want to know if it can still track Louise even though we are currently not in Halkeginia anymore." I explained while nodding toward Ruukoto.

"You let it inject thrice-be-damned nano-machines into Louise?" Cirno asked me with a bit on an edge in her voice. I raised a brow at the sudden shift in her demeanor but I shrugged it off and answered her question.

"It was sudden and it was part of the ritual for Ruukoto to recognize Louise as its new master. Why? Do you have something against nano-machines?" I asked Cirno, who looked at me with a startled expression before grimacing and shaking her head.

"It's a long story…" The ice fairy said without any indication that she would tell that long story. I turned to Yukari for an answer but the border youkai shut her mouth and made a gesture with her hand that looked like she was locking her mouth with a key before throwing said key away. My lips are sealed, eh? I decided not to press the matter if Cirno really didn't want to talk about it. After a few moments, the gynoid's eyes lost the streaming lights and it nodded to me one more time before delivering its report.

"Fuga." Ruukoto stated. So Louise was still in her room at the academy dorms and her vitals suggested that she was sound asleep, that's good to know. I guess that this was just one of those nights when she simply did not show up.

"Are you sure about that? Technically, you're not even in that realm anymore. How can we trust your words?" Cirno asked skeptically as she folded her arms before leaning back. It was a natural question from my former student. Ruukoto normally should not be able to send or receive information to and from Halkeginia and Mugenkan. If it did manage that, it would mean that it had a system that could bypass the dimensional border between realms.

"Fuga Fuga." Ahh…I get it now.

The nano-machines introduced into Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière's blood stream are non-harmful. They relay the mistress' vital signs and current location to me using an information transmission system developed by Professor S. Shirakawa which takes advantage of the fourth and tenth dimensions.

Ruukoto's words from when I first asked about the nano-machines echoed in my mind. So it seems that the transmission of information between Ruukoto and its nano-machines can bypass dimensional barriers because they use a completely different set of dimensional values to exchange information. Quite an innovation…S. Uzuki and S. Shirakawa…quite the minds those two had.

"I didn't understand half of all that science-y mumbo-jumbo that it said. Can we have Nitori have a look at it and give us a more layman's version of the explanation?" Cirno asked me with a pained expression. It seemed that my former student did not have advanced robotics or interdimensional quantum physics as her strengths.

"That's what the paperwork is for, Cirno. I've asked Ruukoto to take down as much information about itself so Nitori can analyze it in Gensokyo." I explained. Cirno eyed the bundle of parchment in Ruukoto's hands and nodded in understanding.

"Got it. I'm assuming that you want me to keep an eye on Nitori while she goes through all that information?" Cirno asked me with a smirk…one that I returned.

"Always fast on the uptake. Yes, I want you to make sure that the kappa won't start building their own versions of Ruukoto using its specifications." I instructed, earning a laugh from the ice fairy.

"I swear…if Nitori does make one, I have a sneaking suspicion that she's gonna name it Skynet or something." Cirno said while shaking her head. Good, this means that both Chen and Cirno will be making sure that Nitori doesn't do anything silly in the name of SCIENCE.

As we continued to converse about Ruukoto and the various happenings back in Gensokyo, I kept having a nagging feeling at the back of my head. It was as if I was forgetting something very important that I needed to check on soon.

Oh well…I'm sure it isn't anything pressing.

…

Agnès Chevalier de Milan, Captain of the Musketeer Squadron under the personal use of Princess Henrietta de Tristain was currently hurrying to her direct superior's personal chambers. Normally, such a thing would be an act of treason, especially for a commoner like herself. However, the young woman's strode across the halls of the castle with determination and purpose. She was personally chosen by her Princess to lead the new squadron of knights that consisted entirely of commoners and had no magic potential to speak of. The decision was largely frowned upon by the nobility, thus giving her squadron a stigma among knights as nothing more than a 'pet project' by the upstart princess. To be tested, used, and discarded when the time came. Agnès didn't give a damn about what the rest of the nobility thought about her and her subordinates. All she cares about was that the princess pulled her out of a pit of absolute despair and gave her life new meaning. She still had her own business to deal with eventually but that will not stop her from serving her country as best as she could.

The people must do everything for their country. The country must to everything for its people.

"Your Highness, it's me." Agnès called out after knocking on the door six times as she always did. She waited for several tense moments for her liege to answer, the report under her left arm felt heavier and heavier as the seconds passed.

"Agnès? Yes, you may enter." Henrietta stated in her usual tone of voice.

"Please excuse me." The young woman stated before entering. She had short blonde hair with trimmed bangs to prevent it from getting in the way of her aim. She had sharp green eyes that bore years of pain and hatred but also bore determination and loyalty. Her thin frame gave her a distinct feminine feel but it was usually overshadowed by her standard lightweight armor that she and her squadron utilized for quick, precision movements during battle. Her white cloak bore the unique standard of the musketeer squadron. It bore the weight of responsibility as well as the honor and the privilege of serving directly under her princess. Her no-nonsense demeanor didn't even flinch as she saw her princess casually drinking tea with Prince Wales Tudor. Only she and a handful of others in the palace actually knew that the exiled Albion prince was hiding in Tristain. Unfortunately, it seemed that they weren't the only ones who knew about it.

"Is something wrong?" Henrietta asked with worry. The Chevalier reprimanded herself for letting her emotion slip through her mask of professionalism. Agnès took a breath before offering the sealed envelope that contained most dire news.

"The Albion Fleet was spotted leaving nearly every military port they had and are currently on course for the village of Tarbes. Your Highness…I think…Albion just declared war." The young captain said with a grim tone. She wasn't sure if it was the news itself or the tone of voice she used but…her usually flawless princess suddenly dropped her cup of tea on her royal dress and she didn't even seem to notice it.

…

Please R&R!


	15. Interlude 2: The Six Left Behind R:2

Author's Notes: The good news is that I've finished Yakuza 4. Awesome game by the way, Akiyama is awesome. The other side of the coin is that the chapter itself is still in the works. This update is another interlude that I thought up while I was playing Pokemon Black. The point of this interlude is to give a prologue to the Tarbes invasion as well as to do a test run on how well I could write a multi-perspective battle with several characters at once. Please give your opinions on how well I did and if you have any criticisms or suggestions on how to improve a sequence like that, please voice them as they will go a long way to improving the battle in the next chapter.

To address another matter. Some readers have pointed out how seemingly overpowered Louise's team is becoming and are worried that every battle in the story would simply look like a Dynasty Warriors game. Understandable concerns but please rest assured that I will do everything I can to prevent that from happening. As a point, Ruukoto currently only has 'Start of game' equipment and abilities available to her, all the good stuff is locked down until Nitori can find a way around the locks. And for those who don't know, Fantasy Heaven is Reimu's strongest spell card. It is her one-shot-kill super in the fighting games and her Last Word in Imperishable Night. It was said to be so powerful that Reimu is rendered invincible while performing this spell. It was essentially the 'Haxx Sign: You Just Plan F-ing Lose' spell card. And yes, Ruukoto can emulate it to a degree.

Anyway, I'd tell you more about how I structured the battle on the next chapter but I'd be giving too much away, just wait and see. For now, I provide this little interlude starring the remaining members of Wardes' old squadron. I always wondered what became of the squad that he led back in the Griffin Knights Corps after he betrayed his country. I decided to write about them and this is the result.

OVERHAAAAAUUUUL!

I've read several complaints on reviews and the other sites I've posted this story on that this omake...well...sucked. I've overhauled it and I hope that this version lives up to your expectations.

For those who say that I've been losing focus of the story, I apologize if that is how it looks. I've always seen it as more of an 'expansion' on the story than anything. As I've pointed out before, this chapter is a TEST RUN. Practice. Because no matter what, I will not be able to avoid such a writing style in the next chapter. The next one will be the 'Season Finale' and I want it to be something really worth reading.

Don't worry, Louise and Yuka will have a lot of spotlight in the next chapter but other characters will also shine as well. That's simply unavoidable for a story that uses two series with a lot of characters.

As always, please enjoy~!

...

The Sixty-Sixth Griffin Knight Squadron of the Sixth Fleet of the Kingdom of Tristain fell into question and ridicule after what happened to their former Captain Wardes. The official report was that he died in the line of duty fulfilling a secret mission for Princess Henrietta. Of course, the rumor mill had other things to say about that.

_Wardes defected to Albion!_

_The Captain of the Sixty-Sixth tried to secretly assassinate the Prince of Albion in order to curry favor to the current King of Albion!_

_Wardes was a traitor to our Kingdom!_

_The entire Sixty-Sixth are all probably traitors as well!_

_They should all be discharged and exiled before they bring any more shame to the Griffin Knights!_

Obviously, their superiors and other high-ranking nobles got wind of this and decided to go along with the rumors as a way to 'pacify' the rest of the enlisted men. Because of this, the Sixty-Sixth was very nearly disbanded. The loyal knights that were once known as the 'Winds of Tristain', the promising young men who were said to have been the successors to the legendary 'Manticore Knights of the Heavy Wind', were either discharged or reassigned to different posts...usually far less grander than what they used to have. And now...now there were only six of them left. Six out of the once fifteen strong Sixty-Sixth Squadron. Those who remained wore their newfound stigma grimly but they refused to let all their hard work and sacrifice to be washed away because of the actions of one man, even if he was their Captain.

After pulling a few favors with families that they had good ties with, the former Second-in-Command and current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth managed to prevent the complete liquidation of the squadron in exchange for them being relegated to border patrol duty. The newly minted Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone personally took the lead in their daily patrols across the northern border of Tristain...the part nearest to Albion. What's more is that they were the only squadron assigned to that little patch of border, so there weren't any other ships or squadrons for miles.

All of them knew that this was a test from their superiors. If they really were the traitors that they were accused of being, then they would use that chance to run to Albion and thusly be charged with treason and become fugitives for the rest of their days. If they were still loyal to Tristain then they would do their jobs well. In the event of an Albion invasion, they would have to face off against everything the enemy threw at them without any immediate reinforcements. If they stood their ground and fought...and died...then they will be considered as heroes and the honor of the Sixty-Sixth would be restored.

"For all the good that'll do if there isn't a Sixty-Sixth anymore..." Griffin Knight Charles Casval la Fontaine drawled out as he maintained formation to the left of their Captain. Charles or 'Char' was a very promising young knight in his early twenties who graduated second in his class back in the prestigious Tristain Magic Academy before enlisting along with his familiar, Quattro, the very Griffin he was riding on. Char was a legend in the Tristain Magic Academy for being the second best in the entire class even though he was only a Line-Class Wind Mage, with the rest of the top-ten graduates being all Triangle-Class Mages or higher.

His Griffin also became famous amongst the knights for the reddish sheen of its feathers and the fact that it was approximately three times faster than standard Griffins when flying at high-speeds. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes, typical traits in his family. He was wearing standard Griffin Knight equipment like the rest of his squadron, their emblem -The Growling Hell Hound- emblazoned on his cape. It was more stylish than practical as the most protection their clothing provided was the leather vest that their former Captain Wardes insisted that they all wear. 'Some protection is better than no protection' was his exact words.

Char was originally arranged to be wed to the beautiful Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere in three years. Of course, after what his Captain allegedly did, that will likely be annulled considering Captain Wardes was the fiance of Cattleya's younger sister. Char was neither for nor against to the arranged marriage. He had only met Cattleya once of twice in their whole lives and he fond her very likable but he was on the fence on his feelings toward the woman.

"We either die as heroes or live the rest of our lives as villains. Captain Wardes really gave us one hell of a going away present." Griffin Knight Stephan Alexander de Morris or simply 'Stephan' added with a shake of his head. Like Char, Stephan attended the Tristain Magic Academy before enlisting and was of the same age as his squadmate. He and Char attended school together and he managed to earn top-of-class honors with his friend taking second...if only barely.

He insisted on becoming a Griffin Knight even though he was a Triangle-Class Water Mage who was more talented at healing and misdirection rather than straight combat. He was a few inches taller than Char was and had cropped chestnut colored hair and green eyes. His face and body structure had a certain sense of ruggedness that one would not normally attribute to a Water Mage. Like Char, he was wearing a standard Griffin Knight uniform, the leather vest that they all had made him look even more rugged than he already was.

"Stow it guys. Complaining about it won't make the problem go away. As it stands, we just have to continue doing our job until the generals give us the green light to return to regular service. Invasion or not, I don't really plan on dying any time soon." Griffin Knight and current Second-in-Command James Terrance la Raynore or 'Trombe' laid out the reality for the rest of them. Trombe was an adopted son of the la Raynore clan and was the third oldest sibling in his family.

Due to various circumstances, he had to be put up for adoption after his real family -Germanian- disowned him for reasons known only by his biological father. He was home schooled by a private instructor in both academics and magic because his parents didn't want anyone finding out his true heritage at the time. His teacher was strict, inhumanly so. He heard that she originally didn't want to teach him because she would simply be wasting her time when she could be raising her daughters instead. For better or for worse, his step-mother was able to convince his instructor to continue teaching him until he was able to graduate after he turned twenty around six years ago. The first and last graduate of the private Karin Desiree la Valliere school of hard knocks and a proud Square-Class Wind Mage.

His nickname stemmed from the fact that he was a powerful wind mage that matched their former Captain in raw power, it also helped that they were both trained by the same person. The word 'Trombe' was Germanian for 'Tornado', Trombe's favorite kind of wind magic. It had originally been a joke but somehow the nickname stuck and he carried it ever since. He had long black hair that reached to his back and black eyes. His brownish skin betrayed his Germanian descent but no one in the unit ever gave him a hard time about it.

"No one ever plans on dying on the day they do." Griffin Knight Lawrence Masters de Foulke or 'Larry' shot back, earning a glare from his squadmate. Larry was originally a famed mercenary that went by the nickname of 'Solo-Wing' because he was a Triangle-Class Wind Mage that always worked alone. He became famous during the border skirmishes between Tristain and Germania, having even fought Wardes and their current Captain on multiple occasions.

He was already in his early thirties but was still as sharp and as deadly as he was back then. He was defeated by Wardes during a failed ambush attempt and was slated to be executed until the man who defeated him asked if he wanted to join a squadron he was forming instead. He, his current Captain, and Wardes were the founding members of the Sixty-Sixth.

He had wavy chestnut hair that was parted in the middle and he had amber eyes that spoke of many years of combat experience. Wardes' choice of bringing him into the Griffin Knights was met with much disapproval from his superiors and peers but all the man said was that 'this guy would work better as an ally than as a potential enemy'. Larry had to go through a rigorous screening process as well as training to become a Griffin Knight. It wasn't an easy thing to do since he was already much older than the other cadets were when he started his training. In the end though, he passed and the rest was history.

"..." Griffin Knight Lyner Alec la Pyrean or 'Red' simply remained quiet and chose to study the surrounding airspace. Red was the newest addition to the squadron before Wardes suddenly dropped off the map and was thought to have betrayed the whole country. The young man looked up to Wardes as a hero back when he was still at the military academy. The final student of 'The Heavy Wind' was thought to have been the best of the legendary Manticore Knight's apprentices and Red wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps and become a legendary flame mage amongst the Griffin Knights.

It wasn't easy for him though. He was still fresh from graduating from the Tristain Magic Academy two years ago and was barely out of military training before he was assigned to the Sixty-Sixth. He had mediocre grades and was only a Line-Class Fire Mage but he was so frighteningly skilled at riding his mount that rumors state that Captain Wardes himself requested that he was to be transferred to the squadron. Unlike the others that either summoned their mounts as familiars or was provided them by the military, Red actually captured and tamed his mount...or so the story went.

The young man wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was. Capturing his Griffin was his true test, to train it was his cause.

Because of the training he did with his Griffin, his control of it was second to none. Red had dark red hair that reached his shoulders, with his eyes matching his hair color, his nickname was a no-brainer to come up with.

"Stay focused and do your jobs. We're in deep enough as it is and we can't afford to screw up. Everything we say and do will be used against us and the only way for us to survive with our squadron and our honor intact is to make sure that they don't have anything to use against us. Buckle down and ride out the storm, gentlemen. The Sixty-Sixth will rise again!" Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone or 'Scarface' yelled out from the front of the formation. The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth was a close friend of Wardes back during their school days. They were rivals of sorts that always tried to one up one another but it was all friendly competition to motivate each other to strive harder to succeed.

Larry was the one responsible for Scarface's nickname after he took a razor wind spell in the face during an ambush by the then 'Solo-Wing'. Scarface was able to survive thanks to his comrades as Wardes expertly defeated the mercenary in single combat but he still came away with a large scar that ran from his right eyebrow to his left cheek. He short brown hair, blue eyes, and was clean shaven...basically the opposite of Wardes' image. The sudden disappearance and alleged betrayal of his long-time friend hit Scarface the hardest. Even though Wardes was always the better man when it came to many things, including magic since Scarface was only a Triangle-Class Wind Mage compared to Wardes being a Square-Class Wind Mage, he never felt that he was inferior to his former Captain.

He always had a way of bringing his squadron together and getting the best results out of all of them, he was the best and his squadron was the best as well.

_So why?_ Scarface thought before taking a deep breath and discarding the thought. It didn't matter anymore. Whether or not Wardes really betrayed the crown will not change the fact that the Sixty-Sixth was in dire straights and it fell to him to do something about it.

"Hey boss, you should see this." Stephan called out to his Captain, getting the attention of the rest of the squadron. Scarface turned back to his squadmate and found that he was pointing at something to the right of their formation in the distance. The Knight Captain strained his vision and saw a single small shape breaking through the cloud cover. It was flying fast...and it was headed right at them.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Char voiced out from behind Stephan. Everyone else felt the same way. Whoever it was that was headed for them, he or she was coming from the direction of Albion. Scarface clenched his jaw as he entertained the thought that it could be Wardes heading back to Tristain after accomplishing whatever secret mission was assigned to him. That thought was quickly silenced as he noted that it wasn't a Griffin headed their way. It was a Dragon...a Wind Dragon.

"Heads up and stay alert! Hold your ground and prepare for intercept protocols! If that guy so much as twitches the wrong way, I want him grounded through any means necessary!" Scarface barked out as he led the formation to intercept the oncoming Wind Dragon and its rider. Red suddenly widened his eyes as he realized something.

"The rider and the mount are injured!" He yelled out from behind. If the rider and the mount were wounded and were still flying at that speed, it could either mean that they were escaping or being pursued. The answer to that made itself apparent when a very large military ship broke out from the cloud cover that the mystery rider came from.

"Shit! It's an Albion ship!" Larry yelled out after seeing the emblem on the sails. A few seconds later, about a dozen Fire Dragon Knights flew in formation around the ship...escorts.

"I think that the Wind Dragon is the least of our worries." Trombe mused casually. As if facing off against a squadron of Dragon Knights and an Albion Battleship wasn't something to panic about.

"Char! Secure the Wind Dragon and get its rider to safer skies! The rest of you, we're flying cover! Let's go!" Scarface gave the order and the entire squadron suddenly kicked into motion. Char and his Griffin displayed their speed as Quattro pulled ahead of everyone else and headed right to the pursued Wind Dragon. The Albion Fire Dragon Knights noticed the sudden advance and quickly broke from their formation with their ship to intercept the speedy Griffin.

"Cover Char!" Scarface barked out as he pulled out his wand, Trombe and Larry following his example, while Red and Stephan hung back. The three Wind Mages did their incantations and let loose three tornadoes that screamed past Char and the Wind Dragon and straight into the Fire Dragon Knight formation. The Fire Dragons were nowhere near as maneuverable as a Griffin or as a Wind Dragon, but the tornado spells were sent out far enough for them to avoid getting hit. That was the point though as Scarface wanted Char to secure the pursued rider and get him into Tristain hands. Whoever it was, he was important enough for Albion to send out a ship and a squadron of Fire Dragon Knights over the pond just to take him down.

"Break and run interference! Char and the Wind Dragon are the top priorities!" Scarface barked before the entire squadron broke off from each other to begin their mission. Buy time.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Char asked the rider as he pulled up next to the injured Wind Dragon. The poor thing didn't look like it will be able to make it to a Tristain base before falling out of the sky. The blue dragon had scorch marks all over its body and its wings even had some arrows stuck to it. Char shook his head and shook the rider's shoulders. The rider looked up at him and he gasped in surprise. It was a woman, middle aged and definitely not the type to ride on a Wind Dragon. She had brown hair that was fixed up into a fine updo. Her eyes, complexion, and clothing outside the brown cloak she was using as a cover from the wind indicated that she was at least a noble.

"Your Highness...?" The woman asked him with tired eyes.

_Your Highness? _Char asked himself in confusion. Further inquiry was put on hold as the Wind Dragon suddenly convulsed before its left wing went completely limp. The creature cried out in pain, its death wails made obvious to anyone who could hear.

"This is bad!" Char declared as he maneuvered Quattro to match the descent of the injured dragon. Hopefully, the others could keep the enemy off of him long enough to transfer this woman to his Griffin without making her fall off.

...

"I'm assuming this means Albion isn't going to play nice anymore?" Larry asked the two Fire Dragon Knights who were hot on his tail.

The former mercenary banked left and right to avoid getting hit by the flames of the two dragons. The fact that the knights themselves weren't belting out spells either meant that they didn't have any spells that would work in high speed aerial battles or they were holding back.

"Either way, I'm a lot more pragmatic about fights." Larry muttered to himself as he took out his wand again. He pointed hit over his shoulder and cast a razor wind spell blind. He didn't expect to hit anyone but it should be enough to get some distance between him and his pursuers.

He looked back and found that the knights split off and one of them was above his plane of flight while the other was to his right. Both knights seemed to be unharmed but were still a comfortable distance away from him.

Larry decided that it was time to use an old trick he learned from his old Captain. He gestured his Griffin to ease right before climbing steep. The Fire Dragons followed him but they simply didn't have the speed to keep up. Once a good enough distance was established, Larry pointed his wand to behind him as he chanted another spell. Instead of letting loose another attack spell, he maneuvered his Griffin into a summersault before barrel-rolling to get their bearings straight.

Larry let loose his spell, which was still pointed behind him. A powerful gust spell propelled him and his Griffin forwards at a speed that would normally be reserved for Quattro, with the Griffin tucked its wings to gain more speed for the attack. Larry went right at one of the knights, who was trying to take evasive action against the sudden turn of events, before putting away his wand in exchange for his sword-wand. Larry never liked using a sword-wand, too heavy for his tastes to use as a foci for spells.

He did appreciate the 'sword' part of it though. Larry showed just how much by slicing the Fire Dragon across its right wing, clipping the beast and rendering much slower that it once was. This was the fighting style of the Sixty-Sixth, the style that Wardes pounded into their heads. Pure Pragmatism.

_Dead men's words hold no meaning on the battlefield._

The Sixty-Sixth did not fight to win. They fight to survive and fight again. That way of thinking was the reason why their squadron had the lowest casualty rate of any squadron in any branch of the Tristain military. Their way is to fight to survive. Incidentally, they needed to make sure that their enemies were rendered helpless for them to do just that. Their main way of doing so in tactical combat against other airborne units like themselves was to disable the mounts. The rider is secondary, take out the thing being ridden on first.

They used that style to much success, though some view it as being cowardly and not honorable enough for the battlefield. That was fine with them. It didn ft matter if their methods were cowardly. They live, the enemy dies, Tristain remains safe. That was all that mattered. However, something didn't sit well with Larry. These knights were surprisingly good. Even with slower Fire Dragons, they were still the ones doing the pursuing instead of the other way around. The fact that they were up against such skilled knights meant one thing.

This wasn't a mere pursuit mission.

"Hey! Do you mind? I'm contemplating here!" Larry yelled out after a jet of flame rushed past him. He looked back and saw that the Fire Dragon that he managed to clip was trailing back so that meant that the fight was now one on one.

"Time to see how good you really are." The former mercenary muttered with a smile before sending his Griffin into a steep rolling dive. Larry tucked his body as close to his mount's back as he could.

After five more seconds of this, he broke left. The Griffin's wings spreading out to catch as much air as it could to facilitate the turn. Larry glanced back and noted that the knight that was still on him was barely keeping up. The greater weight and bulk of the Fire Dragon made it much harder to perform acrobatics at this speed. Larry kept this up for one reason, to get behind the Fire Dragon.

Larry led his mount into a rolling turn to the left before climbing up and breaking right. The distance between him and the pursuing knight was getting wider and wider. The difference was that he was starting to get closer and closer to chasing the tail of the Fire Dragon instead of the other way around.

That was when he saw a jet of flame coming right at him from the upper left corner of his vision.

"Oh right...I forgot about the other one." Larry remarked before rolling away from the sneak attack.

...

"Guh!" Red grunted as he forced his Griffin into a tight turn to avoid another jet of flame coming from one of the dragons that was chasing him.

He was originally only being pursued by one of the knights when he noticed that another two of them were headed straight toward Char. He threw out a fireball from above the two knights, hoping to catch one of them off guard. Unfortunately, they were a lot more alert than he thought. He drove his Griffin past them but it only served to make him their target instead.

So now, he was being pursued by not one but three Albion Fire Dragon Knights. Several gouts of flame kept missing him and his Griffin by only a couple of feet. Red could literally feel the heat as the flames flew by. It was only thanks to his skill at maneuvering his Griffin that he was able to last this long. However, it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake or one of the dragons gets a lucky hit in. He had to somehow get behind them or take one of them out.

"Dammit!" The young Griffin Knight cursed as he twisted his body around and pointed his wand at his pursuers. The knights quickly broke away from his line of fire just as he let out another fireball from his wand.

Red cursed under his breath once again before turning back and putting his wand away. He won't be able to take them out with his magic because he would need to turn around and aim first, more than enough time for his pursuers to get out of the way. He couldn't use his sword-wand because of the same reason. He had to find a way to shake them off!

He looked around his immediate airspace for anything he could use. He saw the rest of his squadron holding off their own pursuers but he couldn't think much about it as another jet of flame flew past him. Red clenched his jaw and focused on making precision movements instead of buzzing around like a fly. It would slow him down but it would lower the chance of him overshooting his movement and flying right into enemy fire.

He once again looked around for anything he could use and have a silent prayer of thanks when he saw something that he could use. A large cloud rolled in a few hundred yards above him to his left. He maneuvered his Griffin to get inside the cloud cover as fast as it could. The flame attacks became more frequent as the Albion knights realized what he was trying to do.

Red was able to get into the cloud though and he quickly moved within it before diving down and moving back to the point where he originally entered the cloud from. As expected, his pursuers got into the cloud and started firing all over the place to flush him out. Red drew out his sword-wand and prepared to rush at the first knight that comes out of the cloud.

He hit pay dirt as one of the knights flew out of the cloud before stopping mid-air to get his bearings back. Blaze used this chance to rush forward to attack the knight at close range. He saw the knight turn to him in surprise as he was about to swing his sword-wand to take out the dragon's wing.

That was when two jets of flame came out from within the cloud.

"Shiiiit!" Red cursed as he abruptly abandoned his attack and focused on evading. He barrel rolled away from the jets of flame and also narrowly avoided the sword of the knight he originally intended to attack. It was a trap.

"These guys are good..." The young Griffin Knight muttered as the chase resumed once again. Red knew that he'd get another chance at it. He just needed to stay alive.

_Just stay alive!_

Red made his mount bob and weave its way though the constant assault by the Fire Dragons. The young knight was so focused on making sure not to get hit by the flames that he didn't notice that he was slowing down too much in the process. Red's eyes went wide when to glanced back to the knights and saw that they were only a couple of hundred yards away from him.

"Dammit! Why the hell did I make such a rookie mistake?" Red screamed as he willed his mount to speed up. The knight at the front of the pursuit formation managed to squeeze out a sudden burst of speed from his mount. The Fire Dragon managed to pull up beside Red and reared its head back to finish of the young knight with a breath of flame.

"Dive!" Red commanded and his mount complied. The Griffin tucked its wings, rolled once to point itself downward, and dove just as a streak of flame tore through the spot where they were a moment ago.

Red's Griffin opened up its wings to stop its descent but it quickly rolled left and right to avoid the jets of flame that were now coming from above. He noticed something in the distance and smiled. It was Trombe and he was also being pursued by three Fire Dragons.

The two knights made eye contact and they both smiled. Red adjusted his mount's flight pattern and sent it into a collision course right at his senior before pulling out his sword-wand.

The young knight did his best not to panic as he carefully avoided getting hit by the jets of flame coming from the front and behind. Trombe was doing the same and Red wondered just how the man was able to stay so calm despite getting attacked from both sides.

"I guess that's the difference between a rookie and a regular." Red said with a bitter smile as he prepared a fireball spell. The two knights came closer and closer to crashing into one another.

One hundred yards and Red's spell was ready.

Seventy yards and he made his Griffin fly as fast as it could.

Thirty yards and his Griffin's left wing almost got fried by a shot that came too close for comfort.

Twenty.

Ten.

Five.

Both knights rolled left and missed each other by a manner of inches. Red pointed his sword-wand in front of him and saw that he was lined up perfectly with a Fire Dragon Knight. The enemy knight flinched long enough for Red to get his spell off.

"Fireball!" Red declared as a ball of flame launched from his sword-wand and screamed toward one of the knights that were after him. He also heard Trombe declare his trademark 'Tornado' spell from behind him. The knight he aimed for frantically tried to get his mount out of the way, probably too panicked at the sudden stunt by the two knights to consider countering the spell with a jet of flame from his mount, but was too close to avoid the spell.

Red quickly bid his mount to climb after letting his spell off and heard the sound of his fireball hitting something and detonating. The roar of the Fire Dragon was more due to surprise at the sudden attack than actually being hurt...it was a Fire Dragon after all. Too bad the rider wasn't as flame retardant as its mount. Red didn't bother to check on the condition of the knight he hit and instead looked back to see how Trombe's attack went.

"Wha..." Was the only thing Red could get out of his mouth as he watched two of the three Fire Dragons that were after him drop out of the sky. The three knights pulled their dragons closer to each other in a bid to concentrate their attacks at Red. That left them as sitting ducks when Trombe aimed his wand right at them and let loose a spell.

The remaining knight broke right hard to avoid getting caught in the attack and was trying to get back on course to go after Red. The young knight noticed that the two remaining knights that were after Trombe were resuming their pursuit as well.

"Thank you!" Red yelled out after looking up to the skies in thanks for whatever force of luck that gave him that break. Now that it was one-on-one, Red concentrated on getting the jump on the knight who was once again hot on his tail.

...

"Tornado!" Trombe declared after lining up his sword-wand at the three Fire Dragon Knights that were running down his junior. His favorite spell tore through the skies and right in between two of the three dragons. The mounts roared in pain as their wings got torn to shreds from the force of the attack before they both fell from the sky.

"Woo!" The Griffin Knight let out before breaking right and climbing. The spared a glance at the damage that Red caused and was happy to see that their rookie managed to take out one of the knights that were after him. Trombe thanked Lady Luck for letting him and Red cross paths in the first place. He didn't even notice his fellow knight until he was already deliberately heading right at him. Confident that Red could take care of that one remaining knight on his ass, Trombe turned his attention to the two who were still after him.

He had to hand it to those Albion Fire Dragon Knights. Even after watching three of their comrades drop out of the sky because of a near-suicidal counterattack, they still got their act together and resumed their pursuit.

"I really want to meet the guy to trained these guys and punch him in the face, repeatedly." Trombe mused as he savored the lull in combat because he was out of range of the knights that were pursuing him.

"That reminds me..." The former student of Karin added before he turned back and aimed his sword-wand in the general direction of his foes. He did his incantation and let loose razor wind spell after razor wind spell.

'Razor Wind' was a lot easier to cast and didn't drain as much willpower as 'Tornado' so Trombe was able to rapid-cast it pretty easily. The spell also had the advantage of being hard to detect with human vision as it was literally a really, really, really, strong gust of wind that was focused on a very small area. Lastly, a windspell going downwind will be faster and will have better range than a jet of flame from a Fire Dragon going upwind.

Because of the range and speed advantage, aside from the morale advantage, the tables have suddenly turned even though Trombe was still the one being chased around.

"Hold still you buggers!" Trombe complained as he continued to take pot shots at the two Albion Fire Dragon Knights. They were starting to break their two-person formation after they noticed the razor wind spells coming at them. You can't really see it but you can definitely tell that the spell was there once it gets close enough.

"To hell with this!" The Griffin Knight yelled when he suddenly ordered his mount to stop and turn around to face the Fire Dragons head on. He was still out of their range so he was able to get his Griffin up to speed before letting loose another batch of razor wind spells.

"Oh no you don't!" Trombe declared as he let loose a tornado spell when the two Fire Dragons started breathing fire at him again. The two knight broke to either side of the tornado spell, making them pass each other without anyone getting a clean shot.

Both parties turned around and prepared for another joust when one of his squadmates suddenly dove about a few dozen yards in front of him, a cold fog of water appearing in his wake before it was blown away by jets of flame.

"Hey! Watch it!" Trombe complained after Stephan, and the two Fire Dragons who were after him, passed. He heard a faint 'Sorry' from his squadmate and Trombe could only shake his head before turning back to the oncoming knights and resuming hostilities.

...

"Sorry!" Stephan yelled out after hearing the complaint of his squadmate, whether or not Trombe heard him was up in the air.

The good news was that Stephan was well versed at neutralizing threats caused by fire attacks, being a Water-Mage helps with that significantly.

The bad news was that he was pursued from behind by two Albion Fire Dragon Knights and that he was more used to dealing with threats when they didn't know where he was.

Stephan was the ambush specialist.

He could go out alone on raids by going high, quiet, and slow, creating mists of cold water to confuse and misdirect before he went in for the kill.

It went without saying that he was currently out his element with this being an open pursuit instead of his usual hit and runs. He went ahead and tried to confuse them by throwing a cloud of mist right in their faces but it was met with failure when the dragons just blew the cloud away with jets of flame.

"Just keep dodging. Stay alive. We have to buy time for Char. Just stay calm and keep dodging until Scarface calls the retreat." Stephan muttered to himself as he cringed against the heat of another jet of flame flew across his side. The game plan they had was fine but the fact remained that he needed get the heat off his back.

He pulled out his wand and cast another cloud of mist before climbing up to a higher altitude, he needed more water to be able to mount a good offense against the knights who were after him. Predictably, the two knights just burned through the mist and continued their chase after him.

Stephan flew straight up and cast a large bubble of water directly behind him, right in the path of the knights. They tried to maneuver around the bubble as they were about to pass it but it suddenly burst into a spray of water right at them. The well disciplined knights barely even flinched at the diversion and maintained their speed, even their Fire Dragons didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden shower.

Stephan clicked his tongue as he leveled out his mount and broke left. Normally, a sudden surprise like that would have at least warranted pause from a rider, especially being as high up in the sky as they currently were.

"I hate situations like this." The Griffin Knight muttered before he eyed some clouds in the distance. He smiled as he put away his wand and exchanged it for his sword-wand. He drove his Griffin right into the cloud before he started his incantation. He waited until he could sense the two pursuing knights enter the cloud before releasing his spell.

The entire cloud suddenly glowed and shimmered blue. Stephan drove his Griffin hard to get out of the cloud before the spell kicked in, the speed difference between his Griffin and the Fire Dragons was his saving grace as he broke into the open skies just before he heard the familiar sound of ice forming behind him.

Stephan didn't have the raw magical power to flash freeze so much water that quickly by himself. He had to conjure up enough water to freeze before freezing it altogether, that would have taken too much time. Instead, he used the water in the clouds to act as the base of his spell. All he needed to do was concentrate it enough to freeze the whole cloud in one go.

Stephan looked back to inspect his handy work, he saw the massive chunk of frozen cloud plummet to the ground but he grimaced when he saw that one of the knights managed to escape in time to avoid getting encased in ice.

"What the hell..." Stephan muttered to himself as he once again tried to out maneuver his remaining pursuer. Hopefully, it will be easier to do now that it was one-on-one.

That was when he noticed a very tempting target.

There was a Fire Dragon that was going after one of his squadmates, he couldn't tell who because of the distance. There were two knights in pursuit but that one knight was flying a lot slower than everyone else. That means that the dragon was injured and the idiot didn't pull back. Stephan smiled and checked back to make sure that his own pursuer was far enough away so he could do this properly.

Stephan quietly maneuvered his Griffin behind the limping Fire Dragon and exchanged his sword-wand for his regular want. He incanted his spell just as his mount got up right behind the Fire Dragon. His target's mount sensed them when they were so close, jerking its head to check what it was that sneaked up behind it, but it was too late.

In one well practiced motion, Stephan rolled his Griffin upside down and above the hapless knight before pointing his wand a few inches above the knight's head.

"Water Bubble." Stephan cast his spell and the knight suddenly found himself drowning as his head was encased in a magical bubble of water. The knight tried to shake off the bubble by making his mount do erratic maneuvers but the bubble stuck and the knight eventually ceased all movement and fell off his mount. This was how Stephan fought.

Really, who would expect that one could drown in mid-air?

"That's more like it." The Griffin Knight said to himself before wincing as a jet of flame from his pursuer passed close. The stealth attack he did slowed him down enough for the other knight to catch up but it was worth it. The ambush knight clenched his jaw as he once again focused on avoiding getting shot out of the sky by his foe.

...

"Not bad!" Scarface yelled out as he and one of the two pursuers that were after him crossed blades before breaking off. The Captain didn't even bother trying to outrun the knights that were after him and simply opted to face them head on.

It was a risky move since a Griffin would not fare well in a scrap with a Fire Dragon, but Scarface already knew that. Instead of employing the method of attack that Wardes taught them, disable the mount no matter what, he chose to go after the rider instead.

Fire Dragons have two blind spots when being used as a mount. The space directly above them and the space directly behind them. The dragons cannot simply crane their head up or behind them to fire a jet of flame because there was a chance that they could injure their rider accidentally in the process. There was also the fact that the dragon wouldn't be looking at direction where it was flying at so there was a risk of getting blindsided as well.

Scarface tried to get behind the knights by either slowing down to make them overshoot or by simply trying to get behind them through sheer acrobatics. However, the Dragon Knights wouldn't allow him to get behind them using either method.

Scarface was honestly impressed.

To be able to keep up with him so well, the Griffin Knight could easily tell that these guys were extremely well trained. Since getting behind the dragons wasn't going to work, he decided to work on the other way to take out the rider.

He suddenly pulled his Griffin to a stop, the beast's wings flapping frantically to comply with its rider's orders. The two knights did their best to keep in pace with him but they were too close for them to prevent him to at least get alongside one of the dragons. The two beasts started trying to bite, peck, and claw at each other when they were close enough. They were going at it so hard that Scarface was a bit worried that they might just tangle each other up and bring them both down. The Albion knight pulled out his sword and swung it at Scarface where it met the Captain's sword-wand. Scarface noted that the knight was using a regular sword and not a sword-wand.

They're not nobles? The Captain wondered as he and the knight clashed steel. It was a bit strange for him to think that such skilled riders were commoners. Scarface smiled despite himself. They were all either naturally skilled or whoever trained them was a monster.

He then noticed that the other knight was making his way to his other side in an attempt to get him in a pincer. Scarface clicking his tongue as he parried a sword swing aimed at his neck. Before pointing his sword-wand at the Fire Dragon and let out a quick gust spell.

The force of the wind made the dragon and the rider grunt out as the spell hit them like a sledgehammer. Nowhere near enough force to knock them out of the sky, but it was enough to get some distance so Scarface can deal with the other knight. He swung his sword-wand at his left side, just in time to block a strike from the other knight's sword.

Scarface pulled his Griffin back and somehow managed to get behind the other knight quick enough before the knight could react. The Captain said a silent prayer of thanks at the sudden stroke of luck. He didn't hesitate as he unleashed razor wind spells one after another at the Fire Dragon behind him. It only took seconds for the wings of the Fire Dragon to be shredded into strips of membrane. The knight and his mount screamed their death wails as they both plummeted to their doom.

"One down..." Scarface muttered as he turned his attention to the other knight who was already trying to retreat. He let him go and looked around for his squadmates. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed Trombe engaged in a bout of air jousting with two Albion Fire Dragon Knights. The Captain quickly moved his Griffin into an intercept trajectory to give aid to his second-in-command.

...

"Damn..." Char cursed as he watched helplessly as the brave Wind Dragon that managed to get this far plummeted to the ground as soon as the Griffin Knight managed to secure the rider onto his own mount. He checked the woman one more time and noted that she was unconscious, either from shock or from exhaustion or both. He placed the woman in front of him to make sure that she was secure between his arms before he took out his wand and pointed it skyward. He cast a minor fire spell that was taught to every Tristain Griffin Knight in the academy.

A small ball of fire streaked upwards before it exploded into a large flare of light. It was the retreat signal. He turned to check where his squadmates were and noticed a Fire Dragon dropping out of the sky. He smiled when he saw that it was Trombe that made the kill with help from Scarface. The others were holding on pretty well, with Red and Larry flying together while holding off two Fire Dragon Knights. Stephan was already headed toward him and he saw that the knight that was on his tail was already headed to retreat. In fact...the remaining Fire Dragon Knights were all pulling back as well. Char wondered why for a moment before he got his answer...he really wished he hadn't asked himself why.

"Oh shit..." Char muttered in fear when he saw the clouds in the distance separate to reveal something he didn't really want to see.

Albion ships...a lot of Albion ships.

The young knight could do nothing but gape at the imposing wall of ships that was the mighty Albion Armada. The ship that they initially encountered was just an advance unit that went after the rider of the Wind Dragon. He motioned for his familiar to move when he noticed the rest his squadmates start to make their way toward him. He saw Scarface who was screaming something at him while gesturing him to get moving. So he flew. He didn't push Quattro to his top speed in fear of his passenger suddenly getting sick from the speed. It was slow enough for the rest of his squadron to catch up to him and that meant that it was slow enough for a pursuit squadron to catch up as well.

"What the hell are you doing? Get going already!" Scarface barked at him when he pulled up to Char's side.

"Boss! The passenger is a civilian! Female! Middle-aged! I can't just let Quattro loose with someone like this with me! She could die if we flew too fast!" Char shot back. Scarface grimaced but he understood that Char was right. Albion was after that woman for a reason, getting her killed before they knew why would be bad. They had to get her to friendly skies while holding off a squadron of Fire Dragon Knights and making sure they don't get blown out of the sky by the Albion Armada. Every last one of the Sixty-Sixth knew it. They didn't want to admit it, but they knew.

Albion was invading...and they had to stay alive to warn their country.

"Listen up!" Scarface barked as soon as the rest of his squadron formed up around Char in a defensive formation.

"Precious cargo is injured will not survive pursuit speeds! That means that we're carrying dead weight! I'm assuming you all know what that means?" Scarface laid out the situation for all of them. Everyone glanced at the unconscious woman on Char's mount before looking back to their Captain and nodding.

"Alright! Here's what we-" Scarface's order was cut off when he heard the telltale whistling sound of a wind spell.

"Scatter!" He screamed and everyone, including Char, broke off from each other just in time to avoid getting caught in a cluster of three tornadoes that ripped to the patch of sky that they were on a moment ago.

"What the hell? Now they use magic?" Larry screamed in annoyance. He and the rest of the squadron looked back to the source of the tornadoes, fully expecting at least three knights to be there.

"No way..." Larry muttered, unable to say anything else.

"Oh...oh...oh..." Char could only repeat that word at what he saw.

"Aww...hell..." Stephan said as he pulled out his sword wand and got behind Char.

"Well, what do you know..." Trombe bitterly stated as he pulled out his own sword-wand.

"It can't be...why...why...why?" Red asked in shock at what was closing in on them.

"Jaaaaaques!" Scarface screamed as he moved his Griffin into an intercept vector before pulling out his sword-wand. He didn't want to believe it. He wished. He prayed. He hoped that it wasn't true. That the man in front of him was merely an impostor or a doppleganger.

"Why?" He screamed as he unleashed a tornado spell right at the figure before him once he was in range. The rider maneuvered his mount away and Scarface could only stare in utter disbelief.

It was Wardes...but it wasn't him either...

The...thing...that had evaded his attack definitely looked like his former Captain. Hell, he was wearing the same uniform as them. But the differences were almost too much for Scarface to bear.

Wardes was still wearing the same uniform but it looked like it was haphazardly stiched back together with several tears and scorch marks everywhere. His cape was mostly shredded and it was barely even a cape anymore. His hat also looked like it was stiched back together and the trademark feather on it was gone. The long silky hair and perfect beard that he was so proud of was now grey in color, almost white even. Even his skin complexion was so pale, you'd mistake him for a corpse. And then the eyes...

His former Captain's eyes glowed red when he saw them, like he was being possessed by some sort of demon. In his gloved hands, which were also damaged and stiched together, were two large Lance-Wands or 'Boom Sticks' as they were commonly called. The dark grey, runed lances were treated like sword-wands, weapons that were forged as spell foci. The nickname for them stemmed from the fact that a Lance-Wand can amplify and cast a much larger spell than a regular wand or even a sword-wand ever could. The trade off was that it drained so much willpower in the process that it was extremely difficult to use...and Wardes have two of them.

"No...even he couldn't dual-wield tho-" Scarface couldn't finish his musing when his eyes strayed away from the Lance-Wands. He didn't have any legs...Wardes didn't have any legs. His upper torso was directly connected to the back of his Griffin with several steel latches. Now that he thought about it, Wardes' Griffin also looked different. Its plume was as grey as its rider's hair. Its eyes were glowing as red as its rider's was. In some sort of sick and twisted way...Wardes had become one with his mount.

"What the fuck did they do to you?" Scarface asked in abject horror at what happened to his close friend. Wardes did not answer him. The abomination simply pointed its lance-wands at him before casting another triple-tornado spell. The three twisters spun around each other as they made their way toward Scarface. The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth motioned his Griffin away from the spell before pointing his sword-wand at the abomination.

"Jacques!" Scarface called out, hoping that calling Wardes by his name would provoke a human reaction from him. When the response was another triple-tornado, Scarface knew that...thing...wasn't his friend anymore.

"Hey! Traitor!" Larry's voice interrupted the duel as a combination of razor wind and tornado spells from Larry and Trombe streaked right at the abomination. Wardes expertly guided his...lower half...to avoid the sudden attack by his former squadron.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened to him?" Trombe yelled out as he finally noticed the state of his former Captain, or what was left of him.

"Boss! What do we do? Stephan and Red are escorting Char away from the combat zone, do we pull back too?" Larry asked his Captain. Scarface scowled as he watched Wardes maneuver back a good distance away to take stock of the new development.

"I cannot authorize a retreat with that thing still in the sky." Scarface somberly stated as he pointed his sword-wand at his former friend.

"Intercept the hostile and blow it out of the sky." He added as he started incanting a spell.

"I knew you'd say that...hey, the Albion ships aren't moving..." Trombe pointed out in wonder.

"Probably watching the show. You know, seeing how well their new toy fares against its old squadron." Larry responded as he readied his sword-wand to face his former Captain.

"That thing doesn't get past us. Got it?" Scarface ordered as he watched Trombe and Larry form up to his sides.

"Sir!" They both responded at the same time. Wardes suddenly motioned his Griffin forward and flew at them at a speed thought only reserved to Quattro.

"Watch it! It's faster that anything we've come across!" Scarface barked out as the three of them broke formation to avoid the sudden charge. Wardes chose his target and started pursuing Scarface with Trombe and Larry on his tail.

...

"I don't believe it...Captain Wardes really is a traitor..." Red muttered bitterly as he looked back to the tiny shapes buzzing around in the sky that represented the battle being waged between his squadmates and his former Captain...his hero.

"Keep your head in the game, Red. We need to get that woman to friendlies as soon as we can." Stephan stated. He and Red were serving as the wings of the 'V' formation that Char was leading, it was the easiest way to protect their squadmate and their precious cargo from pursuits.

"Besides, with the whole damn Albion Armada behind us, the Captain is the least of our worries." Char added. He still couldn't believe that Albion would actually go ahead and invade Tristain. That country just came from a brutal civil war that killed the entire Royal Family except for the crowned prince who was still missing! How the hell did they find the time to gather this many forces to launch an invasion so soon?

"Something is way too wrong about this whole situation..." Char muttered as he glanced down at the woman in his arms. He just hoped that, whoever she was, she could give them answers before it was too late.

...

"That's just cheap!" Trombe complained as his attempt at a direct strike on Wardes with his sword-wand was parried by a razor wind spell from the lance-wand in his left hand...while casting a tornado spell at Larry and Scarface using his other lance-wand in his right hand.

"What the hell happened to you?" Trombe yelled out at his former Captain as he pulled back in time to avoid getting shredded by the same razor wind spell that blocked his sword strike. The Second-in-Command of the Sixty-Sixth couldn't understand it. Physical modifications aside, no human mage should be able to throw around spells that powerful at that frequency using two Boom Sticks! Even his former teacher, the legendary Karin 'The Heavy Wind', could only use a single Lance-Wand in combat!

"Albion turned him into a monster! That's what happened!" Scarface responded as he pulled back away from Wardes. He pointed his sword-wand to the sky before moving it in a circular motion, the signal to form up.

"We won't win if we keep trying to fight him like we would a human opponent. He'd just rip us to shreds." Scarface pointed out as soon as his two wingmen formed up beside him.

"So what do we do?" Larry asked, anxious to get this over with.

"We don't fight him like we'd fight a human opponent. We fight him like we would a monster." Trombe answered and Scarface nodded.

"No more holding back. We throw everything we have at him. He's not our old Captain anymore...Albion turned him into an abomination and the least we can do is to let him finally rest in peace." Scarface said with a tone that was partly regretful and partly determined.

"Shit..." Larry summed up the entire situation nicely as all three of them turned back to their opponent.

"Why didn't he attack while we were talking?" Larry added the question.

"Who cares." Trombe responded.

"Everybody ready?" Scarface asked one more time and got affimative nods from his wingmen.

"Let's do this!" The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth declared as he and his wingmen charged at Wardes. The abomination pointed both his Boom Sticks at the three knights and let loose another triple-tornado spell. The knights countered with their own tornado spells and the skies rocked at the sudden turbulence caused by the clash of wind spells.

"We won't win like this! Break and pound him to the ground!" Scarface ordered and he and his knights broke off in three directions after cancelling their spells. Even if he has two Boom Sticks and cast a triple-tornado with it, he can only aim at two separate targets at once...or that was what they thought.

"Oh come on!" Trombe complained as he discovered the reason why Wardes could cast a triple-tornado with only two spell foci. The abomination let loose three separate tornado spells. The Lance-Wand in his right hand launched one aimed at Scarface. The Lance-Wand in his left hand lauched on aimed at Larry. Then the Griffin...the Griffin that was serving as Wardes' lower half opened its beak and out came the third tornado spell.

"This is insane..." Scarface said to himself as he and his wingmen started evading the tornado spells launched at him. Wardes was currently breaking a lot of rules when it comes to magic combat. The magic he was throwing around was far beyond what any single Square-Class Wind Mage could possibly do. He really was a monster. Scarface knew that the three of them won't be able to defeat him...not by themselves. The Captain of the Sixty-Sixth set his jaw as he made his decision.

"We hold him here!" Scarface roared, hoping to all heaven that his wingmen could hear him.

"This monster is not allowed to go anywhere near that precious cargo!" He added as he rolled left and right to avoid gust boosted razor wind spells. He can dual-cast now too?

"We hold him! As long as we can! No matter the cost!" Scarface declared for all to hear. They would fight to the end to buy their squadmates enough time to warn their country.

That was when the onslaught abruptly ended.

Like a massive storm that suddenly disappeared, the attacks from the abomination ceased. Scarface looked at Wardes dumbfounded as the abomination casually lowered his Lance-Wands and turned around before flying to the direction of the Albion Armada. Scarface was livid. He was ready to fight and die against his former friend and he just up and left. The message was clear. He was sent after them to test out his combat ability against the Griffin Knights.

They were simply not worth fighting anymore.

"What the hell happened? Why'd he pull back?" Larry asked as he and Trombe formed up with their Captain. Scarface closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.

"It doesn't matter. They're not sending anyone else after us. Do not pursue Jean-Jacques. We're pulling back." He stated before motioning for his mount to retreat, his wingmen in tow. For now, they had to regroup and report the invasion as soon as possible. However...

Scarface swore to himself that Wardes would regret not finishing them off that day.

...

Please R&R!


	16. Chapter 14

Author's Notes: Wow...I'm actually amazed at how worried people are at the progress of the next chapter...or lack thereof. Don't worry, I'm not hitting writer's block or anything like that. The original reason why updates are slowing down is because of Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3…I just couldn't stop playing it. I've also been swamped with work this past month and also because my mom was diagnosed last week with a blood disease that I can't pronounce...I'm not kidding. She'll be going through surgery this Friday to accommodate something that will let her do blood dialysis from then on. In any case, I have brought along a new update today. Pretty slice of life but it will set up the events later on.

To comment on the Reviews I've been reading…

I thank everyone for their comments and opinions about the second interlude. All of them will go a long way to improve the way I go about the fleet battle later on. I'm sorry if the references went overboard sometimes and I'll try not to make them dominate the story anymore. Also, I've been reading about how some of you are dissatisfied at the lack of romantic development in the story despite the fact that Yuka is a pretty GAR guy. The reasoning is simple, as a poster on Spacebattles put it:

'Yuuka is pretty much a plant youkai, and plants aren't known for their active sex lives. Neither are inhuman forces of nature, the other major candidate for her origin, which just compounds the issue when she's dealing with someone for whom "the birds and the bees" isn't literal. If a girl wants to get in Yuuka's pants, she's going to have to be entirely frank about the attraction and work at it, otherwise it's just going to continue to be as ignored as it is now.'

Yuka has gone sixteen-hundred years without falling in love. He hasn't felt the need to, it just wasn't his thing. That's why indirect…or sometimes too direct…methods will not work on him. Of course, things change…it will only be a matter of who will realize this and if they can act on it.

One last thing. In case you haven't heard yet, the next Zero no Tsukaima volume was delayed because the author was diagnosed with Cancer. Again, I'm not kidding. Please send him your prayers for a quick and safe recovery.

As always, please enjoy~!

Disclaimer: Now let us head over to the tank…

DAMN YOU DREAMCAST AND SEAMAN!

...

"H-hey! How did they get-WHY THE FOUNDER DO THEY HAVE FEET NOW?" I heard Louise scream from upon the balancing poles that she was using to further polish her balance.

After her success against the goblins during our little treasure hunt, I discussed with Cirno about upping the ante when it came to her training. I left the job of learning more about the Void spells in the Founder's Prayer Book in Matilda's capable hands. Hopefully, she'll be able to come up with a way for Louise to shorten the casting time of Dispell or at least unlock a different spell that would be more practical in combat...preferrably, something that could subdue a foe in one hit and had a good accuracy rate. Currently though, Louise was trying to stay on the balancing poles while avoiding the fireballs coming from my Walker Piranha Plants.

Walkers are Piranha Plants that...well...walk around. Instead of being stuck in the place where I made them sprout, their roots were replaced with stubby legs that gave them mobility to a degree. They use their legs as counter-weights to prevent them from falling over and that act made them look like they were bobbing their heads around while walking. It was actually fun to watch them just walk around sometimes...they always looked so silly while doing so.

Louise was not amused by them.

"This is not funny! Why did you give them feet?" Louise yelled out as she leaned away from an oncoming fireball before making her way to another balancing pole to get out of the line of fire. I didn't understand why she was complaining. She hasn't been hit yet and she only had to deal with five Walkers. I didn't even make her carry a glass of wine this time.

Now that I think about it...

"Stop!" I declared and all five Walkers suddenly halted, their heads bobbing around like ripe fruit on swaying branches.

"It's over?" Louise asked in surprise and relief.

"No." I replied with a snap of my fingers. A glass of wine suddenly found itself in Louise's right hand.

"I. Hate. You." Louise bitterly said to me when she realized what she was holding, making sure to emphasize each word.

"You wouldn't be the first one. Begin!" I declared with a smile. Louise only screamed in frustration before she started traversing the field of balance poles while trying to avoid spilling the wine in the glass and being ignited by the Walkers.

"Are you sure it's wise to start doing this again?" Yukari asked me as she floated her gap to my side.

"Cirno is still on watch with Chen to make sure that the Kappa don't do anything stupid with Ruukoto's new specifications. That means that Louise's training falls to me until she comes back. Besides, she's doing pretty well so far." I pointed out as I watched Louise avoid a close call by hopping around between balance poles.

"I just hope that you're not pushing her too hard again." Yukari stated with seemingly genuine concern. It seemed so sincere that I couldn't help but look at her with a raised brow.

"And why would you be so concerned about her?" I asked the border youkai. She just smiled after shrugging.

"That little human grows on you. Besides, she still adorable enough to take home with me~" Yukari said with a lecherous glint in her eyes. I knew then that Louise would forever be scarred emotionally if she was left in a room with Yukari for any period of time.

"Denied. I refuse to let Louise go anywhere with you without any adult supervision." I said with a bored expression that was meant to be an insult...I had forgotten who I was talking to.

"Oh, you can be our 'adult' supervisor all night long if you want~" Yukari said in a sultry voice. Really, she's like the 'dirty old man' version of Kirche.

"You know what I mean." I drawled out, making sure to show how much I was unamused at her antics. Yukari pulled back a couple of feet before pouting at me and folding her arms.

"It's because of that human woman isn't it? That...Matilda...isn't it?" Yukari accused with a pouting glare.

This again?

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked her with a dry look.

"I heard all about it from Louise. Hmph! Just leave for a few months and you're all over a human woman, leaving little old me cold and alone in bed." Yukari said in despair, complete with a sniffle and a tear.

"I don't know what you've been eating recently to give you that sort of delusion, but I've never even considered being in the same bed as you." I clearly stated while folding my arms and leaning back.

"You can start considering it now if you want~! We can just leave Louise here for a few hours and saunter back to your mansion~! Just you, me, and a tub of honey~" Yukari offered to me and by Kanako or Suwako or whatever other gods were out there, she looked like she was serious.

"Yukari, drop it. I never have nor will I ever have the desire to be alone with you in a room with a tub of honey or any other quasi-liquid substance." I stated with a shake of my head. Really now, what has gotten into Yukari? Yes, she has teased around a lot in the past with practically everyone in Gensokyo, her nature demands such I guess...but now she seemed to be actively trying to seduce me.

"But you wouldn't mind it if it was with that Matilda woman, huh? Is because she has green hair?" Yukari asked me accusingly. What was this woman's malfunction? I rubbed my eyes with my left hand and gave an audible sigh before replying.

"Yukari, I don't know why you seem to think that there is something between Matilda and I...and I certainly don't know why you seem to think that there was anything between the two of us..." I said while pointing from her to me in turn before continuing.

"Let me make this perfectly clear, I have nothing going on with anyone. Not you. Not Matilda. Not anyone." I stated with my trademark tone of finality that indicated that further discussion on the matter would be met with considerable amounts of pain and anguish. Yukari frowned at me before giving a wistful sigh and turing back to Louise who has yet to be hit by any fireballs. I had to admit, despite all her complaints about her training, Louise actually seemed to be pretty good at this.

"Fine, let's change the subject. Where's Ruukoto? I expected that you'd bring it along tonight." The border youkai asked me, as if the previous stupid convesation never happened.

"Ruukoto insisted to be left behind to act as overwatch over the academy. It said that it was...unsettled about something." I responded as I recalled the conversation I had with Ruukoto before I entered Mugenkan that evening. Ruukoto had requested to remain in Halkeginia to watch over the academy. The way it worded it was strange though. It didn't say that it would simply watch over Louise's body, its new master. Ruukoto specifically said that it wanted to watch over the entire academy and consequently everyone within.

"Ruukoto...unsettled..." Yukari repeated the last part of the statement with a raised brow.

"That's what I said." I affirmed with a nod. Yukari and I went ahead and got into another rousing bout of awkward silence before she finally said something.

"Yuka, Ruukoto didn't even flinch when it was threatened to be blown up by Reimu. What could it possibly be afraid of in Louise's home realm?" Yukari asked, a sound question.

"I don't know. I'll ask Ruukoto about it later." I answered. Further conversaion was halted when I heard something which I haven't heard in a while.

"OMIGODI'MONFIRE!" Louise screamed, drawing our attention to her. A muffled thumping noise was the indication that Louise had finally fallen off the balance poles after she got hit by a fireball. I stared at Louise's burning corpse for a few moments, the Walkers stopped walking around after their target was neutralized, before I felt Yukari poking my arm with her closed fan.

"Shouldn't you like...I don't know...revive her?" The border youkai flatly asked me. I blinked at her a few times before turning back to Louise's burning remains.

"Oh yes, of course." I snapped my fingers and Louise's 'body' was suddenly consumed by light.

"SHAZAM!" My master yelled out as soon as she was restored, her left hand was on her hip while her right hand was pointing to the skies. The five Walkers that I made instantly turned their heads toward Louise after her declaration and started waddling their way toward her.

"No! Yuka, call them off!" Louise yelled at me as she made her way toward me and Yukari while pointing at the Walkers that were waddling their way to her. I sighed and waved the Walkers away, each of them vanishing from existence a few moments after I did so.

"What took you so long to call them off? I was dodging their fireballs forever!" Louise complained. I raised a brow at her question. Did she really not notice? For someone who was seemingly talented as Louise, she's quite dense. No...Louise is very dense.

'Hypocrite'

"What did you say?" I turned to Yukari, who was looking away and was whistling to herself. She turned back to me and blinked a few times.

"Whatever do you mean~?" She innocently asked. Why was she smiling at me like that? Was she trolling me? I shook my head to get rid of such thoughts. And here I thought that I was already used to her antics. I took a breath before turning back to Louise, who had her arms folded and was leaning back while tapping the ground with her left foot. It seemed that she was still waiting for an answer.

"I did not call off the Walkers because you were doing so well at dodging their fireballs. I wanted to know how long you could last." I explained, earning a raised brow form the young Void Magician.

"Walkers?" She asked, unfamiliar with the name of her new enemies.

"Those strain of Piranha Plants are called 'Walker Piranha Plants'...for obvious reasons." I stated. Louise gave a thoughtful hum as she contemplated something.

"Jogging Chomping Flowers, huh?" Louise muttered to herself before nodding at her own statement.

"Louise, that's not what they-" My correction was cut off by Louise.

"Jogging. Chomping. Flowers." Louise stated with gritted teeth. My master once again replacing the actual name of the plants with her own designation for them. I had the strange feeling that we've been through this before.

"Right...going back on topic, the reason why I did not call them off was simply because you were handling the situation quite well." I said, pushing the topic back to a more logical one while hoping that the compliment would pacify the little spitfire somewhat. Louise pouted for a while before looking away with a blush on her face. It seemed that my words found their mark and managed to calm Louise down.

"Until she caught on fire." Until Yukari suddenly pointed that out, much to my chagrin.

"Yes...until I caught on fire." Louise deadpanned as I felt a sudden spike of magic power coming from her dream self.

"Until you caught on fire...yes." I admitted with a sigh and a shake of my head. I turned to Yukari and gave her the most unamused expression I could muster.

"You're not helping. Why are you even here?" I asked the border youkai with an equally unamused tone. Yukari simply shrugged before responding.

"There haven't been any incidents in Gensokyo lately so I was bored." She stated with a dismissive wave. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo.

"Besides, someone has to keep you on your toes. We can't have Louise's peaceful realm get you soft, now can we~?" She added with her usual teasing tone. I sneered at her claim. Me? Soft? Ha! Such words are better aimed at people like Konpaku Youmu and her ghost-half...possibly Fujiwara no Mokou after enough alcohol.

"And? Are we done here or what?" Louise suddenly asked irritably. That was a indeed good question. I could escalate her dodging training by replacing the Walkers and Piranha Plants with Sunflower Faries altogether, but that might be too much of a jump for Louise's current state. Not to mention that it could clash with whatever Cirno still has planned to teach Louise.

"Hmmm..." I hummed thoughtfully as I juggled the thoughts of keeping Louise here or letting her to back to her own dream realm for the rest of the night.

"Well, if you can't give her any more practical lessons...what about a lecture of a presentation?" Yukari suggested. I raised a brow at the good idea and the professional tone she used to say it. Ah...it had been so long that I forgot about it.

This was the being that helped Reimu Hakurei train to reach the height of her power.

"That...is actually a good idea..." I muttered before thinking of what I should use as a show and tell for Louise. I looked at my master who was staring at me with half a frown while still having her arms folded as she leaned back.

"Have you told her about the time when Reimu and Marisa first got inside Mugenkan?" I asked Yukari. I knew that she and Louise have talked about incidents that happened in Gensokyo after the whole Wardes thing, but I didn't know which incidents Yukari shared with her. There were so many of them after all.

"No, I didn't tell her about that one. I did tell her about that one time you got into an all-out slugfest with Reimu's mother though. That was a very interesting incident~" Yukari said before chuckling. Ah, yes...I remember that one. It was an incident that pitted me against Reimu's mother in her prime in a one-on-one duel that was supposedly to the death. The reason? A misunderstanding brought about by one lying Tengu Reporter, Aya Shameimaru.

"Wait, that was true!" Louise suddenly piped up, her previous annoyance with me replaced with interest at knowing more about my past.

"Yes, but that wasn't the first time I fought Reika Hakurei nor was it the last. Although, I have to admit that it was the most intense one I had with that woman." I explained as I recalled the nine times I had faced the Hakurei Miko that preceded Reimu. All were glorious, hard fought battles, neither side backing down for a moment. All ended in standstills. Neither of us have ever won against each other. Our record forever stood at zero-to-zero-to-nine. That says a lot about Reika, to have been able to fight against me evenly nine separate times.

The epitomy of the words 'Youkai Extermination' before the Spell Cards Rules were created and enforced by her daughter.

That was Reika Hakurei.

"What happened? Why did you fight?" Louise asked and we suddenly heard Yukari snicker. We both turned to her and found that she had both her hands over her mouth after she let that one snicker out.

"Sorry..." The border youkai said through her hands as she barely contained her laughter. I sighed and turned back to Louise to explain what happened.

"It was all a misunderstanding that ended up as one of the most enjoyable battles I have ever had. To put things in perspective for a bit, that incident happened a few months after Reimu was born. For a reason I did not understand until much later, a little bird told Reika that I had gone mad from the fact that a human like her could match a youkai as powerful as I in power." I started. Of course, the little bird was that blasted Shameimaru.

"The little bird continued on to state that I was plotting my revenge for that insult by consuming her infant daughter. The bird said I planned that in hopes of gaining power from the blood of a Hakurei to finally finish off Reika." I continued. The rumor among youkai that 'slaying and consuming a prime member of the Hakurei clan would make you powerful beyond your wildest imaginings' was nothing new. It was normal for youkai to believe that since no ordinary humans would have the power to exterminate youkai as soundly as the Hakurei could. Of course, like most rumors flung around in the youkai community, it was complete and utter garbage.

Hell, most rumors that circulated amongst youkai were initiated by Yukari herself just to see what would happen...the most infamous one being the rumor that eventually led to the first attempt by youkai to invade the Lunarians. That one came back to bite her in the ass decades later.

"Normally, Reika was a very logical and very reasonable person. One who would rather talk things out instead of fighting. Of course, when push came to shove, she always brought her best to the table. Out of the nine times that we fought, that one battle was the only one that she herself initiated." I stated with a wry smile. The other eight times we fought was simply me trying my luck to see if I had grown powerful enough to finally surpass her.

"What? She picked a fight with you? Why?" Louise said in disbelief that anyone, especially a human, would actually go ahead and initiate a battle with me...and a non-Spell Card Battle at that.

"She was a mother. What would you do if someone told you that a monster was out to devour your four month old daughter?" I posed the question to my master. She thought about it for a moment before giving an 'Oh' of understanding.

"She wasn't thinking straight at the time. All she knew that a powerful youkai was threatening her child and she would do everything to make that threat go away. On the other side of the coin, I was merely enjoying the morning as I relaxed in the middle of the Garden of the Sun. I knew of the latest addition to the Hakurei Clan and thought that attacking Reika wouldn't be wise for at least a few months, lest I wished to threaten the existence of Gensokyo itself. That was when I saw two Hakurei Yin-Yang Orbs heading right at me at incredible speeds." I stated with a sigh and a shake of my head. There I was, one of the very, very, very few times back then when I didn't feel like being hostile to anyone...and it had to be the day when Reika decided to come for my head.

"As unexpected as the sudden attack was, I simply shrugged and went along with it. If the woman wanted to fight me, who was I to deny her the pleasure? Well, that was what I thought initially. Then I realized something that made the whole thing feel...off." I continued with a thoughtful hum.

"What do you mean 'off'? She attacked you out of nowhere! That in itself should be considered as 'off' don't you think?" Louise argued. Understandable point considering her only contact with Gensokyo so far had been what she had experienced in Mugenkan and the stories she heard from Yukari and I.

"Someone attacking someone else in Gensokyo back before Reimu's time, especially if it was between a human and a youkai, was commonplace. That was part of the reason why the Hakurei Clan was there in the first place, in order to make sure that the youkai don't get too confident and try to wipe out the humans in one go. It was simply that kind of place. That was the reason why Reika's daughter came up with the Spell Card System...so that battles and disputes can be settled through Danmaku Battles instead of regular battles which usually ended with someone dying." I explained. I didn't expect my master to understand so easily considering the kind of environment she grew up in. Wars and disputes were not uncommon in Halkeginia from what I understood, but it was not the kind of place where monsters were waiting for you to turn your back before they attacked and consumed you.

"There was nothing new nor was there anything wrong with Reika and I fighting...at least as far as I care. However, the 'off' feelling I had during that one fight came from when I noticed the location where we were fighting at." I went back to the story.

"Where you were fighting at...you said that you were in the Garden of the Sun when she attacked you right? Is that what bothered you?" Louise asked as he recalled the last part of the story before Reika attacked me.

"That is correct. Normally, I would challenge her to a fight and we would agree at a neutral venue where neither of us would have the advantage. It was a way to make sure that, if either of us lost, it would not be because of something silly like a field advantage. For her to openly attack me in the Garden of the Sun, I thought she had gone mad." I responded. Louise hummed thoughfully as she processed my words while looking at the sunflowers that dominated Mugenkan.

"From what I heard from Yukari, the Garden of the Sun was supposed to be a massive field with nothing but sunflowers. A sea of yellow flora. I guess I understand that you would have the advantage in a fight at that place since there were so many of your flowers surrounding you for you to weaponize." Louise reasoned. I guess she was recalling her past experienced with my flowers here in Mugenkan and what my sunflowers were capable of during my Danmaku Battle with Cirno.

"You assumption is not incorrect, but it was much more than that." I said with a wry smile, earning a raised brow from my master along with an unvoiced question: 'What the hell are you talking about?'

"The Garden of the Sun got its name not just because it is filled to the brim with Sunflowers, but because it is deliberately placed to be able to get sunlight from sunrise to sunset. As you may or may not know, plants require sunlight to survive because it provides them energy. Now, consider the following. Imagine a field of sunflowers larger much, much, much larger than the entire area of the Tristain Magic Academy. Imagine the amount of energy that all the sunflowers in that field can gather. Now...imagine if one could harness that power..." I explained, making sure to trail off at the end for Louise to have something to think about. My master rubbed her chin with her right hand as she considered my words before her expression of contemplation was replaced with one of shock.

"Wait...if by harness you mean...but then you'd...and anyone who would...WHAT THE FOUNDER?" Louise yelled out as she finally pieced everything together.

"That's right Louise. If there is one place in Gensokyo where I can guarantee that I will never be defeated in, it would be in the Garden of the Sun. I may be able to control every aspect of Mugenkan, but I can still get tired and overwhelmed eventually back then if my foe knew what they were doing." I stated as I thought back to when Reimu and Marisa raided the border of dreams centuries ago.

"However, the Garden of the Sun provides me with unlimited energy. Like bathing in a sea of raw power, I can simply draw energy to my heart's content from my garden to fuel my magic. I have defeated nearly everyone who challenged me in my garden with only a handful of exceptions." I continued, two of those five who I was not able to defeat in my garden were of the Hakurei clan...should be obvious who they were. The other three were Letty Whiterock, Eirin Yagokoro, and Yukari Yakumo. Yes...I have never beated Letty in the Garden of the Sun. You would be surprised at how powerful the Embodiment of Winter actually was when she fought seriously.

"S-s-so...what happened?" Louise said in a meek voice, as if voicing her question louder would unleash the power that was thrown around that day.

"What happened...was a fight of such magnitude that it nearly broke the Hakurei Barrier." I answered before giving out a low chuckle at the memory.

"What?" Louise screamed.

"Actually...the whole 'Breaking of the Hakurei Barrier' part was Reika's fault." Yukari piped up, finally joining the conversation since the start of the story.

"It was the only way for her to match Yuka in raw power while she was at the Garden of the Sun. Like how Yuka drew power from the Garden of the Sun, Reika drew power from the Hakurei Barrier. It was a technique she developed to suddenly overwhelm her foes. Normally she would only take in a small amount of power, just enough to give her spells and techniques a sudden surge of power. However, that was the one time when she was constantly tapping the border for power just to keep up with all the power that Yuka was throwing around." Yukari added. Reika never taught Reimu how to tap the border for extra power probably because of what she nearly did to it during that battle. The technique was rediscovered by Touya Hakurei but Yukari apparently made sure to make him promise never to use it unless everything else didn't work. Although, by the time he would have needed to rely on tapping the barrier to boost his power...he'd already have bigger problems to worry about.

"And I'm guessing that draining power from the Hakurei Barrier is a bad thing?" Louise asked the stupid question, though I thought that what she really wanted to ask was 'why'.

"As you may or may not already know, the Hakurei Barrier hides Gensokyo from the outside world and prevents it from becoming a magical dead zone like the rest of the world had become. Because of that, the Hakurei Barrier is strong...very strong...and it is self sustaining as well, it takes in the magic in the realm and turns it into energy it can use before expelling the remains back into Gensokyo which faries and other beings turn back into magical energy. The Hakurei Clan's role is to maintain the barrier, to make sure that it is strong enough to do its job while making sure that it does not strain the rest of the realm in the process." Yukari explained some specifics about the very Barrier that she herself helped to create.

"So if it can power itself, why was it in danger of being broken when Reika Hakurei tapped into it?" Louise asked with a tilted head.

"The system that sustains the barrier is a natural phenomenon. That means that it has a very specific cycle that it needs to rely on, much like the act of breathing or the way your heart beats. It can sustain itself so long as it is the only thing it needs to sustain. If it has an outside force draining power from it, then it will not be able to sustain itself indefinitely. Think of it as a barrel that is constanly being filled with water but has a large hole at the bottom. No matter how much water is put into the barrel, it will still drain out completely if the flow of water being drained out is greater than the flow of water going in." The border youkai answered and even gave a decent analogy on how Reika's technique put undue stress on the Barrier.

"That being said, Yukari had to step in and metaphysically pry us off each other to prevent further damage to both the Hakurei Barrier and to the Garden of the Sun. Reika was obviously furious at her intervention and nearly attacked Yukari as well until she produced the little bird that started the whole thing." I took over. To elaborate, Yukari stopped further assaults from both sides by encasing the two of us in two separate Quadruple Barriers. They weren't enough to completely stop us of course, but it managed to separate us long enough for Yukari to drop a gagged and bound Aya Shameimaru between us.

"She explained that the whole thing was just a farce initiated by the little bird so Gensokyo would have an interesting incident. It goes without saying that Reika did not find the revalation amusing." I added, an understatement if I've ever said one. Reika picked up the bound Tengu and carried her off into the deepest part of the Forest of Magic, the Hakurei Yin-Yang Balls floating behind her. Apparently, if the youkai who lived in the Forest of Magic were to be believed, Aya was 'balled, deep and hard' by Reika. The Tengu made it a point to avoid the Hakurei Shrine Maiden until she passed away.

"Wow...if I didn't know any better, I'd say that incidents in Gensokyo were more because of misunderstandings than someone really trying to harm the realm." Louise commented as she furrowed her brows after she heard more on that particular incident.

"Actually, you would be correct." I said with a chuckle, I could hear Yukari doing the same.

"You're kidding..." My master deadpanned.

"It's true though. Out of all the incidents that have happened in Gensokyo since its creation, most of them were just either misunderstandings or simply things that annoyed the representative of the Hakurei Clan at the time." Yukari responded as she floated her gap to Louise's side.

"Make no mistake, there have been quite a few incidents that were actually very serious..." Yukari added. Yes, serious...like the Lunarian Invasion and the Advent Cirno Incident.

"...but they are greatly outnumbered by incidents that were just...silly...when you look at them objectively." The border youkai concluded.

"Silly? Red mist blotting out the sun? A winter that didn't seem to end? The moon being replaced with a fake one? A super powered hell raven trying to melt the earth away? Those are what you call silly?" Louise asked us incredulously. Yukari and I looked at each other for a moment before looking back to Louise.

"You forgot the time when Suika Ibuki induced a never ending feast." Yukari said, seemingly reminding Louise about the first time Reimu and Marisa encounterd the Oni.

"And the time when the celestial, Tenshi Hinanai crashed a rock on top of the Hakurei Shrine...you did tell her about that right?" I added, asking Yukari if she told my master about that incident.

"Yeah, I did. Your little master got a kick out of imagining what the Sword of Hisou could do against her foes." Yukari stated in a teasing tone while giving a sidewards glance at the blushing girl.

"Don't tell Yuka about that!" Louise yelled at the border youkai in embarassment. I raised a brow at the thought of Louise wielding such a weapon before I had to stifle a chuckle at how absolutely silly the image was.

"Now now, Louise. You already have a magic sword, no need to be greedy." I told Louise with a shake of my head, not quite able to hide my smirk. My master looked at me rather crossly after my jab at her.

"All that aside, I'd like to go back to the story I wanted to tell you originally. An incident wherein Reimu and Marisa raided Mugenkan while I was asleep, that incident was the reason why I don't normally allow humans in my border of dreams anymore." I started, Louise dropped her unhappy expression as soon as I said that and was looking at me expectantly. I smiled and conjured a table, a pair of chairs, tea, and some cake before gesturing Louise to sit. Yukari was still there but chose to lazily float in her gap a few feet above the table.

"Now then, I'll start with telling you about a few youkai who made the Garden of the Sun and Mugenkan their home during that time..."

...

"So..." Louise muttered as she zipped up her skirt.

"So..." I repeated as I leaned against the door with my arms folded.

"So..." Derf also repeated after partially coming out of its scabbard, the sword seemingly going along with it simply for the sake of doing so.

"Where'd Matilda and Ruukoto run off to so early in the morning anyway?" Louise asked as she went to work in securing her mantle on her person. By the time I walked back and Louise woke up, Matilda and Ruukoto were already gone. I assumed that the gynoid was still at the highest point of the academy because of the vigil it was holding throughout the night...something I need to ask it about later. As for Matilda...

"Ruukoto should be at the highest tower in the academy for reasons I've yet to inquire about. I have no idea where Matilda is though." I responded. I had thought about the usual places where the woman would have gone but I didn't discern any good reasons why she would be in any of those places.

"She left a note under the Founder's Prayer Book before she left. She was wearing traveling clothes so I think she went out on a trip when no one was looking." Derf stated, providing another piece of the puzzle. Matilda left? Was she trying to escape? No, she would have no reason to do so. I put further speculation on hold as Louise lifted up the Founder's Prayer Book, which was on her desk, and picked up the note that Derf spoke of. I waited for Louise to read the letter out loud since I have yet to learn this realm's written language, something to add on my to-do list for later.

-Louise and Yuka,

Firstly, I apologize if this letter finds you in a mildly confused, worried, possibly displeased state. I had recently acquired information from some of my old contacts during my treasure hunting days that requires my immediate personal attention. I cannot go into the specifics for this until I am certain of what I am dealing with. Know that I am not doing this to run away from my obligation to Louise for sparing my life during that incident. This is simply a...personal matter I need to get closure in.

I promise to return once I'm done.

Matilda-

"Now that letter is all sorts of vague." Derf commented, still partially out of its scabbard.

"Yes, all that letter gave us is that Matilda left for some personal matters and will return once she accomplishes whatever goal she set off for." I stated as I rubbed my chin with my right hand.

"So Matilda's gone and we don't even know where she went?" Louise asked in a disblieving and worried voice. I thought about that for a moment before giving a thoughful hum and smiling.

"Not exactly. There should be at least one who would have seen her leave last night." I said as I walked up to Louise's desk before picking up my parasol. Yes, there was one being that should have had complete surveillance coverage over the entire academy last night.

"Where are you going? I'm coming with you!" Louise demanded as she secured her hidden spare wand inside her clothes before putting the Founder's Prayer Book on her head and putting her hat on.

"I'd advise against that. This is the first day of the new term for your school. I don't think that the teaching staff would appreaciate you cutting classes so soon into the new term, regardless of your previous accomplishments." I pointed out, earning an all too familiar 'urk' from Louise that indicated that she connected the dots.

"Go to your classes and focus on your studies. I will try to see if I can find out more about what drove Matilda to leave in such a clandestine manner in the meantime." I laid out to Louise who reluctantly nodded after several grumbles about the situation not being fair. Satisfied with my master's response, I left the room and started down the halls. A woman as sharp as Matilda should have realized that Louise and I would likely look for her regardless of what her letter said. Additionally, she should have known that Ruukoto was something that would notice her leave Louise's room in the middle of the night...not to mention the academy.

Yet she still left despite all of that. Whatever drove Matilda to leave was serious enough for her to forego what should have been her better judgement. That meant one thing...trouble. Was it something concerning her half-sister and their hidden orphanage? Did Cromwell's organization find out about her not being dead? Was this something else entirely? I shook my head to shake off such unfounded worries. All were simply speculation until I get more information about it. I bitterly smiled at the situation. It was times like this when I wished I had a Hakurei's godly sense of intuition.

"Fuga." Ruukoto's voice snapped me from my thoughts. I had just exited the dormitory tower and was about to make my way to the highest tower of the academy. The gynoid saved me the trouble of doing so as it was already approaching me in a polite but casual manner.

"You have something to report? Is it about Matilda leaving the academy in the middle of the night without our knowledge?" I asked the gynoid. It tilted its head to the side in a slow and deliberate manner before nodding.

"Fuga." It responded. I narrowed my eyes at the robot maid. There was more?

"What do you mean by Matilda's departure is only part of what you wanted to report?" I asked the gynoid with a raised brow before raising my right hand to stop it from responding. It was then that I noticed that there were humans and familiars who were starting their day, too many for my tastes for this kind of conversation.

"Not here. Follow me." I curtly said before walking away, ignoring the familiar voice of Guiche in the distance. I led the gynoid to the academy garden and made sure that no humans were there or were going to approach. About the only person who would have any reason to be at the garden at that time would be Siesta...I trusted the maid enough to be able to keep a secret if she should ever stumble onto this conversation. After all, whatever Ruukoto had to say couldn't possibly have been anything too serious or would have affected Siesta in any way.

"Now then, please begin." I told Ruukoto with a nod. A few streams of light ran across the gynoid's eyes before it nodded and began its report.

"Fuga, Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto started with the topic I was most concerned about. It seemed that Matilda had left as soon as she confirmed that Louise was fast asleep and I was already gone. The woman had already known about Louise's training and she should have been able to infer that I was in Mugenkan during the evenings. She left the academy just before midnight on a horse and Ruukoto confirmed that she was indeed wearing traveling clothes and even had a pack on her.

Realizing that Matilda was leaving in the middle of the night, likely in secret, Ruukoto took the liberty of keeping track of the former thief as long as it could using the long range sensors it had while in 'White Noise' mode. After Matilda finally got out of range of Ruukoto's sensors, the gynoid calculated the most likely destination of the woman based on the geographic information it had about the country of Tristain and the way Matilda was moving. Ruukoto's conclusion gave me a sudden sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach. I tried to think of the reason why as I took a few breaths to calm myself down. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me, such news shouldn't be something that could unsettle me so easily. I closed my eyes and calmed myself down. Whatever the reason was, the bottom line was Matilda was apparently headed to the port city of La Rochelle according to Ruukoto's calculations...the city we went to in order to get to the floating country of Albion.

"And? You said this was only part of you report." I stated as I used my parasol as a walking stick while waiting for Ruukoto to respond. I wanted to hear what else it wanted to say before I started considering any actions on what to do about Matilda.

"Fuga." Ruukoto immediately responded. An anomaly coming from the passive sensors of its home base?

"Wait, what do you mean by 'home base'?" I inquired with a raised brow.

"Fuga." Ah, I see. So Ruukoto's 'home base' was that strange not-aircraft hangar we found it in.

"And you say that this facility, your 'home base', still has power and even has a variety of long range sensors?" I asked for verification, earning a nod from the gynoid.

"Why would such a place even need such things?" I followed up, interested as to why Ruukoto's hangar had such capabilities.

"Fuga Fuga." The gynoid responded matter-of-factly. So the reason why that hangar was currently still active and why it had long range senors was because Ruukoto was originally intended to be the guardian of Tarbes...the 'Steel Goddess' as it were...after she and her Siesta's great grandfather found themselves stranded in Halkeginia.

"I understand. Now, what did you mean by anomalies?" I went to the next point.

"Fuga." Ruukoto responded immediately. I narrowed my eyes at her answer.

Ruukoto's sensors back at Tarbes detected large scale magical distortion.

A large scale magical distortion that was moving.

A large scale magical distortion that was moving and was headed right toward Tarbes.

"Define...'large scale'." I said as I once again started to have a very annoyed feeling about this whole thing.

"Fuga Fuga." The gynoid answered. It was of a scale that could easily wipe Tarbes off the face of the planet if it was a hostile spell. Ruukoto theorized that it could either be caused by a very large number of mages and magical creatures and constructs or it could be a very powerful magical being.

I wondered why any of those things could cause any magical distortions to occur when I remembered how magic here works. Aside from the Void element, every other magical element used in this world is cast by a magician that was compatible with those elements. In order to harness their element and cast their spells, the magicians of this world draw power from the ambient magic already available in the air using their own willpower. It was a somewhat roundabout and wasteful way of casting magic, they could easily just use their willpower as the fuel for their spells instead, but it works for them I guess. Because they used that method of casting spells, the magic in the air around them changes and distorts depending on what spells they cast. In that case, Ruukoto's theory was spot-on.

Now comes the question...what was causing that distortion and why was it headed to Tarbes?

"Can you tell if the cause of the distortion is hostile?" I asked the gynoid.

"Fuga." Inconclusive with the equipment and data samples available, huh? Ruukoto can't draw any conclusive results until the distortion gets closer. By that time, if it was hostile, it would have already been too late.

"It would seem that yet another incident is upon us. How far is the distortion from Tarbes?" I asked, trying to gather as much information about this as possible. If it was something that would threaten Tristain then Princess Henrietta might call upon Louise again to deal with it. If that happens, my master would jump at the chance to do something for the sake of her country and her dear friend. After that, it could snowball and turn into just about anything.

"Fuga." I almost didn't catch Ruukoto's response. Seventy-two hours until it was right on top of Tarbes...sixty hours until Ruukoto could accurately analyze it. I was suddenly snapped from my thoughts on the matter by the sound of something metalic that hit the stone walkway that led to the garden. I knew I forgot something...

"Wh-wh-what do you mean something is headed towards Tarbes...?" Siesta's trembling voice asked from the distance. I suddenly remembered telling myself that it was okay for Siesta to overhear our conversation since it likely wouldn't have affected her. Somehow, some way, I knew that Shikieiki had a hand in this.

Irony always did turn her on.

"Siesta, I would like to ask you to please calm down for a moment." I said as evenly as I could in the face of the pale young woman. I simply hoped that she would somehow force herself to calm down before she...

"What is approaching Tarbes? Why did you ask if it was hostile? What is happening?" ...does something like that. Siesta frantically asked as she stomped toward me before grabbing my shoulders and apparently trying to shake the answers out of me.

"Siesta. Calm. Down." I firmly stated as I stabbed my parasol into the ground before taking hold of both the maid's hands.

"How can I calm down? My entire family is in Tarbes! There are children there! Now what is approaching my home town?" Siesta yelled out with fear and fervor that I have never seen from her before. It was evident that she was one who took the safety of her family very seriously.

"Fuga." Ruukoto interjected.

"What do you mean 'unknown'? You said that something large and powerful was approaching my home town! How could you not know what it is?" Siesta yelled at the gynoid, letting me go and grabbing Ruukoto's shoulders instead.

"Exactly what it said. Ruukoto managed to pick up some sort of large scale magical distortion a good distance away from Tarbes. The problem is that the distortion was moving...and it is currently headed toward your home town. We don't know what is causing it nor why it is headed to Tarbes, all we know is that it is." I explained as concisely as I could in an effort to calm the frantic young woman down. Of course, the instincts and experiences I've accumulated over the centuries did not have any delusions that the distortion that Ruukoto detected were harmless. Anything that can cause a magical anomaly that large so constantly had to be something of significant power. I've yet to hear of anything in this realm that can cause such a thing so I immediately thought of the worse case.

If nothing is done and if that distortion maintained its course, then Tarbes will be destroyed in seventy-two hours.

"I...I...I need to tell my family!" Siesta declared before trying to run off. I managed to intercept her by grabbing her arm as gently as I could, preventing her from escaping.

"Let me go! I need to warn my family! Please Mister Yuka! Let me go!" The maid tried very hard to shake her arm free from my grasp. I made sure to take note of the strain she was putting her arm under so she doesn't accidentally dislocate her shoulder or something.

"Siesta. Think." I stated as I pulled her closer to me, making her stop struggling against my grip.

"Even if you leave, you won't be able to get to Tarbes before that anomaly does. Even if you do, you wouldn't have enough time to convince your family to leave and guarantee everyone's safety. Even then, what about the rest of the townspeople? Do you plan on simply taking your family and leaving the rest of the humans there to their fates?" I argued, making sure not to leave any room for argument from the maid.

"Then...what should I do?" Siesta asked me weakly with tears in her eyes. I let her arm go, confident that she wouldn't try to escape anymore. What indeed...

I could easily reach Tarbes in a few hours if needed, I'm sure that Ruukoto could also keep up with my speed. However, until we knew what was heading to Tarbes...there wasn't any real reason to. However, such words would do little to sate the worry of the young woman in front of me so I decided to take a page from Hijiri Byakuren.

"Pray..." I softly said while putting my left arm on her shoulder. Siesta backed away from me before running away.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto asked me with a tilted head.

"She won't tell anyone, I doubt anyone would believe her even if she did." I replied as I looked in the direction where Siesta ran off to. I sighed before turning back to Ruukoto.

"Don't tell Louise about that anomaly headed to Tarbes." I told the gynoid who tilted her head in confusion at the sudden order.

"Knowing her, she would probably immediately tell us to go to Tarbes to investigate it. I'd rather not have to deal with that if possible, especially after we've finally started to have a sense of normalcy around here." I reasoned. Incidents and the like were fine, I've dealt with and caused my fair share back in Gensokyo. However, the number and frequency of the incidents Louise and I have been involved in was bordering on idiotic. It was like she was a magnet for trouble or that she was naturally drawn to trouble. If things like this kept happening in the pace they have been, Louise would likely burn out very quickly regardless of how much support she gets.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said with a nod, complying with my order. I nodded back and headed to where Louise was taking her classes, the gynoid trailing a few steps behind me.

...

"So, what happened to you earlier Mister Yuka?" Guiche asked me as he poured Monmon some tea. It would seem that he was steadily starting to regain the young woman's trust and were back on speaking terms. Although, I believed that it would still be a while before Monmon would be willing to open her heart to him again. The rest of Louise's little circle of friends were there as well, save for Matilda and Derf, for our usual routine of afternoon tea and snacks. Ruukoto was the one who served said tea and snacks to our table because Siesta had locked herself in her room after our talk earlier. I just hoped that the maid wouldn't do anything drastic.

"I had something I needed to discuss with Ruukoto in private that couldn't wait." I replied before sipping some tea. Louise sighed from her seat next to me while Ruukoto decided to take up position behind her like some sort of stone sentinel...of the maid variety.

"What about?" Monmon asked with a raised brow from her seat to the other side of Louise, Kirche was seated next to Guiche and next to her was Tabitha, who was seated next to me thus completing the circle.

"Matilda is gone." Louise responded in a dejected voice as she stared at her tea.

"Missing?" Tabitha asked in a surprising show of interest in the conversation at hand. Louise shook her head before taking a small sip of her tea. I chose to remain silent for the time being and so did Ruukoto...but that was probably because of its programing.

"She...left." Louise answered in the same dejected tone as before. Everyone at the table suddenly froze and stared at my master in disbelief.

"What...so, she escaped or something?" Kirche asked before taking a bite from a piece of cake that the Germanian had been working on. Louise visibly flinched and grimaced at the comment, she didn't like the idea that she was someone who one would actively try to get away from as quickly as they could. I heard a soft thud under the table and noticed the redhead scowl at her blue-haired counterpart who simply gave her a sideward glance. It seemed that Tabitha didn't like the lack of tact in the way Kirche chose to talk about the subject.

"Matilda is not missing nor did she escape, she certainly isn't simply hiding somewhere in the academy either." I stated, drawing everyone's attention to me and away from my master...aside from Monmon who had her hand on Louise's shoulder and was looking at my master with concern.

"She left a letter addressed to Louise and I. It stated that she had personal matters to attend to and would return once she was done." I stated, earning varying looks from the other occupants of the table.

"And you trust her? Need I remind you that she was once the most infamous thief in the country?" Kirche skeptically asked with a raised brow. I blinked once when I suddenly felt Louise's magic spike at the Germanian's words.

"Matilda isn't like that anymore!" Louise suddenly shouted at Kirche, who flinched back at the sudden outburst. I was thankful that Louise had the self-control not to pull out her wand after her statement.

"Matilda is...Matilda is..." Louise muttered while hanging her head low.

"Louise..." Kirche called out to my master, finally understanding how hard Matilda's sudden exodus had hit her.

"According to Ruukoto, Miss Matilda is presumably headed to La Rochelle." The sudden words from a familiar voice that I did not expect to hear so soon caught everyone's attention. We all turned to Siesta who was standing a few feet away from our table. I narrowed my eyes at the young woman when I noticed her hardened expression. I seemed that she had yet to let our talk this morning go.

"What do you mean by that? Is that true?" Louise asked Siesta and Ruukoto in turn. The gynoid had no choice but to answer truthfully to its new master. It gave me a small, almost apologetic, glance before nodding. Louise had caught that and turned her attention toward me.

"And you knew this?" She asked me with anger that was barely being held back. I stared at my master for a few moments, hoping that letting the question hang in the air for a while would cool her head. I sighed when no such thing happened. In fact, my silence only made her more irritable instead.

"Yes...it was what I talked to Ruukoto about while you were attending your classes." I finally admitted since I did not have any room to wiggle out of this anymore.

"And you didn't tell me because..." Louise trailed off as she seethed in her seat next to me.

"...you never asked." I responded with a shrug, even though I already knew what that particular response would do. Louise looked at me slack jawed before she clenched her teeth and slowly brought both her shaking hands up as if she was about to strangle me. I raised a brow when she lowered them and gave an audible sigh.

"You know what, I don't care anymore. We're heading for La Rochelle immediately!" Louise declared and immediately stood up, much to the surprise of everyone except myself, Ruukoto, Tabitha, and Siesta.

"Louise, you can't be serious!" Monmon stated in surprise and worry at the sudden declaration of her friend.

"Of course I'm serious! Matilda needs my help!" Louise replied with the same kind of fire in her eyes that she had back when I challenged her devotion to her Princess Henrietta.

"No, she doesn't." I calmly said before grabbing Louise wrist to prevent her from escaping.

"Yuka! Let me go! I need to help Matilda!" My master yelled at me as she tried to struggle free from my grip. The whole thing reminded me of what Siesta and I went through earlier in the day. When Louise realized that I wasn't going to let her go any time soon, she decided to employ a different method.

"Ruukoto! Make Yuka release me! Use deadly force if you have to!" She ordered the gynoid. Ruukoto looked between the two of us and tilted its head to the side. On one hand, it was a direct order from Louise. On the other hand, Ruukoto clearly knows what I'm capable of and would likely not be able to accomplish its master's order.

"What are you waiting for? The power of Louise compels you! The power of Louise compels you!" My master stated as she looked at Ruukoto right in the eyes, seemingly trying to hypnotize the gynoid.

"Fuga." Ruukoto responded with a shake of its head. I was about to translate the gynoid's words when Siesta took the liberty of doing so instead.

"I deeply apologize, Mistress Louise. I will not be able to accomplish that order. Yuka Kazami is too powerful for me to defeat in my current state. To continue to try could likely mean my destruction and would violate one of my prime directives." Siesta said as she walked to our table.

"What do you mean prime directives?" Louise asked Ruukoto, her tension easing up somewhat after what the gynoid said. As usual, Louise's desire to know more about those she cared about outweighed her anger.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto immediately answered. Louise then turned to Siesta for a translation. The maid, the human one, blinked at the other maid, the robot one, before shaking her head and began her translation.

"My three prime directives are orders imprinted into my core functions by Professor S. Uzuki when I was remodeled to this Version Four frame. The directives are as follows..." Siesta trailed off before taking a deep breath.

"First Directive: To put the well being and safety of my master as my utmost priority. This directive can override all other directives if my master's life is in great enough danger.

Second Directive: To obey all orders from my master to the best of my ability. This directive may be overridden if it violates other directives or if the command made is simply impossible to accomplish at my current capacity.

Third Directive: To preserve my own survival and ensure my continued existence. This may override or may be overridden by other directives depending on the situation." Siesta nodded toward Louise to indicate that she was done.

"Why? Why did someone need to put those rules inside you in the first place?" Louise asked Ruukoto, her previous hostility toward me already forgotten in the face of her servant's revalation.

"I believe that it has something to do with what happened to your Version Two and Version Three frames, yes?" I postulated as I released Louise from my grasp after I was certain that the young woman wouldn't try to escape anymore.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga Fuga." Ruukoto answered and I couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, I suppose that if that was what happened, it was understandable that someone would have imposed such rules on the gynoid.

"Well? What's so funny?" Louise asked me in a deadpan manner after she noticed my amusement at Ruukoto's answer.

"You see, when Ruukoto first dropped off the map back in Gensokyo, it was still using its original frame. It turns out that its original frame was all but destroyed during transit from within Gensokyo to whatever realm it found itself in afterward. By sheer luck or some manner of fate, it was picked up by this Uzuki woman and was rebuilt and improved. Ruukoto repaid the woman's kindness by becoming her maid and bodyyguard. There was just one problem..." I trailed off with a shake of my head at how absurd Ruukoto's situation was back than.

"It seemed that the realm that Ruukoto found itself in was in the middle of a war against a race of extra-dimensional beings known only as the Gnosis. A war that humanity was steadily losing." I stated with a smile before sipping some tea. Everyone else stared between me and Ruukoto in turn. Ruukoto for the absurdity of its story and me because I didn't seem surprised by it.

"Continue." Tabitha prompted. I raised a brow at the normally stoic girl's sudden enthusiasm. She had put her book down and was looking at me with as much interest as she could likely muster, I guess she liked those kinds of stories.

"Of course. The woman who picked up Ruukoto was apparently a very important person in that realm, humanity's hope of victory as it were. Unfortunately, because of her status, she often found herself in several dangerous situations...situations that ended up breaking Ruukoto more than once. I would elaborate more but I don't think that this is the kind of thing I should talk about while you are all eating. All I will say is that I wouldn't have minded being sent there myself. Quite the exciting place at the time I'd imagine." I stated with the same smile. Humanity's backs were against the wall when Ruukoto arrived and were becoming desparate. That Uzuki woman was brilliant for a human, likely able to hold her own in an intellectual debate against Eirin or Patchouli. However, even her brilliance and her work on Ruukoto and other artificially created fighting androids were not enough to turn the tide...it was simply too little and too late.

"Did...did they win?" Guiche asked hesitantly on behalf of the others there.

"No. They were eventually all wiped out save for a few that escaped to the sea of stars. Ruukoto is one of the few things left that proves that civilization once existed and what it was capable of. It is one of their final legacies, an artifact of a courageous but doomed people." I answered before looking at Tabitha.

"Not all stories have a happy ending as you probably already know." I said to the blue-haired girl. She merely stared at me for a few moments before picking up the book she had and continued reading it.

"Now that we have Ruukoto's second origin story out of the way, I believe that we were discussing on how were are not going after Matilda." I steered the conversation back to what we were supposed to be talking about.

"That's right! Why don't you want me to help Matilda? Are you just going to abandon her? I thought that she was one of us now! I thought that you actually cared for her!" Louise's previous fire was immediately rekindled after I mentioned that and began on her offense once more.

"I do...despite what you may think and despite what I show, I do care about Matilda..." I stated evenly before raising my right hand up to prevent any retorts.

"I have come to care for her as I care for you, Louise. I care for Matilda like I would Cirno. She is someone I already respected even back when she was not our ally yet, and someone I have come to trust...someone I have come to wish to protect when needed...which is exactly why I do not wish to go after her." I added. Louise looked at me with a complex expression that likely mirrored her emotions. I could sense that her magic was saying more than her expression possibly could, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.

"Explain yourself Yuka..." Louise said in a tone of voice that suggested that it was more of a command than a request.

"I trust her judgement and her skill. Matilda is not some damsel in distress and she most certainly isn't a fool. She is a skilled adventurer and thief as well as being a Square-Class Earth Magician. She could take all of you on and win. She was able to hold her own against me. She asked us to wait for her return and I will abide by her request...even though I wish to get answers from her myself." I explained before putting my hands on Louise's shoulders.

"Louise, just think about who you are talking about. Just who do you think she is?" I asked her with a knowing smile. I know that Matilda wasn't the most powerful magician here, Colbert and Osmond could likely defeat her, but she was far from being helpless. I wanted Louise to remember just who that woman was and what she was capable of. Louise was silent for a while, her gaze dropped down to the ground as I removed my hands from her shoulders.

"I just...don't want her to get hurt." Louise muttered.

"Louise, Miss Matilda has been through more things than most people have their whole lives. I'm sure she has a very good reason for doing what she did. And, as Mister Yuka has already stated, she isn't exactly someone that can easily be brought down." Guiche reasoned. As a fellow Earth Magician, he would know better than most at how good Matilda was at her craft.

"Wait for return." Tabitha added without having the need to pry herself away from her book again.

"They're right you know. It would be insulting for her to think that she's viewed as someone who couldn't take care of herself after all she has accomplished." Kirche stated with a sagely nod. Louise looked at Kirche like she was debating on whether to agree with the Germainian or blast her for annoying her again.

"Louise, let's believe in Miss Matilda for now, okay? At least we roughly know where she went, right? If anything happens, we can always send Mister Yuka out to help her." Monmon joined in on the consensus of trusting the former thief's judgement, at least for now.

"Fine...I'll wait." Louise finally agreed, much to the relief of Monmon.

"But the second that we find out that she's in trouble..." My master trailed of as she stared at me right in the eyes.

"I'll take you to her myself." I responded with a smile, one that Louise finally returned. I gave a sideward glance to Siesta who was quietly walking back to the main academy building. I did not know then why she raised the topic about Matilda's departure out of nowhere, I simply hoped for her sake that she did not try anything else.

...

Please R&R


	17. Chapter 15

Author's Notes: This update is brought to you by Ten Desires along with the rest of Comiket 80. I have to say...Ten Desires was a lot easier than UFO was thanks to Trance Mode. Anyway, more character development in this chapter before the whole thing finally comes to a head with the battle for Tarbes. As usual, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Ryukishi's new project doesn't seem to have as good music as Umineko did...

...

"I feel an odd sense of deja vu right now..." Louise said as the two of us walked the halls of the academy. It was the day after Louise and the rest found out about Matilda's sudden departure and her reason for doing so. It was also a little over forty-eight hours until that magical anomaly arrives at Tarbes, thirty-six hours until Ruukoto can get a good enough reading on what it actually was. I wanted to make sure that Louise did not find out about that anomaly until the gynoid can provide conclusive information about it. Louise's comment stemmed from the fact that I was currently following her to her morning classes again.

"Well, we never actually got any training done last night because you didn't arrive in Mugenkan. I figured that I might as well have a change of pace today so...here we are." I stated, which was true. I did want a change of pace but I also wanted to keep an eye on Louise to make sure that Siesta didn't tell her anything she didn't need to know yet. The young woman's worry and concern was justified since she could likely end up alone if whatever was headed to her hometown decided to wipe it off the map. I tried to look for her earlier this morning in an effort to tell her that I would be more than happy to rip apart that anomaly with my bare hands if it turned out to be hostile, but only once we knew for certain what it actually was. Unfortunately, Siesta seemed to be exerting superhuman effort to avoid me at all costs. Needless to say, I didn't find her. Ruukoto was still at the highest tower to try to get any additional information from its hangar back in Tarbes. I made sure to ask the gynoid to bring Siesta to me if it managed to find her.

"You do realize that, since we have confirmed you to be a Void Magician, there is no longer any reason for you to even learn anything from these classes anymore right? Everything you need to cast proper Void Element spells is inside that book you keep under your hat." I pointed out as I once again used my parasol as a walking stick. Louise gave me a sideward glance before scowling at me.

"Weren't you the one that told me to attend my classes?" Louise asked me crossly. I glanced at her before smiling and giving a small shrug.

"I only said that to ensure that I would be able to talk to Ruukoto alone and get information on what happened to Matilda. Having you there would have made the whole process take longer than it did." I shamelessly admitted. I didn't feel the need to keep hiding it from my master since I felt that there was no longer any reason to. Louise thought otherwise as she walked ahead of me before turning around and pointing both of her wands, her regular one and her hidden spare one, at me.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cast explosion in your face." Louise said dangerously. If she had done that to anyone else, I was sure that they'd start cowering and begging her for mercy. Obviously, the effect was minimized since she was doing it to me. Although, I was impressed at how fast she could draw both her wands now. Perhaps I could add that to her training regiment once Cirno comes back.

"Because we are in the middle of a hallway currently being used as a thoroughfare by students and academy staff. I doubt that they would appreciate a show of force from you so early in the morning." I plainly stated while folding my arms and leaning back. Louise narrowed her eyes at me before glancing around. Sure enough, there were students, teachers, and maids that all stopped in their tracks when they saw Louise suddenly whip out a pair of wands. My master's old reputation once again made itself known as everyone else either slowly backed away from her, hid behind a staff member, or simply ran away in terror.

After all, if Louise was able to do so much damage with her broken spells with a single wand...just think of what she could do with two wands.

"Fine...but this isn't over." Louise looked sharply at me before putting away both wands in a smooth, likely practiced, manner. I guessed that Matilda has been giving her lessons in being able to access her magic as quickly as possible. Smart.

Matilda...

I idly wondered if she was safe and if she was able to find what she set out for...and if she liked what she found out.

"Yuka! Hey! I'm still talking to you! Space out on your own time!" Louise yelled at me with her arms folded while tapping her foot on the floor repeatedly.

"I apologize. Shall we head on over to your class?" I asked with a smile. Louise sighed before turning around and walking off, much to the relief of the other people there. I shook my head to free myself of my previous thoughts. I had decided to believe in Matilda and wait. Unless something drastic happens in the meantime, I planned on abiding by that belief.

"Louise, over here!" Monmon's voice broke me from a trance I didn't even realize I was in. The two of us had already arrived at the classroom with Louise's friends already seated and waiting for her. Thankfully, there were no more repeats of what happened the first time I sat in on one of Louise's classes. Everyone still thinks that I was more dangerous than a dragon, but at least Louise had me on a leash. I momentarily wondered why they didn't seem to be afraid of the fact that Louise had someone like me under her control considering her reputation. I simply shrugged the odd thought away before following Louise to her seat.

"Mister Yuka, do you plan on sitting in again?" Guiche asked me from his seat behind Monmon. The blonde girl was seated at the end of the row with her side apparently reserved for Louise. Guiche was seated behind her while Tabitha and Kirche were seated beside him respectively. It seemed that Monmon was still wary of Guiche but he was still taking what he could get. That young man was persistent if nothing else.

"That was my intention. Doing things like this once in a while is nice as well." I replied as Louise took her seat beside Monmon while I sat at the other side of my master.

"Why hello there, da~rling~" Kirche greeted me by leaning forward and wrapping her arms around me like a pair of vines.

"Kirche, stop molesting Yuka." Louise said in an almost disinterested voice. Such events have become almost commonplace whenever I was within arm's length of the redhead, so much so that Louise and I have become...desensitized to it.

"I'm not molesting him. I'm merely taking full advantage of my positioning is all~" The Germanian retorted as she leaned in closer to me.

"Right, da~rling~?" Kirche whispered in my right ear. I sighed before leaning forward, pulling Kirche along in the process. Because of the way she was positioned, her upper body tried to follow me but her lower body was still securely against her desk...the action ultimately resulting in her yelping in pain as she overextended her back.

"Ow! Jeez da~rling~, no need to be rough~" Kirche barely still managed to maintain her teasing voice even while sitting back on her seat normally and rubbing her back.

"Obstinate." Tabitha commented while slightly shaking her head, but not enough to tear her eyes away from her current reading material. Kirche's retort was cut off when Professor Colbert entered the classroom while pushing along a cart with some sort of contraption on top of it.

"Good morning to you all. I hope this day finds all of you in good spirits." The man greeted his students before settling his gaze upon me. I gave him a curt nod, which he returned with a smile.

"Professor! What is that thing?" One of the students in the room asked the question everyone was probably thinking of at the time. Colbert nodded at his student enthusiastically before responding.

"This is an invention a colleague gave me plans for. I wanted to show you all this to demonstrate a certain concept that I hope would find your interest. Please observe." The professor explained before moving to one end of the contraption before pulling out his personal wand and casting a simple fire spell. As soon as the spell ignited, the contraption came to life.

Some of the metal and wooden parts of the contraption started moving in a deliberate pattern as steam started to leak out of various points. I raised a curious brow at the contraption that Colbert had. The constant and rythmic way that his contraption was moving, it reminded me of an engine, like one of those made by the Kappa. Of course, what the professor had was leagues behind the kind of engines that Nitori and her kin have been able to produce, the Hisoutensoku's engine being a prime example. Of course, for a magocratic civilization like the one in this realm, this kind of engine would probably be the first leap into technological advancement for them.

Nitori still would've probably laughed at it though.

"Argh! What is that thing, a torture device?"

"We yield! We yield!"

"Whatever I did! I'm sorry!"

Various cries of anguish and despair echoed throughout the previously peaceful classroom. The combination of the grinding of wood and metal as well as the whistling on steam that came from Colbert's little invention was not painting a pretty picture as far as how it sounded went. Even Louise and her friends were feeling the pain. My master, Monmon, Guiche, and Kirche were all grimacing in pain while covering their ears in an effort to block out the noise...judging from their expressions, it wasn't working. Tabitha was still valiantly trying to read her book but even she was starting to furrow her eyebrows at the constant noise. I wasn't really all that bothered by it. I've had to hear worse...much worse back in Gensokyo. Have you ever wondered what Yuugi's, Suika's, and Ibara's singing voices sounds like when they sing together? It wasn't pretty, they were like the anti-thesis of the Prismriver Sisters. Parsee and Koishi were rendered deaf for several days after that one Hakurei Reitaisai. Everyone else made sure to never let that tragedy ever happen again.

At the end of the torturous noise caused by the professor's contraption, a sudden 'ding' could be heard. All movement from the device ceased and the front part of it, or what seemed to be the front part anyway, suddenly opened like double doors. From within a pair of small wodden dolls slid out via a small wooden floor for them. The two dolls mechanically bowed to each other before they started...dancing in tune with an orgel that was playing within the contraption. Professor Colbert effectively created a noisy, elaborately mechanical, music box dolls. I wasn't sure if I should impressed by the apparent creativity by which he achieved this rather simple result.

"That's it? You put us through all that for this?" One of the students cried out. Judging from the expressions of the other students there, they all shared the same sentiments...even Louise and her friends. The song the orgel played ended and the two wodden dolls bowed to each other before getting pulled back into the contraption. Professor Colbert merely gave a forced cough before laughing awkwardly.

"Well you see, I just wanted all of you to witness something that has been extremely underutilized in Tristain and throughout Halkeginia." The professor explained somewhat nervously under the disapproving stares of his students.

"And what would that be? Audible torture?" Monmon hissed as she rubbed the sides of her head with her hands.

"Well no...what I meant was...well..." It seemed that the proverbial cat had gotten the normally enthusiastic professor's tongue after he realized the kind of damage his contraption did on his students.

"Technology. The light that cuts through the darkness of ignorance and superstition." I stated in recollection of how Nitori once described what technology was to the Kappa. There was some truth in the statement but I found it somewhat ironic considering they lived in a realm where superstition was part of everyday life. Everyone in the room, save for Tabitha who was back to reading her book in earnest, turned their attention to me.

"Yes! Exactly! Thank you Mister Kazami!" The professor exclaimed with the same enthusiasm he did when he first started his class.

"That...thing...is supposed to cut through ignorance and superstition? It's more likely to cause ignorance and superstition!" Another random member of the class exclaimed. The rest of the class displayed an excellent example of crowd mentality by all nodding at the words of their peer at the same time. I actually blinked once because they didn't seem to mind that one of them called me out on my previous statement. Normally, they'd all be scared stiff with the prospect of one of them contradicting my own words. I guess that Colbert's contraption was more of a perceived threat to them at the time than I was.

"To be fair, I would think that the technology that your civilization posesses is still in its infancy, certainly nowhere near the level of what Ruukoto has." I pointed out, everyone went silent at those words. Nearly the entire academy already knew of the gynoid and that it was rumored to be some sort of super-advanced golem created by a particularly brilliant individual based on the abilities it had displayed so far.

"Indeed! Meeting Ruukoto had rekindled my desire to learn about and develop more advanced technology. Of course, as you said, I still have a long way to go before I can match the brilliance of Professor Uzuki and her peers." Colbert admitted sheepishly.

"Do not sell yourself short, everything starts from somewhere. Even some of the most advanced and the most powerful had humble beginnings." I admonished the man. After all, I was a living example of that statement. The professor seemed mollified by my words and continued his lecture.

"Quite. Now, the reason why I demonstrated what his machine is capable of is because I wanted to show how much one can accomplish with machines that require only minimal effort." Colbert explained. It was a simple, logical, and practical concept. That was the way of thinking that made the Lunarian civilization as powerful as it was and that was what made the outside world advance as far as it did as well. Sad that his students did not share his view in that matter.

"Why do we need something like that when we can just use magic instead?" Kirche asked the predictable question. In their perspective, it was a pretty reasonable question. For those who have had the all-too-reliable crutch known as magic their entire lives, using devices and machines to do work that they could just as easly accomplish using their spells.

"Because there will be times where simply using magic will not be enough to accomplish something. There will be times where you will need more than what each of your spells can offer. You cannot accomplish everything using magic Miss Zerbst. Isn't that why we have ships, carriages, tools and the like?" Colbert explained. It always was the tendency for humans to simply tune out and forget about certain aspects of their life that take for granted.

"Human ingenuity. The singleminded desire shared by all humans to go beyond the boundaries set by nature. A foolish mindset that helped humans seemingly dominate everything else around them. Take this as a word of caution though, civilizations have risen and fallen because of that mindset. When everything is said and done, mother nature will always take back what is rightfully hers. Of course, such words are likely biased coming from one such as I..." Especially with how I've dismissed humanity in general as weaklings, save for a few exceptions, for most of my life. Several of the things I said were things I've picked up from books that I acquired back in Gensokyo through several means. Humans may be weak, but they can write rather interesting stories.

"So you're saying that we should start relying on technology rather than magic?" Guiche inquired. I blinked and looked around and found that everyone was actually waiting for my response. I suddenly had a sense of deja vu at the situation. It was like how Cirno's little friends reacted when they stumbled in on me giving Cirno a lecture on Danmaku Battle concepts.

"Not at all, science and magic need not be mutually exclusive from one another. As quoted from a book I enjoyed reading back home: 'When Science and Magic meet, the Story shall begin.'" I responded as I recalled a certain novel series that I grew fond of a long time ago.

"Of course, such a concept might seem radical and outright strange for all of you right now." I added with a shrug. I did not expect them to simply accept such a concept. After all, most magicians, humans or otherwise, refused to rely on technology for anything. Those that manage to look beyond such a silly limitation, such as Marisa once did, managed to achieve some rather incredible things. With that particular note, Colbert continued his lecture like he normally did and without further need for his little contraption. Needless to say, the students were very grateful for that.

...

"You never told me that you liked to read books." Louise offhandedly commented as we walked through the academy halls. Classes were over and we were all headed to our usual spot for tea and snacks. Louise's statement barely registered with me because of what I saw out the window. Because of the location of the hallway they were walking through, the windows gave one a clear view of the main entrance to the academy. What I saw was someone on a horse who just stormed into the academy grounds like he was in a race. Normally something like that wouldn't really pique my interests, but this rider was different. It wasn't that he was anything special, aside from the fact that he was clad in what looked like a knight's armor. What got my attention was what I sensed from the rider.

Fear...lots of it. So much so that I could sense it all the way up from the fourth floor of the academy with other humans in close proximity.

Whatever it was that prompted the rider's urgency was enough to make him give off a particularly palpable aura of fear. I wondered the reason for the rider's distress as I watched him dismount his horse and break into a run into the academy. I narrowed my eyes when I heard a little voice at the back of my head, that curiously sounded like Reimu's adult voice, saying that the anomaly that was headed toward Tarbes had something to do with it.

"I've done a great many things in my life Louise. Reading books was simply one of the things I've done to pass the time when nothing else was happening." I responded, not missing a beat despite the distraction. The only one who gave any notice for that half-second pause I made before responding to Louise's comment was Tabitha, once again proving that she was much sharper than a girl her age should have been. Thankfully, she was also much more subtle than a girl her age should have been. Tabitha immediately went back to her book after she gave me a sideward glance, the only indication that she noticed that something was amiss. I trusted that she would not meddle unless she really had to since I didn't want Louise involved in this incident if at all possible.

Who was I kidding? I was almost certain at that point that some omnipotent being was actively using Louise and I as entertainment with all the incidents that we've been involved in. Whoever or whatever it was, it better hope I never get my hands on it.

"What kinds of books did you read?" Guiche piped up, taking interest in the subject of our conversation. I gave the question some thought, noticing that Tabitha had lifted her gaze from her own book to be able to look at me.

"I've read a lot of books over the course of my life. History, Science, Mythology, Magic, Fiction, and many more. Although, before Louise summoned me, I was going through a phase where I was most interested in the mystery genre...particularly the works of one human author named Agatha Christie." I responded, earning a few curious looks from my master and her friends.

"Mystery genre? What's that?" Kirche asked in genuine curiosity. I felt my eyebrow twitch. Did these humans not have any authors that catered to the mystery genre? What an absurd notion!

"Tabitha, have you ever read a mystery novel?" I asked the resident expert amongst Louise's friends when it came to anything involving books. I felt my eyebrow twitch again when the blue-haired girl shook her head.

"Elaborate." Tabitha responded. It would seem that even she did not know what a mystery novel even was. I was starting to understand what Cirno had felt when Louise admitted to not knowing anything when it came to the Laws of Physics. I gave an audible sigh before trying to gather my thoughts. The mystery rider, the strange magical anomaly, and the situation at Tarbes can wait. There were more important things that demanded my attention.

"The mystery genre is a branch of literature, fictional or otherwise, that deals with stories that have 'mystery' as a central theme. You do know the definition of mystery, right?" I asked them, hopeful that they would at least have some idea as to what the genre was supposed to represent.

"Unknown. Secret. Puzzle. Hidden." Tabitha listed out.

"Well, that's a start. To be more specific, the mytery genre deals with situations where the character or characters needs to unravel a crime that no one wanted to know about such as a murder or a theft. At times, it involves deviously clever tricks, misinformation, and ploys by the perpetrator of the crime." I explained. Tabitha tilted her head to the side and made a thoughtful hum. It was likely that she became interested in reading a story that had those elements.

"I can't really see how one would enjoy reading about things like that. It sounds more like something that someone from the Romalian Inquisition would have to deal with...and no one expects the Romalian Inquisition." Monmon pointed out. Louise and the rest of them, save for Tabitha, gave agreeing nods to Monmon's words. I felt my eyebrow twitch one more time before I walked away from all of them with a displeased expression.

Unrefined barbarians.

...

"What's going on?" Louise asked out loud as she saw a crowd of students gathered to the side of the dormitory entrance. Had Cirno or someone else from Gensokyo finally wandered into Halkeginia? I certainly hoped not. The last thing I needed was another incident on top of the possible incident that Louise and I could soon be involved in.

"It appears that several of your peers are crowding around something. Will you take a look...as...well..." My question died prematurely as I saw Louise, Guiche, Monmon, and Kirche already headed to the source of the commotion. I blinked when I noticed that Tabitha was still standing next to me and was still reading her current book.

"You are not going to join them?" I asked the smartest person in Louise's little circle of friends. The young magician merely responded with a light shrug without taking her eyes off her book. I supposed that she was just not interested...that and Kirche would probably tell her all about it anyway.

"Hm?" I turned when I heard footsteps approaching me and the young Gallian.

"Fuga." Ruukoto's emotionless voice broke the silence between me and Tabitha. The young Gallian glanced at me for a translation while I raised a brow at what the gynoid just said.

"What do you mean by we 'may' have a problem?" I asked the gynoid. I had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with whatever it was that the students were crowding around. Ruukoto was about to respond when Louise interrupted it.

"Yuka!" Louise called out to me as she and the others ran back to us.

"We have to go to the palace! Now! I need to speak to the Princess!" My master frantically yelled out while pulling on my plaid vest.

"What is going on?" Louise frowned upon the way I casually asked the question despite her obvious urgency.

"There's no time! Just take me to the palace already! Fly me there! Now!" Louise demanded, completely ignoring my question. I sighed and looked at the others there. Tabitha and Ruukoto still adopted their usual neutral expressions while the rest looked worried...very worried...even Kirche...

"Louise, calm down and tell me what happened." I stated in a calm tone that completely contrasted the way my master was speaking at that moment. Louise looked furious and started pounding my chest with her fists as if they would actually harm me.

"There's no time to explain! This is too important! Take me to the Princess! Now!" Louise demanded as she continued to try to inflict as much damage as her tiny hands could. I grumbled for a moment before holding onto Louise's wrists in order to prevent her from continuing her little panic attack.

"If this is as important as you frantically claim it to be, then all the more reason why I need to know the details. Louise, you should already be smarter than this!" I reprimanded my master. Louise struggled in my grasp for a few more moments before finally calming down...or at least that was how it seemed.

"I just...I just...I don't know what to do...the Princess should know what I should do...the Princess will tell me what I should do...yes...that's why...that's why..." Louise muttered weakly as she nearly collapsed in my grasp. I made a displeased face when I found the way Louise was thinking. It seemed that I had underestimated her worship and dependance on Princess Henrietta, it was almost as bad as Kaguya's dependence on Eirin...although for completely different reasons. I was about to tell her how unhealthy that way of thinking was when another interruption made itself known.

"Miss Valliere!" Siesta frantically called out to Louise from within the dormitory tower, compounding the bad feeling that I was having. This just keeps getting better and better.

"Si-Siesta...?" Louise asked, as if she was having trouble confirming if the maid was actually there and was calling for her. Siesta ran toward my master before kneeling before her and latching onto Louise's cape.

"Siesta?"

"What's gotten into you?"

"What happened?"

The concerned cries of Louise's friends went unheard by the person in question. Siesta was completely focused on Louise and vice versa. My master was lost and didn't know what to do while Siesta didn't know who else to turn to. Ruukoto, Tabitha, and I exchanged glances before the bad feeling I was having before was confirmed.

"Please! For the love of the Founder, Miss Valliere! Please save Tarbes!"

...

"Hurm..." I grumbled as I squinted at the notice that was posted on a newly placed bulletin board next to the dormitory tower's entrance. The crowd of students had already dispersed and it was only myself, Ruukoto, Siesta, Louise and the rest of her friends left there. The thing posted on the board was the cause of the earlier commotion and it looked like it was an official notice or declaration from the school itself...it even had Tristain's national seal on it...and seemed like something very important. There was just one problem...

"Is there something wrong, darling?" Kirche asked as she walked up beside me. I raised a brow at the Germanian. She still refused to call my anything else aside from 'darling' but the tone she had just used lacked any of the usual...heat...that it normally did. I knew better than to point it out though since this milder Kirche was a welcome improvement from her usual demeanor.

"I'm afraid I have yet had the time to learn this realm's written language. Do you mind?" Instead, I answered her question and tilted my head to the notice on the board. The redhead blinked at me a few times before raising a brow and giving me a small smile.

"It is a general notice for all the students here. It says that tensions between the countries of Tristain and Albion have come to a head which resulted in an incident happening within Tristain's borders. The students of the academy are forbidden from leaving the academy until further notice for our own safety." Kirche read the notice before turning back to face me, her eyes alight with a fire that was different from the usual kind she had.

"The staff and teachers are running all over the academy like a bunch of scared children." The young woman added before glancing back to the notice. I made a thoughtful hum at the new information provided by the notice. It pretty much confirmed that whatever was headed to Tarbes was probably related to whatever was happing between Tristain and Albion. The floating country's involvement means that Cromwell was involved as well. Did they find out that Prince Wales was in Tristain or were they really planning on starting something with this country regardless? More speculation without enough information. I was not a Hakurei so I couldn't simply keep going forward knowing that my intuition would eventually lead me to a way to solve whatever was happening., so I had to do it the way everyone else does...and I hated doing that. Even with all my experience, intellect and love for the mystery genre, I've never liked being personally involved in actual schemes or devilishly ingenious subterfuge. It was just too much of a...bother.

I glanced to where Louise and the others were. Monmon was trying to calm Louise down as she held onto her friend while practically begging her to take her to Princess Henrietta. Guiche had tried to do the same for Siesta but the maid didn't seem like she needed nor desired such comfort. She was still quited distressed, yes. She was shaking and there were tears in her eyes as if she was on the verge of simply breaking down. However, instead of curling up into a ball of helplessness like Louise did, Siesta simply opted to try to glare a hole into my head. She was angry, she was scared, she was desperate...it just happened that I was the one on the recieving end of those emotions. As usual, Tabitha and Ruukoto chose to simply observe what would happen next. I then realized that I was overthinking the situation. I need not have to unravel the entire web of lies and intrigue that had entangled this country. All I had to worry about was Louise's well being, and to an extent, the well being of those she cared about. I actively suppressed the desire to grimace when I realized that this line of thinking meant that I needed to take care of Henrietta as well. No...I'll worry about her only when Louise's own well being is compromised because of her in some way.

"She's gonna get herself wrapped up in something dangerous again, isn't she?" Kirche's inquiry snapped me from my thoughts. I looked back to the Germanian and was surprised that she had a genuinely concern expression as she looked at Louise in the distance.

"Possibly. Are you worried about her?" I asked the young woman. She turned back to me with a puzzled expression before shrugging.

"She's my friend. Of course I'm worried about her." Kirche plainly replied.

"Is she now? Have you not spent most of your time in this academy teasing Louise about her shortcomings? In addition, I distinctly remember that your families have some sort of blood feud going on. I could understand that you would consider her as an acquaintance through Tabitha…but not an actual friend." I pointed out. Kirche gave me a coy smile before shaking her head and looking back to where Louise and the others were.

"I've been giving the little pink ball a hard time because, before you came along, I always thought that she came here simply because of her family's influence. You should already know how she was like back then, no talent, no magic, no results, all boom. To someone who has been working her whole life to steadily become a better fire mage, it was a personal insult to have a no-talent hack in the same school as I did." Kirche explained with a sardonic smile.

"So you believed that she didn't deserve to be here because of her lack of talent?" I asked in confirmation and got a nod in response.

"This isn't the only magic academy in the country, certainly not the only one in the continent. What makes this place special is that it is the best academy in the whole of Halkeginia. Louise could have gone to any other academy where she can spend her no-talent days but she still got into this one. Not only that, but she managed to get past her first year in the academy without once being able to cast a proper spell. A lot of students got kicked off the academy because of that reason. The fact that she still managed to stay here despite that meant that something else was compelling the academy to keep her." The Germanian responded. I raised a brow at the surprisingly insightful new side of Kirche. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that this was a completely different person talking to me.

"I thought that she was using her family's power to stay here, which was probably true anyway even if she didn't realize it herself. Of course, recent events have shown that I was mistaken." Kirche said with a sigh.

"To be fair, neither Louise nor I really expected for her to be what she is." I stated, making sure not to mention Void specifically because of how many people were in the academy now.

"It's kind of sad in a way. The only way she was able to properly cast magic will probably prevent her from living a normal life a noble would. I wonder what my mother and father would say? Me worrying about a Valliere of all people." She said with a chuckle and a sigh. There was a hint of sadness in her words when she mentioned what would likely happen to Louise once her power becomes known to others.

"You know, I grew up being taught to hate Louise and her entire family. My parents and relatives engraved into my mind that the Valliere family were our enemies and should be treated as such. When I first met Louise and found out who she was, it was easy to treat her like someone I disliked. She was very…irritating to be around because she kept putting on airs and posture around whenever she could. When she failed, she immediately came up with excuses to try to save face. I'm not exactly the most honest and kind hearted person here, but even I couldn't take something like that. But that was only her public self…" Kirche continued before sighing.

"If nothing else, she grows on you. She has changed thanks to you, but she is still the same person in her core. Once you get past all that, if you get past all that, then Louise is indeed someone I would consider as a friend. And for the record, I didn't really care much about that blood feud between our families. Just imagine if Louise and I were the ones to finally end it? That would be something to see, right darling~?" Kirche concluded as she casually slipped back to her more usual self before sauntering off to where her friends were. I shook my head before smiling. Yes, Louise has gained good friends. However, there was still much we need to straighten out before doing anything else…

…

"So…" I said while leaning back against the wall inside Louise's room.

"So…" Derf repeated as it peaked out of its scabbard, curious as to what was happening this time.

"So…" Siesta also repeated…but with much less enthusiasm than what she usually displays as she continued to relay her now cold but still impotent rage toward me by glaring at me.

"Fuga…" Ruukoto finally decided to repeat the word as well, though only I and Siesta could understand it. We, along with Louise, retreated back to her room to discuss certain topics that shouldn't be discussed in the open. Monmon and the others offered to come with us but I politely turned them down on behalf of Louise. This was something that only we needed to discuss. If things go down the path they seem to be going, it would be best if I limit the people that Ruukoto and I would likely end up protecting until the end of this incident.

Listen to me…thinking about actively protecting and caring about the well-being of silly humans. If Mima ever heard about this, she would start rolling in her grave, or wherever she was, in laughter.

"So…" The final person in the room finally stated after several moments of silence. I had just finished explaining the reasons for Siesta's sudden panicked outburst earlier as well as what Ruukoto detected back in its home base and how they could be linked to the notice that was posted outside the dormitory tower. Louise looked straight at me, obviously not pleased with all of this going under her nose.

"Why did you feel the need to withhold such information from me, familiar?" Louise asked me, making sure not to break eye contact as she reverted back to calling me 'familiar' instead of my name. She knew very well that she couldn't hurt me, not in the way most would comprehend, but she still knew how to get a point across.

"I didn't want to cause any undue panic. I wanted to confirm first what exactly was headed to Tarbes and if it was hostile, your breakdown earlier proved that it was the correct course of action. Of course...it was all for naught since certain elements that I did not expect or perceive as a threat to my precautions made the whole thing moot." I explained as I glanced at Siesta when I was saying the last parts. The maid, the human one, shifted uncomfortably under my gaze and actively avoided meeting my eyes. I turned my eyes back to Louise and saw that she didn't really find my explanation satisfactory.

"Don't blame the maid for this. If the same thing was to happen to our family lands and you were within arm's reach, I'd do the same thing." Louise said, standing up for Siesta and making a valid point.

Pop quiz hot-shot: A big scary unknown mass of magic was headed for your home where the rest of your family resided in. You only have three days to do something about it before it gets right on top of your home. What do you do? What. Do. You. Do?

"I admit, I did not consider Siesta's situation in this whole thing as seriously as I should have. However, I only acted as such because I was thinking of your well being." I responded, giving Louise and Siesta that point but sticking to my original reasoning as to why I did not inform her of the magical anomaly.

"Well being? An unknown mass of magic is headed to Tarbes and it could very well be the whole Albion Armada for all we know! We don't have time to worry about just my well being!" Louise finally snapped as she grabbed her pillow before throwing it in my face. I disregarded the attack and waited for my master to calm down. When she finally did, I held up my right hand to reveal all five of my fingers.

"Louise, you have been involved in capturing the most infamous thief in the country…" I ticked down a finger.

"…lived in the capital as a commoner to expose underlying corruption in the nobility…" I ticked down another finger.

"…got yourself exposed to some rather potent love potion…" Another finger down.

"…went to Albion to save a displaced and hunted prince and got stabbed with a knife before nearly bleeding to death…" And another.

"…got caught up in a treasure hunt that unearthed an ancient and powerful weapon made to battle monsters beyond your wildest imaginings and comprehension…" And another, rendering my right hand closed into a fist.

"…and now you want to get involved in something that would likely be an incident that would extinguish a very large number of human lives…" I lowered my right hand and looked at my master dead in the eye.

"…and it hasn't been half a year since you summoned me. Just imagine dealing with all that if you had summoned some other magical beast that wouldn't have been able to help you I have, or worse, some poor unexpecting human who was just minding their own business before getting hurled here by the summoning ritual." I pointed out to her.

"Even with all the training we have been giving you. Even with Derflinger with you. Even with your friends with you. Even with Henrietta and Wales with you. Even with Ruukoto, Matilda and I with you…" I trailed off, not sure as to why I was saying all these things to her or why I was hesitating on finishing my point. I took a deep breath and said it anyway.

"If you keep doing this, Louise, then you will die…and where would that leave the rest of us?" I concluded with a rueful shake of my head.

"I did not tell you of those things because things are moving too quickly. You should realize after listening to Cirno's lecture on inertia that if something is moving too quickly and suddenly found itself faced with something it cannot breach..." I trailed off once more, goading my master to finish the line of thought herself.

"…it goes splat…" And she did. Louise sullenly stared at the floor for a few moments before plopping onto her bed. I picked up the pillow she threw at me and walked up to her bed where I heard her give out a tired sigh. She had her right arm covering her eyes and her previous emotions of anger, panic, and resolve all melted away to reveal a very tired young woman who has had to deal with too many things.

"Louise, you are not a hero, certainly not someone who should try to bare everything on your own shoulders. Reimu had once adopted that kind of thinking after her beloved died…after she recovered from her initial shock. Marisa, Sanae, Sakuya, and all of her friends tried to make her see that she did not have to take on every incident afterwards by herself. Her daughter, Reimi was starting to show her own unique talents in solving incidents and the actions of her mother often had the two of them at odds with each other." I started. I wasn't sure why I began telling Louise about the aftermath of the Lunarian Invasion five centuries ago but it just seemed to be the right thing to say.

"Why do you know all of that? Didn't you say that you mostly kept to yourself in your garden?" Louise asked me as I sat down on the bed beside her.

"Marisa and Alice often visited my garden during that period. The Garden of the Sun was closer to the Hakurei Shrine than the Forest of Magic was, so they mostly ended up inviting themselves there for tea, cake and stories. They even asked me for any ideas on how to get Reimu back to normal. It just showed how desperate they were if they were asking me of all people for advice in that matter." I explained with a shake of my head. Both Siesta and Derf stayed silent throughout all this, likely wondering what exactly Louise and I were talking about.

"What about Yukari? Where was she during all of this?" My master asked, wondering about the apparent absence of the border youkai during the Hakurei clan's emotional crisis.

"Yukari was too busy being paranoid to be of any help. The invasion hit Gensokyo hard and she wasn't about to take any more chances of any aftershocks so she performed a vigil to watch any movements from the Lunarians. If they even twitched, she would have known about it." I explained. Yukari had just seen the Gensokyo that she loved so dearly be turned into a real battlefield, and it wasn't like the Mystic Square incident where the perpetrators didn't really have any hostile intent either. The Lunarians barged in with the full premeditated idea of reducing our realm to cinders. Needles to say, it unnerved the border youkai a great deal.

"So…what happened?" Louise said in a rather subdued voice. I made a thoughtful hum before looking up at the ceiling. Despite all the power and skill that Reimu had at her disposal, she was still very much human. That limitation made her…vulnerable to certain things. It wasn't a secret that most of her friends were youkai -Marisa, Sanae, and Sakuya being the exceptions- and there was an invisible wall between her and her friends because of that fact. Despite everything that she had gone through, the incidents, the Reitaisais, the feasts, the random danmaku battles, at the end of the day, she couldn't help but feel lonely. After all, she wasn't like Sanae or Sakuya who were living with others nor was she like Marisa who was perfectly fine with living alone as long as she had her 'borrowed' possessions. Her only companion in her shrine was an oni who was dead drunk through most of the day in some corner of the grounds. That was why she became unusually happy and chipper after she met 'that man'. The rest became history but the result of his death just showed how much the strongest Shrine Maiden of Paradise relied on him.

"Reimu continued going through that path until one particular incident nearly cost her the life of her one and only daughter." I said, receiving gasps of surprise from not only Louise but from Siesta and Derf as well. Even though they didn't know the exact context of our conversation or my story, they could still piece together that it wasn't a particularly happy point in someone's life.

"…and?" Louise hesitantly asked for me to continue.

"Even I don't know what happened that day. The only ones who did were Reimu, Reimi, Keine, and Aya. None of them would reveal what happened to any one else. It just shows how important that hidden incident was if even Aya chose to keep quiet about it. In the end, the only thing I was certain of was that Reimi was rendered unable to perform her duties as a Hakurei Maiden for several weeks. When she recovered, she and her mother had a relationship that was very much like what they had back when 'that man' was still alive." I explained and made sure to hint that there was nothing more to this story that I could reveal. The room returned to silence afterward.

"Why? Why did you even share that story? It happened five-hundred years ago in a completely different world! How could that have any relation to the situation at hand?" Siesta finally spoke up after the silence in the room became unbearable for her. I couldn't give her an answer because I still wasn't sure why I said all of those things.

"Because people never change, little missy." As if to pick up the slack in the conversation, Derf decided to speak up instead. All of us turned to the sword that did its best impression of a wise old man.

"I've been around a long time, longer that Yuka over there, and I know first hand that the story he just mentioned has parallels to what the little miss is going through. No, it would probably be more accurate to say that it is a preview to what Louise might end up going through if she wasn't careful." Derf continued. It was times like this when I remembered that the sword has been around for more than six-millennia and that it has seen more of this realm than most.

"People…humans, elves, or whatever else…like to say that the only constant thing in this world is change. I disagree. I've been through enough to know first hand that, even though the ones involved usually interchange roles, the situations they find themselves in are usually the same. It's sometimes so irritating that I wished that I had a better body than this so I can point out that they were doing the same things all over again." The sword stated with an edge that I have not heard from it before.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." I added with a wry smile. The sword responded with a hearty laugh while shaking slightly in its scabbard.

"Those are clear, concise words that pretty much sums up my point. Listen, Louise…" Derf caught everyone off guard by both shifting from its usual light-hearted tone to a more serious one as well as using my master's actual name instead of just calling her 'little miss'.

"I agree with Yuka over there. Helping others who can't help themselves is all well and good, but at the rate you're going, you'll end up losing everything you have been fighting for in the first place. I'm not telling you to stop doing what you're doing. I just want you to slow down and take a good long look at yourself and your surroundings and ask yourself: How will my actions affect me and those around me? What will happen to those I care about the most if I go through with this? Those were questions that Brimir and Sasha never asked and it ended up destroying them both. I don't want you to repeat what happened to them, I'm sick of having to watch my wielder and his or her master going through that." The sword stated before going silent and returning back into the depths of its scabbard. Its words and wisdom hung in the air like a veil that waited to judge the occupants. Louise was not the only one who was affected by the sword's words. Siesta sat down on a chair and covered her face with her hands, likely reflecting on her own actions and what she had been trying to throw Louise into. Ruukoto was as stoic as ever but I saw faint streams of light run across its eyes. Whatever it was thinking off, it had likely something to do with what Derf said. And me? The sword's words once again reminded me of that 'sin' I committed a long time ago. I was wondering if I will ever find the heart to tell Louise about that incident when I notice my master stand up and place herself in front of me.

"I will go to Tarbes." Louise stated with that all too familiar fire in her eyes. Siesta rose from her seat with a start and a gasp at my master's words. She probably expected that Louise would see reason after the talking to she got from both myself and Derf.

"I will not accompany you to fight a war between two nations." I responded while folding my arms and leaning back. Louise closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them again. Within those eyes was a light that was and still is a trademark of the Hakurei clan whenever incidents happen.

"I'm not going to fight a war. I thought about it and asked myself the questions that Derflinger said. Between doing something and doing nothing for the people of Tarbes, I think that doing nothing would be something that I can never live with. I'm going there because something is threatening the home and family of one of the people I care about and I'm not going to take that lying down. I'm going there to protect Tarbes. If that means taking down the entire Albion Armada…then so be it. But…I can't…I won't…do it alone." Louise stated with so much resolve that she was practically a completely different person from who she was when I first arrived here. Perhaps Kirche was right when she said that I had helped change Louise. I could only hope that whatever I was changing Louise into, it was not something like me. Louise continued displaying her resolve by kneeling on front of me and taking my hands into her own before looking right into my eyes.

"I need your help, Yuka." Louise said. I would like to dare anyone. Anyone. To try to refuse Louise while she looks at you as she did to me at the moment. She squeezed my hands and I sighed before squeezing back.

"We will defend Tarbes from any and all hostile enemies but only that. I refuse to go any further than that." I gave my answer, much to the relief of both Louise and Siesta. The maid, the human one, broke down and started sobbing and muttering thanks and apologies to both of us. I walked up to Ruukoto just as the gynoid blinked away the streaming lights in its eyes.

"Fuga. Fuga?" Ruukoto stated with a tilted head. It was still worried that we were moving too quickly and suggested to observe the situation before deploying.

"I disagree." I answered, making Louise and Siesta turn to me. I'm sure that Siesta could hear and understand what Ruukoto said, but she was likely too busy to comprehend what it meant.

"We have enough circumstantial evidence that links Albion to the anomaly. If it turns out to be their Armada, then they would already be within spitting distance of Tarbes by the time you confirm it. If we go there, we can prepare and deploy the second you confirm what the anomaly is. There is also the bonus of you being near your base so you can pick up whatever goodies you might deem useful if this turns into a battle." I reasoned. The gynoid stared at me for several moments before nodding.

"Fuga." The gynoid agreed to our plan. I nodded and turned back to the two young women.

"I can carry Louise to Tarbes while Ruukoto can carry Siesta. You still have flight capabilities, yes?" I said before asking the gynoid.

"Fuga." Ruukoto affirmed while suggesting that going back to its base to recover the special equipment 'G-Wing Type-Zero' which would improve her airborne capabilities significantly.

"Very well…it seems that we are once again headed to Tarbes. I pity the fools who decided that this was a good time to invade that town." I said with a shake of my head.

"But what about the Princess and Prince Wales? They could end up mixed in with what might happen. Besides, if the Albion Armada really is headed to Tarbes, our own fleet should be headed there to intercept them." Louise pointed out. I sighed when I realized that she was correct. If it ends up as a battle between the two fleets then Ruukoto and I couldn't just simply blow everything out of the sky. That would make protecting a village filled with frightened and likely panicking humans much more difficult.

"Tell me, if the Tristain and Albion fleets were to do battle, who do you think would win?" I asked but only got pained and confused looks from the two young women. I guess they did not know. That was when I heard the door open.

"Albion." Tabitha's distinct voice drew all attention to the entrance to Louise's door which revealed the Gallian along with Louise's other friends.

"Somehow, I should have expected this…" I muttered while rubbing my head with my hand.

"Don't say that, darling~! We can't always have you and Louise have all the fun right~?" Kirche responded as she sauntered toward me and gave me a wink.

"Ruukoto and I can't bring all of you there." I pointed out.

"We'll manage, right Tabitha?" The Germanian said before turning to her good friend. The blue-haired girl nodded before entering the room along with Monmon and Guiche.

"Sylphid. We will catch up." The young but powerful magician stated.

"We will not go there to fight a war, only to protect Tarbes. You don't have to go with us." Louise clearly stated as she looked at each of her friends, Derf's words likely still very fresh in her mind.

"Which is exactly why we will be going with you, silly~" Kirche responded with a dismissive wave. The Germanian then did something no one ever expected…she walked up to Louise and gave her a hug.

"K-K-Kirche? What the founder to you think you're-" Louise's complaints were cut off by Kirche's next words.

"You're not alone…" The redhead stated in a very un-Kirche like voice, making Louise freeze up and wonder if it was really happening.

"You don't have to face this alone. Having more of us with you will help in protecting Siesta's village. Besides…" The redhead in question continued before putting Louise at arm's length and smiling at her.

"Isn't that what friends are for?" Kirche asked Louise with a smile before engulfing her in another hug. Louise flailed her arms in protest and once again enforcing her tendency of becoming the object of affection of other woment…except Tabitha. Speaking of…

"I would like to know why you believe that the Albion Armada would best Tristain's." I told the blue-haired girl who nodded in turn. There was no more going back. I simply hoped that everyone here was ready for what was to come.

…

Please R&R!


	18. Chapter 16

Author's Notes: Here we have the next chapter. No explosions yet but that comes next chapter. The first part was originally supposed to be a separate interlude until I realized that it was too short to be one and it was still part of the main plot anyway. The rest is further character development and a set of tone to how the next will be like.

As always, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN! JINGUJI SENSEI WAS SEEN EATING OUT WITH ANOTHER MAN!

...

"Yuka! Good timing. I was wondering if Ran had set the time dilations wrong when she sent me here." Surprisingly, it was the familiar voice of a young man that greeted me when I entered Mugenkan. I eyed the young man who I determined was slightly older than Louise with narrowed eyes before approaching him.

He had slightly messy shoulder-length black hair and chestnut colored eyes as and also had the confident half-smirk he has become known for. He wore a much simpler version of a shinto priest's garb, elbow length sleeves and foregoing the sash as well as exchanging the standard slippers with durable sandals instead. He did not carry a priest's staff nor a gohei, instead he chose consecrated knuckle dusters that kind of look like tiny torii gates as his main means to protect the peace. He hides them along with the family yin-yang balls in a pouch of holding that was handed down in their family since Reimi's time. Naturally, everything he had was patterned in the standard Hakurei red and white color scheme...except he had the white as the dominant color instead of the red.

"Touya Hakurei..." I regarded the current representative of the Hakurei clan, the Shield of the Eastern Wonderland, and the most talented member of the family since Reimu. Incidentally, one of the handful of Hakurei that did not have a hat or some sort of head or hair accessory.

There actually was once a rumor that he really was Reimu's reincarnation which was why he seemed to similar to her in some ways. Shikieiki refused to comment on this matter on the grounds that it was 'none of your business' if it turned out to be true or not. That being said, Touya has had a more odd childhood than most thanks to certain individuals that I will not name -but one of whom was living inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion- who wanted to see if they could 're-awaken' Reimu's personality that supposedly slept in her descendant's body. That being said, repeats of certain incidents from Reimu's time was commonplace for a while until Yukari made them all stop because even she thought that it was stupid...and this was Yukari we were talking about.

"It has been five-hundred years since I instigated the rule, but you should already know that I do not allow humans inside my border of dreams easily after what your ancestor and her friend did long ago." I reminded the Hakurei of the rule I imposed after Reimu and Marisa raided Mugenkan back then. Touya was strong, I admit that much, but he is even lazier than Reimu was when she was his age so he hasn't been keeping up with his training as he should. If it wasn't for Yukari, he probably would train at all. I punctuated my statement by narrowing my eyes at him even more as I folded my arms and leaned back.

"I know, I know...jeez, ease up will you? It's nice to see that you haven't changed even with the gender switch." Touya responded while putting both his hands in front of him, both as a gesture that he did not mean any harm and as a precaution so he can put up a barrier if I attack in order to buy him time to pull out his knuckle dusters.

"Yuka? Is that you?" I blinked as I heard Louise's voice come from behind me. Touya and I turned to see my master walk out of the mass of sunflowers that covered most of Mugenkan. Louise confirmed my presence before she saw Touya and the two of them proceeded to dumbly stare at each other. I had not anticipated this development...

"Humans aren't allowed inside Mugenkan, eh?" Touya recovered first as he mocked my earlier statement before lowering his hands. He had also made a showing that the Hakurei clan's skill at differentiating between humans and youkai was alive and well.

"Louise is my master as you may or may not already know so she's an exception. Now, you mentioned Ran a moment ago. Why did Yukari send you instead of Ran herself or someone else?" I answered. If Yukari sent him here then he should at least have been told about my situation here. After all, he already seemed to know about the change in my gender. Touya's response was interrupted as Louise walked up to me before tugging at my vest in the way she does when she felt like she had something she needed to know.

"Who is it this time?" My master asked me as she nodded in Touya's direction. The young Hakurei wasn't sure what to make of the scene of me being manhandled by a little girl. He knew first hand how strong and ruthless I can be at Danmaku Battles and the current situation must be rather surreal for him. I sighed and gently released Louise's hands from my vest.

"I might as well get the introductions finished..." I muttered to no one in particular before I gestured toward the young Hakurei Priest.

"Louise, I introduce to you another of the inhabitants of Gensokyo. This is the current representative of the Hakurei clan, Touya Hakurei, who is more infamously known as the 'Shield of the Eastern Wonderland'." I introduced Touya and Louise's eyes went wide after the introduction.

"Hi there, I'm Touya Hakurei. I'm just some guy who got caught up in all this but it's still nice to meet you." Touya, on his part, still obliged to introduce himself to Louise with a polite bow. He maintained the distance between us since he still wasn't sure how I would have reacted if he approached Louise. Quite honestly, I was thankful for his consideration since I wasn't sure what I would have done if he approached Louise at that time either. My master blinked at the young man a few times before giving him a timid bow in return. She was probably unsure as how to properly respond to such a greeting from a member of the Hakurei clan after everything she has heard from us about them.

"Wait...what is he doing here anyway?" Louise asked as he turned back to me.

"That is something I wish to inquire to him as well. I'm certain that he is more than happy to explain why he is here but not before you introduce yourself first. It is only polite to do so, yes?" I answered. My master gave one of her trademark 'urks' of understanding before turning back to Touya who looked like he was still unsure of what to make of my relationship with Louise. My master finally broke off from me before standing some distance in front of Touya and giving him a perfect curtsy.

"I am Louise Fran輟ise le Blanc de la Valli鑽e. I'm just some girl who got Yuka caught up in all this but it's still nice to meet you." Louise mirrored Touya's introduction with a smirk that came as a surprise for me. The young Hakurei stared at Louise for a few moments before he started laughing.

"Okay, I like you already. Anyway, you're both probably wondering why I'm here instead of Yukari or Cirno-nee." Touya stated with a friendly smile. I walked up to stand beside Louise and saw her head tilted to the side in wonder.

"You call her Cirno-nee too?" Louise asked Touya. I decided to answer her question for her instead of waiting for him to respond.

"Touya was trained for a time by certain members of Cirno's team, Seventh Heaven. In particular, Hong Meiling and Wriggle Nightbug helped him develop his own unique way of dealing with incidents." I explained and the Hakurei in question nodded at my words before picking up the conversation himself.

"Obviously, being trained by those two as well as being a Hakurei kid, I would inevitably end up meeting the rest of them including but not limited to Cirno-nee. Of course, I didn't meet Miss Letty until that winter because of obvious reasons." Touya elaborated and Louise made nods of understanding at his words. I had assumed that Yukari had already told my master about the Perfect Cherry Blossom incident, or at least certain incidents that the Embodiment of Winter was involved in.

"Now then, if there is nothing else..." I trailed off as I nodded at the Hakurei to indicate that I wanted to go back to the main topic at hand.

"Of course, Yukari wanted to make sure that you were the only one to find out about this but I guess having Miss Valliere here wouldn't be much of an issue." Touya started as she nodded to me and Louise in turn. My master glanced away and her cheeks colored a bit when she heard him call her 'Miss Valliere'. I wondered why but decided that it wasn't important at the time.

"Yukari asked me to go here because she had things she needed to take care of in Hakugyokurou as a favor for Yuyuko and Kanako. Of course, whenever those three get together, you can be sure that something is gonna happen soon so I've started stepping up my workouts just in case." The young Hakurei continued with a tired sigh. Yukari, Yuyuko, and Kanako meeting together? That could have meant anything from a simple gathering of old friends to a plan to make sure that Touya was always 'on his toes' when it came to incidents. To that end, the young man's apprehension and precaution was understandable.

"Cirno-nee couldn't go because she said that she and Chen were keeping an eye on the Kappa because of something-or-other under your instructions. Yukari wouldn't trust anyone else with this so she had Ran ask me to come here instead. I agreed because it has been a pretty slow week and I wanted a change of pace." Touya concluded before reaching into his pouch of holding and pulling out a sealed envelope.

"Ran asked me to give this to you personally and to not read any of the contents. I don't know what's going on but my intuition has been going nuts about what's inside that thing ever since I got it." Touya stated as he walked up to me and handed me the envelope. I took the envelope and felt that it roughly had ten or so sheets of paper inside it. It was also magically sealed to prevent anything from harming of tampering with the contents but Yukari apparently made sure that it was a seal that I knew how to remove. I removed the magic seal with a wave of my hand before opening the envelop and confirming its contents. I shoved it in my pocket before looking back at the young Hakurei.

"You did not think of opening the letter and checking the contents? You should already be skilled enough to remove and re-apply the seal Yukari placed on it without much trouble." I inquired, ignoring the surprised look from Louise. She must have been surprised that someone as young as Touya could remove and re-apply a magic seal that was made by Yukari. She didn't realize that the seal was something that anyone with the skill equivalent to her realm's triangle-class mage could handle. It was simply placed to make sure that the contents weren't damaged. Why such a rather lax way of sealing the envelope? Well, Touya answered that question for me.

"And have you, Yukari, Ran, and possibly Cirno-nee get angry at me for sticking my nose in something that didn't really involve me? No thanks. The reason why my intuition went bonkers was because whatever was in that envelope has some serious stuff in it." Touya explained as he placed his right hand on his hip while gesturing a dismissive wave with his left hand. I once again felt Louise tugging, on my sleeve this time, so I turned to her to be greeted by her unamused expression.

"What does he mean by that? You should already know, so out with it." Louise stated in a way that indicated that she wasn't going to allow me to dance around the issue.

"Yuka, has anyone ever told you how absolutely surreal this looks right now." Touya stated with a tone that was borderline awe. Louise and I looked at him then at each other then back at him.

"Yes, I suppose that this kind of scene is not what one would normally associate with me." I admitted with a shrug. I once again removed Louise's grabby hands before pulling out the envelope in question.

"In a way, Touya is correct when he said that he felt that the contents of this envelope were serious. Then again, the lauded intuition of the Hakurei is rarely wrong." I stated as I pulled out the contents and skimmed through them. I made a thoughtful hum when I confirmed what the contents actually were before turning to Louise who looked like she was about ready to snatch away the paper so she could take a look herself.

"Well?" Louise asked me impatiently. Touya looked just as interested as Louise was to find out what the contents of the envelope were but he was much more composed about it.

"This is a report that details Nitori's progress in analyzing Ruukoto's current capabilities and how we can maximize them." I stated as I read through another page.

"Ruukoto?" Touya asked in confusion. Ah, yes. It was understandable that he wouldn't know anything about the gynoid since his own ancestor didn't even bother to look for it after it disappeared.

"The long and short of it is that Ruukoto was a gynoid that was once in the employ of Reimu Hakurei, your ancestor...and potentially your original." I stated the last part with a sly smile. Louise gave me a look of pure confusion while Touya gave me an irritated look before he roughly scratched his head with high right hand.

"Please don't bring that up again. My early years of dealing with incidents was a complete mess thanks to that stupid rumor." Touya weakly complained.

"What are you two talking about?" Louise inquired, those imaginary question marks over her head once again making their appearance.

"There was once a rumor that Touya was the reincarnation of the Strongest Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Hakurei Reimu. Thanks to that rumor, which was never proved or disproved because the Yama is extremely tight-lipped, Touya has had to relive a number of incidents that his ancestor once did." I explained, earning a groan from Touya while earning a 'what' from Louise. My master turned to the 'Shield' with a stunned expression.

"Really?" Was the only thing she could say after finding out about it.

"Seriously..." Touya confirmed with a feeble nod.

"I don't think that I'm the reincarnation of the honored Lady Reimu...at least I hope I'm not." Touya added while rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"Why not? I thought that you would be happy to find out that you were a legendary member of your family reborn." Louise asked Touya while mirroring his gesture of rubbing her chin with her hand.

"Because it feels weird! How would you feel if you found out that you could be the reincarnation of a man?" Touya posed the question to Louise. My master gave him a quizzical expression before humming thoughtfully. She then quickly grimaced and shook her head.

"I think I understand your apprehension to the concept." Louise responded with great effort as she and Touya shared nods of understanding. I sighed at how well the two of them seemed to be getting along with each other. I grinned and decided to take a page from Kirche and Yukari's books.

"Would the two of you like to know the contents of the report or are you two already content with whispering sweet nothings to each other?" I said before chuckling. The two young humans blinked at me before looking back at each other and predictably, especially when it comes to Louise, they both went crimson before stammering their own denials in the matter.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about, cheeky familiar? We're not giving any kind of nothings to each other!" Louise was the faster of the two when it came to denying it.

"That's right! We've only known each other for less than an hour! No way that we'd develop feelings for each other that fast!" Touya followed up with a more reasonable and logical denial, one that Louise agreed with if her enthused nods were to indicate.

"Relax, it was merely in jest." I responded with a dismissive wave of my hand. They both gave me irate looks but I merely ignored them in favor of reading Nitori's report.

"It seems that this report that Nitori provided details the weapons and abilities that Ruukoto currently has access to." I started before moving on to read another page.

"How does that help us? If it's things that Ruukoto can already use, can't she just tell us how they work?" Louise asked. I glanced at her and raised a brow when she referred to Ruukoto as a 'she' instead of an 'it'. It appears that my master was starting to humanize the gynoid like Reimu once did. The thought made me give out a ghost of a smile.

"While you statement is true, it also helps to have documentation of those things on hand. Ruukoto will not always be able to explain exactly what its capabilites are capable of and there is also the possibility that we might not understand its explanations in the way it intended. If it helps, you can simply think of this as a primer, or a guide to your gynoid's capabilites." I explained before lightly tapping the sheets of paper in my right hand with the back of my left hand.

"And? I'm assuming since you're saying it like that, then all that stuff must be really good." Touya was the one that spoke this time as he walked up to stand at Louise's side before they both stared at me in anticipation.

"That goes without saying since Nitori herself was the one who made this report. Of course, your profound grasp of the obvious is also most appreciated." I snarked a bit more than I should have. If Touya took offence to it, he didn't let it show. I decided to continue with the explanation after I determined that there wouldn't be any further comments.

"To elaborate my answer to your question, the report gives insights on how each of Ruukoto's available weapons, equipment, and abilities work. In addition it gives suggestions on how to best utilize them on their own or in tandem with other weapons or abilities. Also, and likely most importantly, it provides specifics on the limitations of each of them." I explained while flipping through a few more pages. I glanced at my master when she made a rather displeased sound and saw that she had an equally displeased expression.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" I inquired and it seemed that Touya was wondering the same thing.

"You're going to make me read through and memorize every bit of of that report so I can be a more effective master for Ruukoto, aren't you?" Louise grimly postulated as she took my assessment of Nitori's report to its logical conclusion. I gave her line of thinking a thoughtful hum before pursing my lips and responding.

"Normally, that would be the most ideal course of action. Unfortunately, as you should be well aware of, we do not have the leisure of time for you to learn everything in this report. Instead I will simply provide the most important bits of information that would be needed for you to be able to effectively command Ruukoto. We can wait until the defense of Tarbes is over before you need to go over the fine details of this report, hopefully Matilda would have returned by then." I answered. Louise nodded in understanding but it was Touya who gave me a shocked expression this time.

"Wait...what do you mean by the defense of Tarbes?" The Shield asked with a steadily worried tone, his intuition at work I assumed. Of course he wouldn't know anything about that. I was about to give him vague hints about the situation and gently tell him that it wasn't any of his business but Louise answered first.

"There is a very large and very dense magical anomaly that is moving towards a village where the family of a friend is residing in. We believe that the anomaly is being caused by a large invasion force made up of an armada of magical flying battleships and the like. We are going there soon to try to defend that place and to try to repel the invaders if possible." Louise answered in a grave voice that carried the full weight of what was about to happen and what it could mean to a lot of people. Touya's eyes went wide before giving an angered growl and balling his hands into fists and giving me a determined look. This could be a problem if I don't deal with it now...

"Yuka Kazami! I-" Touya started but I cut him off with a raised hand and a firm voice.

"Stay your hand Shield of the Eastern Wonderland!" My voice bellowed, stopping Touya's declaration before it got any steam. That was close. Any more and he could have declared a magical oath to either me or Louise. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what for.

"But I-" I once again cut off Touya's words before it got anywhere by firing tiny energy bullet from my left index finger. It missed of course but it was close enough for the young man to feel it pass by the side of his head. Touya set his jaw and glared at me for what I did and Louise didn't look any happier either.

"Yuka! What the founder do you think you're doing?" Louise screamed at me as she tried to use her body weight to pull down my left arm which was still outstretched since I was still aiming my finger at Touya.

"Making sure that the young man over there doesn't make any rash decisions that he might end up regretting later." I stated as I ignored Louise's labored attempts to pull my arm down while Touya narrowed his eyes at my words.

"Why? There are people who need help! If I-" I once again stopped his words with another energy bullet, one that was aimed between his eyes this time. Touya managed to deflect it with one of his knuckle dusters which he quickly equipped after my first shot.

"Stop it Yuka!" Louise screamed out of desperation as she continued her futile attempts to make me cease my actions.

"This is an incident in Louise's realm, not Gensokyo. Therefore, this is something that only we can deal with." I clearly and coldly stated to both of them. Louise stopped her attempts to pull my arm down and merely looked at me in confusion.

"Even so..." Touya weakly muttered as he looked down on the ground, finally understanding why I didn't want him involved.

"Gensokyo needs you more than Halkeginia does, Shield of the Eastern Wonderland. Stay with the realm you are meant to protect." I told him solemnly before finally lowering my left arm. Touya looked at me as if he wanted to protest but shook his head instead.

"I understand..." Touya finally relented before looking at my master with a helpless expression.

"I...I wish there was a way I could help...I always hated this feeling..." He said with a sad smile while shaking his head.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Louise asked worriedly as she watched Touya remove his knuckle dusters and put them in his pouch of holding. I chose to remain silent to allow him to let it out of his system.

"To have the power to help but being unable to..." Touya answered with a sigh. And that was one of the reasons why others think that Touya could be Reimu's reincarnation. They held similar values and beliefs...even though Touya manifested that way of thinking much earlier than Reimu did. I thought about the Shield's words and hummed when an idea struck.

"That...might not be the case, Touya Hakurei." I muttered loud enough to catch the attention of both humans.

"Would you be willing to indulge me with a few rounds of Danmaku?" I asked with a grin.

"A Danmaku Battle? At a time like this?" The Shield asked skeptically at the sudden request for a duel.

"Yes. I want to show Louise what a real Danmaku Battle is like as an example. Cirno and I had an impromptu one when she tested to see if I really was who I claimed to be. However, it wasn't set up to the standard rules and so Louise never got the opportunity to appreciate it." I explained with a warm smile.

"Okay...but why?" Louise was the one who asked this time.

"Think of it as part of your training. We have already covered everything that Cirno left behind as homework while she is gone and we don't have time to teach you anything new. Lacking any other options I thought it would be nice for you to witness a Danmaku Battle between me and Touya. After all, it's not every day that the two of us get a chance to duel." I answered, enticing Louise at the prospect of witnessing a magic battle unlike anything she has ever witnessed before, and enticing Touya with a chance to test his skill against someone who has dueled with his family for generations and pushed each and every one of them to the limits of their abilities. I smiled when I saw Touya look at me with a familiar glint in his eye.

"Okay, I'm game." The Shield of the Eastern Wonderland confidently stated as he fished out his knuckle dusters from his pouch along with the Hakurei Yin-Yang Balls. Louise didn't realize it then since she still looked apprehensive at the idea, but she was in for a show of a lifetime.

...

"So..." Louise muttered as she clung to me. We were headed to Tarbes at reasonable speeds with Ruukoto and Siesta trailing behind us. I say reasonable because it was the fastest speed we could go that was safe for Louise and Siesta, even with the very minor and very basic protection spell I put on them before we left.

What can I say, I've never had any use for protection spells so I never really bothered to learn stronger ones.

Tabitha and the rest will be catching up but I don't expect them to arrive until right before the sparks start flying.

"So..." I replied, not really bothering to add anything because there was little else to say until we reach Ruukoto's hangar.

"So...what's the plan again?" Derf repeated and tacked on a question from where it was strapped on Louise's back. I thought about it for a moment before piecing together a rough outline on what we plan to do.

"We will first head to Ruukoto's hangar. It has equipment that it wants to retrieve which it believes would be very useful in the upcoming battle. That done, we will head to Tarbes and assess the situation before forming a defensive perimiter. The size and scope will depend on what Ruukoto finds out about that anomaly. It is possible that I may end up engaging the anomaly directly but I will refrain from doing so until it becomes a clear and present danger to Tarbes and its people." I outlined our current strategy. The sword laughed before sighing.

"Wow...that's acutally a pretty solid strategy. How did you come up with it?" The sword asked me. I chuckled at the insinuation that I was the one who came up with the idea before shaking my head.

"I didn't come up with it, Tabitha did." I admitted without shame. I wasn't really a stickler for strategy and tactics and the like considering my primary style at fighting. The only stratagems that I knew of were from what I read in books and what I saw in movies and I highly doubt that any of them would be effective in a real battle with our current layout. That being said, Tabitha and Ruukoto put their heads together and came up with a number to plans to deal with the eventualities that we were most likely to deal with. The sword made a thoughtful hum but didn't say anything more so I guessed that its curiosity was already sated.

"How is that even possible...?" Louise muttered under her breath. I raised a brow at her words and glanced at her. Her expression was serious and she looked like she was thinking about something intently.

"Louise?" I called out to my master in curiosity as to what she could be thinking about. Louise knitted her brows a bit before pursing her lips and responding.

"How was he able to get past that pattern? There weren't any visible gaps so how did he know that a hole would open up in the place that it did?" Louise asked more to herself than to anyone else. So she was still thinking about that exhibition that Touya and I did in Mugenkan. It was actually a pretty standard duel. Five Spell-Card and Five Non-Spell-Card patterns each. The first to run out or the first to get his loses. It ended up as my victory on our fourth Spell-Card patterns but Touya wasn't really taking it as seriously as he could. He kept glancing at where Louise was, protected by one of his Dual-Barriers, and was making sure that no stray shots were getting close to her. In hindsight, he was asking for it after doing something as silly as that in the middle of a Danmaku Battle with me of all people.

"It was actually a skill that anyone with enough experience with Danmaku Battles can learn. In fact, Cirno and I have been trying to teach you that skill little by little." I pointed out to my master and she looked at me with a raised brow.

"What do you mean by that?" Louise asked me.

"It can be called spatial awareness or more commonly known as 'focus'. It is the concept of observing the Danmaku Field at large instead of only looking at the nearest ones that are about to hit you. By looking at the field at large you get an idea of how the pattern is formed and a general idea on how the projectiles will move. It is incredibly useful when facing dense patterns because it gives you precious seconds to decide where you need to go to avoid getting hit." I explained the most tried and tested method of being able to dodge danmaku back in Gensokyo.

"That does sound useful...and I've started to do that too?" Louise inquired with keen interest in her eyes.

"Yes, the fact that you detected and intercepted the knife that Wardes threw at Prince Wales was all the proof you need. You still need more practice and experience but you're getting there." I said with a smile before tilting my head to the side and glancing up...I had forgotten something.

"Yuka?" Louise called out to me when she noticed what I was doing. I shook my head and sighed when I remembered what it was.

"I was just remembering a limitation that the focus system had." I answered, which earned a few blinks of confusion from my master.

"You see, the more you use focus, the more you get used to dealing with large quantities of projectiles. However, those masses of projectiles usually all travel in a straight line. They might be aimed or angled differently from each other, but they all travel in a straight line or at the most...a gentle arc. Do it enough and your body tends to respond to any projectile the same way...even if it doesn't end up behaving the way you anticipated." I started to explain.

"What do you mean by 'not behaving the way you anticipated'?" Louise voiced her confusion.

"There was once a time where a certain monk who was sealed for a long long time and her followers started an incident. As per-usual, Reimu and two others went off to deal with them, however...they had a little surprise waiting for them." I started telling Louise about the Unidentified Fantastic Object incident...well, the battles that ensued anyway.

"The monk and her followers took advantage of the focus system and made projectiles that completely messed with the way that Reimu and her companions usually deal with Danmaku Battles. They used those damnable curving beams." I stated with mild amusement. I actually lauded the way Hijiri and her followers managed to give Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae such a hard time simply by changing the way their danmaku behaved. It was brilliant in its simplicity.

"Curving beams?" Louise repeated in question form.

"Think about it this way...a beam of light was headed right at you in diagonally down from the right, what would you do to avoid it?" I asked my master, who considered it for a few moments before replying.

"Go up and left?" She answered hesitantly.

"Normally, that would be correct and would have been your automatic reaction of you have been using focus. However, the monk played this to her advantage. Instead of heading in a straight line, the beam of light would curve up and left instead of maintaining its initial course of down and left." The revalation of this concept made Louise gasp for good reason.

"But that means that it would hit you!" Louise stated the obvious.

"Indeed. Reimu and her companions had a particularly hard time dealing with the monk because of that little adjustment in her patterns. Do you know how they managed to overcome it?" I asked Louise considered the question before squinting and nodding to herself.

"Through brute force?" She postulated and I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"That was part of how Marisa dealt with it but it wasn't the whole thing. Instead of relying on focus, they were forced to start doing something that they have been avoiding through most of their time doing Danmaku Battles. They did it by focusing on only a very small portion of the field, usually only the immediate area around them. It made it harder for them to deal with regular patterns but it was extremely effective against the curving beams." I explained tha breakthrough that Reimu came up with, partly thanks to her uncanny intuition again.

"So which method is better?" Louise asked the logical question.

"Both are useful in their own way. The trick is to be able to know when to use which method of dodging the patterns." I answered with a smile. Louise looked up to the clear blue sky to consider my words before nodding in agreement.

"I have a long way to go..." She said with a wry smile and a shake of her head.

"That you do...but you will have me and Cirno right there with you. Additionally, you probably won't have to deal with foes that could do what that monk was able to." I admonished her with a chuckle that she went along with.

...

"This reminds me..." I muttered as Ruukoto and I touched down in front of its hangar. I let the gynoid take the lead in the final leg of the flight because of the simple fact that it knew the exact location of its home base from the air and I didn't. I put Louise down and she, along with Ruukoto and Siesta, looked at me curiously...well, as curiously as Ruukoto could look anyway. I ran the thought in my head one more time to make sure that I wasn't about to say something stupid.

"...is it wise for you to leave your hangar like this now that it no longer has that protection enchantment on it? Someone might be able to open it and take all the goodies inside if they stumble here." I pointed out as I walked past them and opened the hangar door wide enough for us to enter. I turned back to where they were and saw that Ruukoto had its head tilted to the side while streams of light ran across its eyes. Siesta seemed to have taken this chance for another visit to her great grandfather's grave and Louise joined her when she offered a prayer to the grave.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto finally stated with a shake of its head. So it's not worried about any new intruders because there are extensive automatic defense systems, lethal and non-lethal, set up all over the place starting from halfway into the cave network we went in from. I made a thoughtful hum at the gynoid's words before raising a brow.

"Hang on. If this place has automated defense systems, why didn't they activate when we arrived here?" I asked it while folding my arms and leaning back.

"Fuga." They gynoid responded with a shrug that lacked any feeling.

"That makes sense..." I heard Siesta comment from a distance. Ruukoto and I turned to where she was and saw her approaching us along with Louise.

"What makes sense?" My master asked Siesta as the two of them stood in front of us.

"Mister Yuka was asking Ruukoto why the defenses here didn't start when we made our way here. Ruukoto responded by pointing out that there was no reason to activate them because the protection enchantment on her hangar was in place." Siesta provided. I idly wondered if it was simply easier for her and Louise to humanize Ruukoto instead of treating it as an object since even she was starting to give it a female pronoun.

"And you didn't think that someone who could break the enchantment would come along?" I asked a follow-up question. The fact that Louise was able to use dispell to break the protection enchantment proved that it was possible to get past it.

"Fuga." Ruukoto disagreed with a shake of her head, its words held some weight of certainty in them as well.

"What did Ruukoto say?" The only one in our current party who can't understand the gynoid asked me. I turned to my master and scratched the side of my head before answering.

"Ruukoto said that there was no way for anyone to be able to get past its hangar's protection spell because there was no terrestrial magic active at the time that can do so." I told Louise before turning back to the gynoid with narrowed eyes.

"Now the question becomes, how were you so sure about that point? In fact I have a better question, who placed the enchantment on the hangar in the first place?" I asked the gynoid, one of the questions I managed to overlook because of everything else that was happening at the time.

"What are you getting at, Yuka?" Louise asked me in a slightly worried tone while Siesta stayed quiet but started to look uncomfortable. I assumed that they both asked themselves the same questions I did and didn't like the answer they got...or the lack thereof.

"Something that I should have considered when we first got here. Ruukoto could not have set up that protection enchantment since it should have already been sealed up and frozen. Even if it was frozen after the enchantment was set up, the kind of magic that made up that enchantment is not part of Ruukoto's repertoire. It couldn't have been Siesta's great grandfather because, if it was, then her bloodline should have active magicians and I can assure you that Siesta herself does not have any potential for magic and by extention, her family as well." I laid out the various components of the point I was trying to make.

"Whoever set up that enchantment should have also known that there wasn't any kind of magic that could break it...other than Void. If he or she or it was certain of that, then it would have been a magician of substantial power and knowledge. So? Who was it?" I continued with the million kanmon question while narrowing my eyes at the gynoid. Louise and Siesta stared between me and Ruukoto. To everyone's surprise, even me, Ruukoto's body shimmered white again before it blinked to reveal the telltale blue eyes of its 'White Noise' mode. I wondered why it thought it neccessary for it to use one of its special abilities when it gave me a ghost of a smile before placing its right index finger in front of its lips.

"Classified Information." Was all it said before it reverted back to its regular mode. Well, that was certainly unexpected. The three of us merely looked at the gynoid as it casually walked into its hangar.

"What was that all about?" Louise asked as she and Siesta walked up to me.

"I'm not sure. However, it seems that Ruukoto is bent on keeping that information a secret." I answered before glancing between the interior of the hangar and Louise.

"Although, if you order it to reveal what it knows, there is a chance that it might tell you since you are its master now." I pointed out as we walked into Ruukoto's hangar. I looked around for the gynoid and saw that it had its hand pressed against some sort of control panel as holographic screens flickered on an off in front of it.

"No...whoever did it probably had a good reason for wanting it to be kept a secret. If it was someone who was able to wield such magic, then we'd better leave it alone...we don't really need any more people for you to fight." Louise reasoned. I smiled and nodded in agreement. At least she didn't have a penchant for actively looking for incidents to get herself involved it. On the flip-side, it just meant that trouble has a way of finding her instead.

"As you wish. After all, we have more pressing matters to deal with anyway. Have you found what you needed?" I asked the gynoid as we walked up to it. Ruukoto didn't turn to regard our presence as it continued whatever it was doing. I head Louise make a thoughtful hum when Ruukoto did not respond to us.

"What are you doing Ruukoto?" She asked the gynoid directly. The flashing displays paused for a moment before resuming again.

"Fuga. Fuga." The gynoid responded after another few seconds. Well, I believe that we established that Ruukoto likes Louise more than it does me. Louise glanced at both me and Siesta as she waited for someone to translate for her. The maid and I looked at each other for a moment before I smiled and gestured for her to translate.

"Ruukoto seems to be checking the sensors she has here for any more information about that anomaly before we leave this place. She's also preparing the 'G-Wing Type-Zero' and 'Arondight' for equipping and is also preparing something for us as well. She says that it will make things easier once everything starts." Siesta translated Ruukoto's explanation. Whatever it was preparing, it was doing it thoroughly so I trusted its judgement and waited.

We all turned when we heard the whine of moving machinery and the hiss of compressed gas being expelled. Part of the floor some distance behind us rose up to reveal some sort of storage device roughly the size of a large bookcase. A smaller, but similar looking device, rose up beside it but only went up to half the height of the first one, making it look more like a large table instead.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said, requesting us to follow it, as it walked up to the newly revealed devices.

"She's asking us to follow her." Siesta whispered to Louise. My master nodded before glancing at me and walking a few steps behind her gynoid. Ruukoto stopped in front of the smaller device first before placing its hand a few inches above it. A holographic display appeared in front of it before disappearing. The device made another whining noise as it opened up to reveal several small tan-colored devices. The gynoid picked up one of the things with its fingers before showing it to us.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto explained, earning a gasp from Siesta and a smile from me. I maintained my smile as I turned to Louise who was eagerly anticipating a translation.

"What Ruukoto has there is a very small and very powerful dimensional transceiver, affectionately known as the 'Hey-Listen'." I decided to elaborate on the definition of the device after seeing the imaginary question marks on my master's head again.

"A transceiver is a device that allows people to communicate over long distances as if they were right next to each other. Ruukoto says that these ones have a maximum range of twenty-five hundred feet and uses the same technology as the nano-machines that your blood stream has. That means that the possibility of their transmissions being interrupted is very near impossible." I explained as Louise gazed at the device in Ruukoto's fingertips, likely wondering how such things were possible and what it could mean for us.

"How do they work?" Louise asked Ruukoto. I decided that it was easier to simply show her instead of giving a lecture about it.

"Ruukoto, could you hand me one of those and help Louise put on the one in your hand?" I asked Ruukoto and it obliged by tossing me one of the 'Hey-Listen'. I placed the device inside my left ear and walked away from the three of them. Once I was at a far corner of the hangar and once I saw that Ruukoto managed to get Louise to put on the 'Hey-Listen' without hurting her, I tapped on the device in my ear and thought of Louise.

'Louise? Louise? Can you hear me?' I called out and fought down the urge to snicker when Louise jumped in surprise. She looked around and Ruukoto had to explain what was going on and how to use the tranceiver, with Siesta acting as its translator. After a while, she finally got around to pressing on the device, which was in her right ear. I raised a brow when Louise suddenly crouched down while looking around suspiciously.

'This is Snake...' Louise finally responded in a raspy voice. Snake? Where have I heard that name before? I shook the thought away and tapped the device again.

'Snake? Louise, are you alright?' I asked her. My question made Louise jump up in surprise before she hesitantly tapped the 'Hey-Listen'.

'Wha! I can hear you so clearly! But you're so far away!' She said in awe as she looked at me from where she, Siesta, and Ruukoto were.

'Yes, this is what the device is for. To provide a means of communicating in long distances. It should prove useful if we ever have to split up our forces.' I told her as I started walking back to where they were.

'Ruukoto said that there was enough of these things available for all of us.' Louise pointed out through the 'Hey-Listen' even though I was already standing in front of her.

"Louise, I'm right in front of you. There's no need to use that thing if we are within speaking distance." I pointed out while folding my arms and leaning back. Louise blinked at me before staring at her right hand and putting it down.

"Sorry, I'm not used to this yet. How did you know how to use it anyway? Ruukoto never gave you any instructions for it." Louise asked me as she idly rubbed the 'Hey-Listen' that was still in her right ear.

"That goes back to the time when the Lunarians invaded. Yukari set up the defenses so that everyone can communicate with one another through magic. Unfortunately, the Lunarians anticipated that and sent out devices designed to interfere with magic-based communications. Fortunately, Sanae anticipated that and had Nitori and the Kappa distribute devices similar to these so we could all still communicate with one another through long distances. I simply hoped that these ones worked in a similar manner." I explained while tapping on my ear piece. Although, the fact that the Moriya Shrine managed to commission the Kappa to make so many of those things suggested that they have been making those for some time...likely for some sort of Moriya Shrine Conspiracy that never got off the ground. Or did it?

"Now then, I assume that the rest of the equipment you came here for is stored there?" I asked the gynoid as I pointed at the larger storage device. Ruukoto nodded and walked over to the other storage device after storing the rest of the 'Hey-Listen' in the pockets of its maid uniform. It placed its hand in front of the storage device and it displayed its own holographic display before opening. Ruukoto reached in and pulled out a green orb roughly the size of a basketball before pressing it against its chest. The orb glowed bright green before getting absorbed into the gynoid's body.

"Fuga." It declared before reaching back into the storage device. Siesta was explaining to Louise that the emerald orb was the main component for its 'G-Wing Type-Zero' when Ruukoto pulled out something that looked like a sword...one that was folded in the middle.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said, it wanted us to step back. Siesta and I obliged while pulling Louise back as well. The gynoid held the sword's grip, that had a simple handguard on it, before flicking it in its hand slightly that made the sword unfold which made it twice as long as it already was.

The sword was made out of some blue metal substance that I did not recognize. The whole thing was around three-and-a-half meters long once unfolded and it looked single-edged. I say 'looked' because, aside from the tip that had a distinct metal edge that extended down from the tip for about two feet before it stopped. The rest of what the single-edge should have been was just empty space, the other side was just the blue metal that did not have an edge and looked more like it was there to support the rest of the construct. The empty space extended from the hand grip all the way up to where the metal tip started. I was about to ask Ruukoto what purpose that blade was supposed to have when the sword gave of a soft pink glow. I blinked a few times when the empty space was suddenly filled with that same pink energy. I see...it wasn't that the sword did not have an edge, it was just that its edge was an energy blade.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said as it introduced us to its Anti-Material Sword 'Arondight'. It did a couple of practice swings with it, the sword making a low humming sound as it cut through the air.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Louise yelled out from behind me. I turned to her and saw that she and Siesta took several steps back after they saw Ruukoto activate its weapon.

"Fuga." Ruukoto pointed out. It assured us that it knew exactly where its sword was in three-dimensional space at any given time it was synchronized with the rest of its systems while it held it. The gynoid gave its weapon one more look before dismissing the energy blade that made up the sword's edge and folding it up again. It hefted the sword onto its back where it vanished into its body like the green orb did.

"Fuga." Ruukoto declared as it assured us that all its preparations for battle were complete, excellent I nodded before turning to Louise and Siesta.

"Ruukoto's preparations are complete and we are ready to head to Tarbes itself. I hope the others arrive before we have to fight so we can teach them how to use the 'Hey-Listen' and go over our strategies one more time." I told them as Ruukoto allowed the storage devices to sink back into the floor.

"The Steel Goddess has returned to once again protect Tarbes..." Siesta muttered in a voice of awe. She was correct, I suppose.

"Then we'd better make sure that Ruukoto lives up to her reputation!" Louise declared as she pumped her right fist in the air, psyching herself up for what was to come.

...

I took a deep breath as I stood at the edge of Tarbes in the direction where the anomaly was coming from. I could smell it. It was faint and almost unnoticeable because of the relative distance and the wind...but it was there.

Death was in the air.

"Can you sense it, buddy?" Derf asked from where it was strapped on Louise's back, piping up for the first time since it asked me about our strategy on Tarbes' defense.

Speaking of Tarbes, the good news was that Princess Henrietta already released an official order for the people to evacuate until further notice. The new governor of Tarbes, a man that went by the name 'Michaelo Strum de la Constantine', was quick to act upon it and evacuations were quickly facilitated by the local government.

The bad news was that Lord Constantine only recieved the order to evacuate ten hours ago and, despite the speed that the local officials displayed in trying to enact the order, most of the residents of Tarbes were still here. Apparently, the natives didn't really appreciate being told to leave the homes and go to a refugee camp a very long distance away with 'Official Royal Edict' as the only reason.

Siesta left our party as soon as we arrived and was helping her family evacuate, hopefully she would be able to convince them to leave with little trouble. Ruukoto was above Tarbes, roughly around fifteen-thousand feet in the air to be able to better track the anomaly and to immediately spot any new developments from it. The G-Wing Type-Zero equipment was apparently a nano-machine-based flight system that took the form of two large white feathered wings. Siesta's and Louise's jaws dropped when they first saw it...the fact that individual feathers flew out on occassion -only to dissolve into nothingness a second later- whenever it flapped its wings added to the effect. I was starting to understand why the locals called Ruukoto 'The Steel Goddess'. That aside, the new equipment let Ruukoto's flight potential match mine which made its flight range, speed, and mobility comparable to that of a highly trained Tengu's.

"Sense what? The anomaly?" Louise asked as she turned her head to the sword on her back. The six-thousand year old sword have a bark of a laugh before answering.

"Little missy, if Yuka over there can sense what I can...then that anomaly is the least of our worries." Derf criptically said. It did nothing to ease Louise's worry and she turned to me with an expression that showed it. I glanced at her then back out to the distance.

"You can sense it too?" I asked the sword. I almost felt sorry for ignoring my master but I was curious as to why Derf seemed to have been able to sense something out there.

"There's some majorly baaad juju out there, Brudda'..." The sword replied. 'Bad Juju'? That was a rather odd term.

"Please. Someone. Make sense. That is all I ask." Louise bit out in sentence fragments that reflected her frustration in being left out of the loop again. I pointed out to the distance in the direction where the anomaly was coming from.

"There be dragons. And death. And hostile magic. And bad juju, as Derf put it." I said in same sentence fragment format that Louise did. My master hit my other arm with the back of her hand and gave me a scowl.

"That's not funny." Louise stated in a voice that clearly showed that she was scared. She has been in life threatening situations more than once in this realm and has even felt what death would likely feel like in Mugenkan. Louise has a strong will and a determined mind, but she is still prone to worrying about the prospect of death when it was still looming at a distance. If she ever gets used to that feeling...then I was doing something wrong if she was still facing those situations regularly.

"No...for humans, I guess it isn't." I responded and the two of us, plus Derf, stood in silence until I heard the flapping of a familiar pair of wings.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto spoke to me from the 'Hey-Listen' that was still in my ear. I smiled when the gynoid confirmed what I thought I heard. Ruukoto didn't tell Louise because my master wouldn't have understood what it said anyway.

"It appears that reinforcements have arrived." I idly said as I turned around and saw the approaching silhouette of Tabitha's drake, Sylphid. Louise squinted, as if the act would allow her sight range to increase. It took her about another minute to finally see them using her human vision but the Ruukoto decided to report in another bit of news.

'Fuga. Fuga.' Ruukoto apparently detected a detachment of ground forces coming from within Tristain and was quickly making their way to Tarbes, Estimated Time of Arrival was tee-minus seventy minutes. In addition, one of the lead units was female was a riding a white Unicorn.

Princess Henrietta...

That was a complication that should have been expected. The fact that she let out an evacuation order proves that they knew about the magical anomaly that was approaching and it all but proved that it was the Albion Armada. I watched Louise as she ran to where Sylphid was touching down and made sure that she was out of earshot before contacting Ruukoto.

'Ruukoto, please get down here. Louise's friends have arrived and I want them to have their own dimensional tranceivers and be able to use them effectively.' I said before walking to where Louise was being hugged to oblivion by Kirche again. The sudden shift from hostility to affection between them, or at least from Kirche's side, reminded me of Kaguya's relationship with Mokou after they finally got over that childish feud of theirs.

"Lemme go Kirche! I can't breathe!" Louise protested as she valiantly failed to get the larger Germanian girl to release her.

"Only if you say please~" Kirche playfully said as she continued to smother Louise between her large tracts of land.

"Please!" Louise immediately yelled out, foregoing her personal pride of saying the word 'please' to her long-time rival in favor of being able to breathe normally again.

"Too late~! Changed my mind~! Too bad~! So sad~!" Kirche happily said as she continued her full-blown assault on my master. The whole situation reminded me of that time when Yuyuko became obsessively affectionate towards Mystia. To this day, I still don't get how or why that whole thing even happened.

Everyone froze when a sudden gust of wind blew into them from above. They all looked up to the source and various degrees of gaping in shock occurred. Guiche and Monmon instinctively held onto one another at the sight. Kirche slacked her grip of Louise just enough for the poor girl to be able to breathe again but she still didn稚 let go of my master. Tabitha blinked several times before tilting her head to the side and blinking a few more times, Sylphid very carefully moved behind her master and crouched as if doing so would conceal herself. Ruukoto dismissed their shock altogether and simply did a graceful landing in front of us, dispersing some nano-machine feathers in the process, before deactivating its wings in a flash of white light and absorbing it into its body. Predictably, it was Monmon who reacted first.

"What the founder was that?" Louise's closest friend yelled out, still clinging onto Guiche.

"I believe that it was Ruukoto who had pure white wings...I remember her talking about it when we first found her but..." Guiche muttered. I was unsure if his awe was caused by the act of Ruukoto landing in front of them or if it was because of the surprising grace by which the gynoid excecuted the maneuver. A short moment passed before the two of them blinked before looking at each other and their current position relative to each other. Monmon pushed away from Guiche and turned away from him, her cheeks as red as Louise's gets whenever she gets really embarrassed. I decided to blow through the awkward silence between the couple that still won't get back together because Monmon was still cautious of Guiche and answer the girl's question.

"Ruukoto picked up some equipment back in its hangar that it believes would help in the upcoming confrontation, as per our rough plan for dealing with this." I explained for the benefit of those who just showed up and to give Monmon and Guiche time to recompose themselves.

"We have a plan?" Kirche asked me, proving that she wasn't really listening to the plan when we all met in Louise's room before leaving for Tarbes.

"Yes. We. Have. A. Plan!" Louise bit out before she finally managed to get free of Kirche's grasp. My master quickly trotted to where I was and securely put me between her and the Germanian.

"Awww~! Don't be like that my little Louise~" Kirche teased but her demeanor, along with the silly atmosphere, dissolved when I felt a massive magic spike along with hostile intent coming from my master.

"Don't you dare call me that...no one calls me that..." Louise stated in a very cold tone which did little to mask the promise of violence if her warning went unheeded.

"Lou-" I cut off Kirche's words with a shake of my head. I turned to my master and knelt in front of her to be able to look straight into her eyes. There, I saw it as clear as day...what she kept buried within her...she hasn't completely recovered from what happened in Albion.

"Louise. Louise. Louise. Come back to us, Louise." I calmly and clearly called out to Louise. I repeated her name and the request for her to come back to us because her cognative mind was somewhere far away inside her head at that time...likely replaying the events of that incident. I learned how to do this from Undonge after she accidentally mind blasted Cirno during a danmaku battle between the two of us. My former student was observing our duel and wandered way too close to be able to figure out the trick behind the moon rabbit's vanishing bullets.

"Lou-" My continuous call to my master was cut off when she practially jumped me and wrapped her arms around my neck as she clung onto me like a vice.

"Help me...help me...it hurts...it hurts...Chii-nee-sama...I'm scared...save me...Chii-nee-sama..." Louise whispered against my ear as she continued to cling to me. I blinked and narrowed my eyes when I noticed that her entire body was shaking.

"Fuga!" Ruukoto exclaimed in the very first instance when I saw the gynoid sound genuinely alarmed. It was concerned that Louise's heart rate, blood pressure, and brain waves were starting to match those of a human who was suffering from severe emotional shock. Considering how my master looked at the moment, it didn't really take much for anyone to draw similar conclusions.

"Wh-wh-what happened to Louise?" Guiche worriedly asked as he started to walk toward us. He was stopped in his tracks when Tabitha used her staff to block his advance. The blue-haired girl had put her book away and looked hard at Guiche before shaking her head.

"If anyone has any idea on how to deal with this, please voice your suggestion now." I stated since Louise wasn't showing any signs of recovering on her own and I had no idea how to help someone with emotional damage. I suppressed a grimace when no one responded to my words, even Ruukoto did not have anything.

"Stay there, put your arms around her, tell her that she's safe here and that everything will be alright." Our resident talking magical sword suddenly suggested when it partially came out of its scabbard on Louise's back.

"Will such a thing work?" I asked the blade as the current positioning made us face each other. My words carried uncertainty and a sense of concern that would not have normally been associated with me.

"It worked when Sasha had to do it for Brimir. It was at a time when the guy was a complete mess after being forced to lose one of his familiars to accomplish a certain something. I'll tell you two about it later. For now, try it on the little miss there...it won't hurt to try." Derf explained after giving one of its sword shrugs. I wasn't particularly interested in the events of the life of Brimir, but knowing more about the originator of Void magic could unravel more Void spells for Louise to use. I tucked that little tidbit away for a later time, Matilda might be able to glean things off of a history lesson about Brimir from Derf. I decided to follow the sword's advice due to the lack of any others and held Louise in an embrace, ignoring the fact that Derf was still strapped to her back.

I took a deep breath before I started saying more things that I have never said to a human before.

"It will be alright, Louise..." I whispered as I gently stroked her strawberry-blonde hair with my right hand.

"You are safe here. No one will harm you so long as I am here. Everything will be fine..." I whispered with much less effort than I had originally expected. I had originally assumed that I had to put significant conscious effort in telling Louise those things because I was not someone who says such words for the sake of another.

Kurumi, Elly, Yukari, Reika, Reimu, Marisa, Cirno, and everyone else who has come and gone or come and stayed in my life in Gensokyo...none have heard such words from me. I mentally sighed when I realized that I was thinking about this too much. I chalked it up to simply another one of those changes in my life that I had originally desired before I came to this realm...before this girl called me here and changed my life. There was a brief flash of realization when I idly thought about leaving Louise and going back to Gensokyo.

It was then that I finally understood that thing that was nagging me before...that compulsion for me to do whatever was needed for Louise's sake. There was magic coming from the 'Gandalfr' runes that was trying to change my mindset into that of one who would be utterly loyal to my master. I mentally snorted at the attempt by the ancient magic before squashing it with my own magical power. Everything happened internally so the only visible sign of what happened was a soft glow from my left hand before it died down. The runes were still there and I was still bound to Louise, but that annoying compulsion spell that Brimir put had been obliterated completely.

That was why I was curious as to why the feeling I had did not change. The compulsion spell had already been destroyed and there were no lingering traces of it to affect me in any way...but I still had that overwhelming desire to take care of this little human. Curious. Most curious.

"Yu-Yuka...?" Louise hesitantly whispered without moving from her position. I was thankful that she stopped shaking though.

"I'm here...you are safe, Louise." I replied with my own whisper. I felt her arms weakly try to tighten her grip around my neck after I said that.

"I'm still a failure...even something as silly as that was able to break me..." Louise bitterly stated to me as she buried her face in the crook of my neck. I ignored the wetness I felt on my neck, likely from Louise's tears, when I sensed her friends approaching.

"You are not a failure. This is simply one of those things that we need to overcome." I responded and Louise tightened her grip on me.

"Louise?" Monmon called out to her friend. I turned to them and saw that everyone, even Ruukoto and Sylphid, were upon us with worried expressions...which was quite the feat for Tabitha and Ruukoto.

"Viscount Wardes...he used to call me his 'Little Louise' all the time..." My master suddenly stated in a subdued voice. The statement both explained the reasoning for her earlier reaction to Kirche as well as earning gasps of surprise from her friends.

"Oh Louise! I'm sorry!" Kirche suddenly exclaimed as she knelt next to Louise and pressed her head against my master in a gesture of affection. It seemed that the Germanian's earlier words of wanting to truly become friends with my master were genuine. Louise did not move but she did not reject the redhead's words and gesture either. It did not take long for her other friends to join in for an impromptu group hug...even Ruukoto and Sylphid joined in too, which was why we were covered in darkness thanks to the blue drake's wings for the next while.

If this moment did not convince Louise that she was no longer alone...nothing would have.

...

'Kirche! Stop doing that!'

'I was just making sure that it works~'

'Then talk instead of moaning my name!'

I sighed and scratched my head as Louise and Kirche continued to test the limits of the 'Hey-Listen'. Ruukoto gave each of them one and I helped teach them how to use the tiny devices, all of them managed to grasp the concept on how to use the devices in short order. There was just one problem...

'My dear Montmorency~! Please! I implore you! Give me what trials you wish! I would move the twin moons themselves in order to earn your heart back! Plaese my Montmorency!'

'Stop hawking me, Guiche! This isn't the time for your hollow declarations!'

'It is all true! Please believe me! I have seen the light of truth and found only you would complete me!'

Aside from me, Ruukoto, and Tabitha, everyone only had the focus to use the 'Hey-Listen' in one way...Open Broadcast to all Channels. It also didn't help that they were all standing within a twenty feet from one another so there was no real need to use the 'Hey-Listen' at all. Ruukoto had resumed its vigil up in high-altitude to monitor the situation so no one could get the jump on us. Tabitha was beside me and Sylphid was taking a nap under a tree nearby. The noise generated by her friends didn't seem to bother Tabitha as she continued to read her current book. I supposed that the young Gallian was simply used to such disturbances from her friends. I, on the other hand, was not as patient.

'Ruukoto, is there any way for you to filter out broadcasts from the tranceivers that were not meant for those who were hearing them aside from the intended recipient?' I asked Ruukoto via my own transceiver. I got a response a few seconds later, just not from Ruukoto.

'Seconding request.' Tabitha stated curtly before cutting off her transmission. It would appear that Tabitha was not as patient as I thought, she was only better at hiding her displeasure than I was.

'Fuga Fuga. Fuga Fuga.' Ruukoto replied about a minute later. It was quickly followed up by a transmission from Tabitha to me personally. We were right next to each other so there was no real need, but I supposed that it was just her practicing to use the 'Hey-Listen' properly.

'Halkeginian.' Tabitha told me through her transceiver before turning a page on her book. She didn't even glance at me and simply waited for my response. Such a calm but focused sense of self was rare for one her age but it was why she was the strongest member of Louise's little circle of friends when it came to conventional magic. I wondered for a moment what circumstances made Tabitha turn out in such a way before translating Ruukoto's answer.

"Ruukoto stated that it is possible to fine tune the transmission protocols for the 'Hey-Listen' that we are using. It is currently working on remotely setting them so they will only broadcast to the person who the source wanted to speak to the most. It will make trying to broadcast messages to everyone at once more difficult but it will try to balance out the settings. It says that it will be done in fifteen minutes. Also, it seems that we will have visual contact of Princess Henrietta and two battalions of Tristain's knights coming in that direction in the next five minutes." I translated Ruukoto's report in normal speech while pointing to the horizon where Henrietta and her troops will be coming from. Ruukoto stated that additional ground forces are mobilizing but will take several hours to arrive. It also pointed out the complete lack of aerial units from any of the forces being deployed to Tarbes. That was strange considering that our standing theory was that whatever was headed here was airborne. I glanced back at Tabitha and saw that the girl had put her book away for now and was looking right at me.

"Yes?" I asked Tabitha after a few moments of silence. Tabitha narrowed her eyes at me before answering.

"Tell Louise about Princess?" The Gallian asked me. Ah...that was what she was concerned about. I thought about it for a second before shrugging.

"As much as I would like to keep Louise away from Henrietta, I doubt that my master will be able to miss an approaching army. Even if she did, Kirche or someone else will point it out. And I'm sure that Henrietta would come after Louise as soon as she sees her old friend. That reminds me..." I trailed off before tapping on my 'Hey-Listen'.

'Ruukoto, make an effort to avoid revealing yourself to any member of the Tristain Armed Forces unless absolutely neccessary. You are still largely a legend and I want to keep it that way lest we want Louise to end up in the front line of every conflict this country finds itself in simply because of what we are and what she can do.' I told the gynoid. I don't even want to know what the Princess would end up asking of Louise if she ever found out that my master had somehow bound the local pagan goddess -even if it really wasn't a divine being at all- to her service.

'Maintain your altitude and continue to provide overwatch surveillance for us.' I added. I couldn't believe that I would end up using those military lingos that I picked up from watching those action movies that Elly liked so much.

'Fuga?' Ruukoto asked me what it should do if and when hostilities commenced between us and the oncoming anomaly. I turned back to Tabitha, who had listened in on my instructions to the gynoid.

"Ruukoto is asking what it should do when the fun starts since it won't be able to simply fly in as my number two for reasons you should have overheard. Any suggestions?" I asked the Gallian. Tabitha rubbed her chin for a few moments and squinted, the only indications that she was thinking the issue through.

"Long range support and logistics only. Emergency surprise element in case of worse case scenario." Tabitha concluded with a nod. I agreed with her suggestion and tapped on my 'Hey-Listen'.

'We still want you up there even after the fireworks start. If you have any long range weapons, use them to provide fire support and provide logistics for us in case we get any surprises. Only come in to intercept if either Louise or I specifically command you to or if you determine from above that the situation is no longer salvagable.' I relayed Tabitha's suggestion to the gynoid.

'Fuga?' Ruukoto followed up with a question that made me unconsciously give one of 'those' smiles.

'If the worse case happens, all weapons free. Louise and her friends will be our priority. Flatten everyone else to tries to stop us from getting them to safety.' I answered before looking back in the direction where Henrietta's army finally became visible to the naked eye. The young woman's pure white Unicorn in contrast to her regular officers' more bland looking steeds made the Princess stick out like a sore thumb. Someone needs to tell her something about common sense on the battlefield.

'Fuga. Fuga.' The gynoid acknowledged the revision of its objectives. It suggested that it can convert its R-Cannon for accurate long-range artillery purposes in exchange for some raw damage and firing rate.

'Do it. I doubt we will face anything here that will be as tough as what that weapon was originally designed to kill.' I stated and got a 'Fuga' of acknowledgement. I looked back to the oncoming Tristain army and sighed.

"Bad Juju..." Tabitha muttered the odd term that Derf previously used. Nonetheless, it voiced the bad feeling I was starting to have as well.

…

Please R&R!


	19. Chapter 17

Author's Notes: Not much to say about this except that this is the first part of the actual Tarbes battle. More character development but now with violence~!

Disclaimer: F-ING BETA!

...

"Would it be prudent to assume that we are both here for the same reasons?" I shamelessly asked the surprised crown princess of the kingdom of Tristain. Henrietta and her little army marched in formation towards Tarbes and somehow decided to choose the spot where Tabitha and I were at to arrive in. Henrietta looked at me and Tabitha in turn and looked like she was in a state that one would call 'speechless'. For my part, I merely raised a brow at what she was wearing. It was white-steel plate armor with a blue cape and a tiara on her head to signify her royal station. I was merely mildly confused as to why her armor revealed so much skin, particularly in the chest area and her legs. I mean...what kind of armor could effectively protect a woman if it leaves her cleavage exposed?

"What are you doing in this place, Sir Kazami?" The princess finally managed to let out as she stared at me from atop her Unicorn. Interestingly, some of the beasts and small animals that her little army brought with them were starting to panic...likely familiars of some of the knights. Too bad they haven't had the chance to get used to my presence like Sylphid had.

"As I have told you before, Henrietta, Yuka is fi-" My hand-waved retort was cut off when another horse trotted up between the princess and myself. I raised a brow at the interruption and glanced at the rider. It was a short haired blonde woman in the garb of a knight...and she was currently pointing a primitive pistol at me, the woman's sharp emerald eyes burned with strength and deep seated hatred as she glared at me.

"You dare speak to Princess Henrietta de Tristain in such a flippant manner? Do you know such a thing is grounds for treason you cur?" The blonde roared, her voice carrying power one would not expect from a woman of her stature. I did not dignify her question with a response, Tabitha thought similarly and went back to reading a book as if the whole thing wasn't worth her full attention.

"Stand down, Agnès." Henrietta calmly stated from behind the woman apparently named Agnès.

"But your Highness..." Agnès stated as her face tightened, her eyes and her pistol still pointed at me.

"Stand down, my knight." The princess repeated and the blonde finally relented. She returned her pistol to its rightful place in a bandolier strapped across her chest that held two other identical looking weapons. She gave one more scathing glare at me before backing off and returning to her place at Henrietta's side. The princess gave Agnès a thankful smile before turning back to me.

"I apologize if Agnès offended you. She takes her knightly duty very seriously." Henrietta said with an apologetic smile.

"Not at all, she was simply doing her job as dutifully as you stated. Besides, nothing she could have done would have hurt me anyway. Now if only you had sent her instead of Wardes with us to Albion, things wouldn't have been so annoying during that little trip." I couldn't help but pull that remark on the princess, reminding her of what Louise had gone through because of the betrayal of one Viscount Wardes...the man she handpicked to go with us to save her secret lover, Prince Wales Tudor. Henrietta winced before looking away from me, regret and sadness marred her face. Before anything else could be said and done though...

"Princess!" Louise's voice broke through the short awkward period and made most eyes turn to her, Tabitha was still knee deep in her book, as she ran to where we were...the rest of her friends close behind.

"Louise Françoise!" Henrietta called out, seemingly in both joy in surprise that her friend would be here. The young woman very nearly jumped off her Unicorn causing Agnès and the rest of the nearby knights to gasp in shock of what their liege had just done.

""What are you doing here?"" Both young women said at the same time as they ran up to each other before holding each other by the shoulders as if to check if it was all real. If one didn't know any better, you'd think that there were sisters or something. I shook my head at the sight of Henrietta once again opting to embrace Louise, like she always does whenever they reunite, before turning back to the female knight.

"I believe that Princess Henrietta and my master have things they need to discuss. I would advise you to tell that to the rest of your comrades so they can act accordingly." I said to the woman, who was staring at her princess like she didn't know what to think of the scene before her. My words snapped her out of her trance but I was already walking back to where Louise and the others were when I faintly heard her say that I didn't have the right to give her orders.

Honestly...the things I put up with for Louise.

...

'Any changes at all from the anomaly?' I discreetly asked Ruukoto, making sure that no one noticed me tapping my ear before talking. Henrietta, along with the female knight Agnès who was acting as her bodyguard, was comparing notes with Louise on what they knew of what was coming to Tarbes. I was too far away to make out what they were discussing because of the ambient noise of the knights and common soldiers that the princess brought along with her. Said soldiers and knights were currently helping what's left of the locals to get out of the village before the bad things happen. Having the princess come here in person, in battle attire, and with troops was enough for everyone to figure out that something was indeed very clearly wrong and that they should follow instructions.

'Fuga.' The gynoid from on high replied. No changes aside from minor fluctuations on magical energy, it wasn't even moving anymore. That in itself was strange though because the scent of death I was getting was actually getting stronger as time went on.

'Come here. You need to hear this.' Tabitha's voice broke through my conversation with the gynoid. I conferenced the communique between me, Ruukoto, and Tabitha to save time.

'Understood. Ruukoto, continue to monitor the situation. Notify me at once if there are any changes. It appears that Tabitha has something of interest for me so I'll be going now.' I stated and got a 'Fuga' of acknowledgement from Ruukoto.

'So, anything I should know before I arrive?' I asked the young Gallian. The young woman was silent for a few moments before replying.

'Albion.' Was all she said. That's just wonderful...

"Yuka! Get over here!" Louise called out to me as soon as I got close enough to their little congregation. Louise and her friends were a given, as was Henrietta. I wondered why Sylphid was not present but I just chalked it up to Tabitha being sharper than anyone her age should normally be. The princess was also accompanied by her own entourage of a dozen knights with the one called Agnès closest to the princess. I gave the princess a curt bow before turning to my master and getting the ball rolling.

"What did you learn?" I asked her. I felt a burst of killing intent coming from the princess' side, likely from her knights for the way I've been treating their sovereign. I glanced at them and idly noted that the entire composition of the knights that accompanied Henrietta were all female...and they didn't have a drop of magic in them. An entire knight detatchment made up of female commoners? Must have been what the firearms were for.

"The anomaly that Ruukoto has been sensing! It's the Albion Armada! The entire Albion Armada!" Louise frantically told me. So the ones headed this way are Cromwell's forces eh?

"In addition, it seems that they have some sort of super powered undead monster on their side." Monmon added with a shudder. An undead? The word made me remember my promise to this realm's Embodiment of Water. Interesting. So Cromwell used the Ring of Advari for necromancy? Yuyuko and Shikieiki would have had choice words with him for doing such a thing to the dead.

"Define ' Super Powered Undead Monster'." I inquired as I folded my arms and leaned back. It was Princess Henrietta who answered this time.

"There were unconfirmed reports from a squadron that was guarding the border where the Albion Armada broke through that they encountered an undead monster that wielded magic beyond those possible by any human mage." The princess supplied.

"It was never confirmed? I would think that you would have liked to take a closer look at something such as that." I inquired while scratching my head with my left hand while using my parasol as a walking stick before tapping the 'Hey-Listen'.

'Undead signature in the anomaly field. Look for it.' I whispered to the gynoid before turning to Agnès who had decided to answer my question.

"We weren't able to confirm it because every last scouting team we sent out never returned." The woman bit out, still not happy about the way I act around their princess. She had a good point though. I decided to ask a little something while waiting for Ruukoto's analysis.

"All your personal knights are female and have no magic. I am curious as to this course of action." I said as a statement instead of a question to the princess. Henrietta set her jaw and looked at me dead in the eyes. It seemed that she has had to answer this kind of inquiry before.

"Agnès and the rest of the Musketeer Squadron are all loyal and skilled knights of Tristain. Their gender and lack of magical ability have no bearing on their ability to serve their counrty." Princess Henrietta de Tristain stated with conviction. The fire in her eyes were not as intense as Louise's were whenever she does that, but conviction was conviction.

"You continue to confuse me Henrietta de Tristain. I am unsure what your motives are for doing the things you do but I'm not that interested in them either. Just keep in mind that I won't be as...lenient as I was during the Albion incident if you ever decide to have my master clean up after you again." I stated with a flat stare at the princess. Agnès once again displayed her loyalty to the crown by placing herself firmly between me and her princess.

"Yuka...I'll decide what to do with my life." Louise suddenly cut in with her own glare at me. I was about to rebuke her, but she took a page from my book and raised her right hand to prevent me from responding. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"But I've learned my lesson. I'll make sure to take a good look around me before doing anything big." She stated with a wry smile. I chuckled and nodded to her. It would appear that Louise was starting to truly grow up. The welling feeling I had whenever I was getting proud of Cirno was interrupted when Ruukoto finally decided to give its analysis.

'Fuga. Fuga.' I felt my brow twitch and my smile fade when I heard that. Ruukoto had managed to confirm an undead presence within the anomaly...even going so far as hypothesizing that it was the origin of the anomaly, whatever it was. Additionally it seemed that the anomaly has finally resumed its advance, if a bit slower than before...as if something was slowing it down or holding it back.

"Yuka! Are you listening?" Louise's voice broke me from my thoughts. I saw that she, as well as Agnès, were looking at me with annoyance.

"No, I wasn't. I apologize. I assume that you have devised a strategy against the oncoming Albion forces?" I said while folding my arms and leaning back.

"Yes, but that's not the problem! Prince Wales is there right now!" Louise practically yelled out as she pointed to the direction where the anomaly...the Albion Armada and the Undead Monster...were coming from.

"What?" I asked while rubbing my eyes with my left hand.

"When we first realized that the Albion Armada had breached our borders, Admiral Sidney Meier la Highwind immediately gathered our own fleet to intercept them. They currently should be battling the Albion forces right now." Princess Henrietta stated uncomfortably. At least I now knew what it was that was slowing the anomaly down. However, the fact that it was moving again did not bode well for Tristain's fleet.

"Let me guess...the good Prince decided to go with your ships to try something silly like convince the other side to cease hostilities?" I postulated, earning surprised looks from everyone there...aside from Tabitha. One as well-read as her should have at least anticipated such a cliche situation...or she simply didn't care for it considering that she was once again reading another book.

"H-h-how did you know?" Henrietta asked me in a somewhat flustered state. I raised a brow at her and shrugged.

"I didn't. I simply anticipated such a move from the Prince considering what he was willing to do for his country before." I replied before looking at my master and sighing.

"And let me guess...you want us to do something silly and go to Prince Wales' rescue. Again." I flatly stated and was rewarded with one of Louise's trademark 'urks'.

"B-b-b-but weren't you the one that kept saying that getting Prince Wales killed would be a bad thing?" Louise asked my in an attempt to trap me using logic and my previous words. However, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu she is not.

"Indeed I did. But that was then and this is now. Back then, there was only a 'threat' of the Prince getting killed. Now, it is no longer a threat and is only a matter of time...assuming that he is still alive." I reasoned out but was still met with one of 'those' looks from Louise. It seemed that she wasn't about to back out on this so I decided to pull the one card that could stop her from doing anything stupid.

"I only swore to defend Tarbes. You only swore to defend Tarbes. Are you planning on backing out on your word?" I pointed out to Louise with a raised brow. Louise grimaced when she realized what I had just said. Obviously, the current situation wasn't exactly what we had anticipated when we first set out to this village but the point still stood.

"This isn't a game, Louise. You should know this by now and we've already had this conversation. I'm sure that Princess Henrietta would agree with me on this point considering that she brought an army with her, hmmm?" I reminded my master before sparing a glance at the aformentioned Princess.

"Louise Françoise, please listen to me." Henrietta called out to my master, who immediately gave the Princess her undivided attention like the devoted subject and friend that she was.

"Sir Kaza-umm...Mister Yuka is correct. You have already done more than any one noble should for my sake and I am forever grateful for it..." Henrietta started to try to reason Louise out of trying to do another suicide mission in her name after tripping on how she should address me. I was not able to pay attention to the rest of it because something else caught my attention.

'Fuga! Fuga Fuga!' Ruukoto briskly reported with a certain sense of urgency. I tapped my ear piece and turned away from everyone.

'Once they come in range, try to thin them out. No, belay that order. Henrietta stated that Tristain's Fleet was deployed to intercept the anomaly. We can confirm that the anomaly is composed of the Albion Armada and the unknown Undead you reported earlier. Is there any way for you to identify which ships are from which fleet?' I asked the gynoid. There was silence on the line for a few moments and I idly glanced at everyone there. Henrietta was still speaking with Louise but the two seemed to have reached an understanding between themselves. Kirche, Monmon, and Guiche seemed to be content with the scene if their smiles were anything to go by. Agnès and her fellow knights remained vigilant around their Princess but they didn't seem as tense as they initially were. Tabitha...she was looking intently at me as I expected. I sighed and mouthed the words 'Bad Juju' to covey the current situation. She barely noticably narrowed her eyes at me before nodding. Having her here was a great windfall due to Matilda's absence and I was grateful for it.

'Fuga. Fuga?' Ruukoto finally replied stating that it had no way of identifying friend or foe at the moment. It needed more information about both sides to come up with an IFF system for it to use. It already had a ship in its sights and was waiting for orders.

'Stand by...I'll need to consult the others for this.' I stated before turning back to the others and walking right up to Louise and the Princess.

"Louise. Princess. There has been a change in the situation."

...

'Tabitha! How's the evacuation looking?' I heard Louise ask the blue-haired girl via her 'Hey-Listen'. I was still with Louise and Henrietta but everyone else were busy doing one thing or another. Kirche, Guiche, and Monmon were helping Agnès and her fellow knights in the evacuation. The rest of Henrietta's little army was busy forming defenses throughout Tarbes in anticipation of the coming battle. Tabitha was riding Sylphid and was currently overseeing everything from up in the sky. Their relative altitude was nowhere near Ruukoto's own, but it was more than enough for the young Gallian to call in anything worth our attention. Ruukoto was still monitoring the Albion Armada's approach and noted that it was still slower than it initially was. If the Tristain Fleet still had active units, then they might be causing the slowdown. I was idly wondering if Prince Wales had already gotten himself killed -which would have been a waste considering the trouble Louise and I went through to save him the first time- when Tabitha responded.

'No problemo.' Tabitha replied to both Louise and myself, probably thinking that I should hear it as well.

"Louise Françoise, if I may ask...who are you talking to?" Henrietta asked my master. Louise blinked at her for a few moments before adopting a look of realization. She glanced at me and gave an 'urk' when she saw my flat stare, realizing too late that she had just absentmindedly used one of our secrets in front of the Princess.

"Umm...well...that was..." Louise's stammering was suddenly interrupted by the sudden blaring of an alarm in my ear. Judging from my master's wince, she got the same alert too.

'FUGA!' Ruukoto suddenly yelled out in my ear. My eyes went wide at the gynoid's words.

Long range magic attack incoming!

"Both of you get down!" I yelled out before pushing Henrietta and Louise together and using my body to shield them. From behind me, I heard the sound of something impacting the ground. A moment later the horrible howl of a point-blank hurricane drowned out all sound save for the screams of men and women.

'Fuga! Fuga Fuga!' Ruukoto alerted me that the source of the sudden attack was the center of the anomaly...and it was currently headed straight for us at high speeds. It also warned that the long range attack that hit us was a super-compressed wind bomb that had the yield that approached a Category-One Hurricane...whatever that meant.

"What happened?" Louise yelled out over the dying wails of the wind bomb. She and Henrietta were currently holding onto each other for dear life.

"Albion sent out its gambit. Get somewhere safe, both of you." I stated to my master before pulling both of them up to their feet.

"Wait! What are you going to do?" Louise asked me before looking up and noticing that the sky was darkening. I looked up as well and chalked it up as a byproduct of the attack.

"Something is headed here, something that used that magic attack just now. I'll go and greet it so I want you to get somewhere safe." I told Louise before tapping my 'Hey-Listen' without waiting for her reply.

'Attention everyone. Something very powerful by your world's standards is headed this way. I'm going to intercept it so I want all of you to get to safety. Louise has Henrietta. Tabitha, lead them somewhere safe or pick them up along with the rest. Ruukoto, keep track of Louise and try to see if you can shoot down whatever is headed this way.' I briskly gave instructions to everyone.

'Alright.' Tabitha was the first to respond and Louise quickly tapped her 'Hey-Listen' as she started speaking with the young Gallian.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto was next and I noticed tiny traces of light coming from the sky headed into the distance.

'We still have a lot of people left. What do we do about them?' Kirche inquired.

'Do what you have to.' I stated before letting my wings appear. I turned back to Louise, who was still speaking with Tabitha, and to a very shocked Henrietta.

"Try to get to your knights and get out of here. You and your soldiers will only get in the way and pile up more bodies. Derf." I told the Princess plainly before calling out to the sword.

"Stay with Louise and keep her safe?" The six-thousand year old sword asked me after it partially emerged from its scabbard. I nodded to the sword before hefting my parasol on my right shoulder and ascending into the sky. I idly looked at the damage caused by the sudden attack and saw that it managed to kill or disable the majority of the knights and soldiers that Henrietta brought along with her. It even broke a small chunk of the village too. If I recalled correctly, the Princess' personal Musketeer Squadron was working within Tarbes so it should be relatively intact.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto reported. It wasn't able to hit the target for effect because it was either dodging the gynoid's shots or deflecting them with with some sort of powerful wind barrier. Interesting. I smiled despite myself at the prospect of fighting something from this realm that was a few steps up from Matilda's own magical prowess.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto followed up as it detected several individual contacts coming from the point where the anomaly came from.

'Do you have any records on what the national emblem of Albion is?' I asked the gynoid even as I started to smell a powerful scent of death approach.

'Fuga, Fuga.' The gynoid replied. It didn't know what Albion's emblem was but it knows what Tristain's was thanks to Henrietta and her army.

'Then shoot down any ships that don't have that emblem. I'll deal with whatever is headed here.' I ordered and got a 'Fuga' of approval. I took a deep breath when I noticed the scent of death get stronger and stronger. I closed my eyes and focused on where the scent was coming from. I slowly exhaled through my lips and pointed my parasol in the direction where it was coming from. I gathered power in my parasol until I had enough for one shot, my parasol opening in response to the building energy. Once I had enough, I opened my eyes wide and gave one of 'those' smiles before firing a Master Spark at the source of the scent of death.

'Fuga. Fuga.' Ruukoto reported. It detected a high-yield energy attack that originated from my position and was headed to the oncoming hostile. Estimated time of contact? Right...about...no-

"Hm?" I hummed and raised a brow at the odd sensation. I lowered my parasol and closed it after the Master Spark ended and recalled that sensation. For a split-second, I thought I felt something 'stop' my Master Spark before it continued its course. I tilted my head to the side in wonder before narrowing my eyes when I noticed something.

The scent of death was still there...and it was still coming closer.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto reported from on high. The target took a direct hit but was still active?

'Explain.' I ordered, more curious how it managed to survive one of my sparks -that wasn't a regular spell card for Danmaku Battles- than angry that it actually happened.

'Fuga Fuga.' I see...at the moment of contact, the Mystery Undead managed to get off a particularly powerful wind spell that severed as a buffer between it and my spark. It only lasted for a fraction of a second before being overwhelmed by my spell, but it was enough for the creature to veer itself away from getting hit in the face by my attack. Not bad. Not bad at all. I couldn't help but laugh at that point. Because I knew...I knew that I was going to enjoy what was about to happen.

No Louise.

No Matilda.

No Monmon.

No Guiche.

No Kirche.

No Tabitha.

No Colbert.

No Henrietta.

No Wales.

No little humans to get in my way.

Just me and my foe...most importantly~

"No Spell Card Rules..." I muttered just when I finally got a visual on my foe. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes with my left hand.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto warned of the proximity between me and the 'Mystery Undead', who wasn't really a mystery anymore.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" I asked to no one in particular while having a genuine smile on my face. Oh, this was the cause of that anomaly? This was what threw that little Hurricane at Henrietta's army? This was what managed to block my Master Spark for a split second? This was...this was...

"Hehe...hehe...hahaha...hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH! THIS! THIS IS JUST PRECIOUS!" I cackled with my left hand on my face after the piece of meat got close enough for its identity to be undeniable.

It was a complete slapdash attempt on reassembling and restoring someone who was already dead. I was actually impressed that whoever did this was determined enough to have been able to piece together as much as they did. I stared at the abomination and couldn't stop smiling.

"Felicitations and a job well done on coming back from beyond the grave, Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes~" I greeted the undead abomination with a demented smile and a sweeping bow. The creature did not move nor did it seem to register my greeting.

The long and short of it was that the Viscount's upper torso was now latched onto the body of its griffin using metal clasps. Both he and his mount had various stitches all over their bodies that went over their flesh and the Viscount's clothing. He was carrying two runed lances that coursed with magical power, a pair of heavy duty foci for magic spells I supposed. Wardes' hair color and complexion reflected his now 'Undead' status, garishly pale to the point of becoming white. His mount's plumage changed from copper to a shade of grey that mirrored its rider's hair. Both their eyes glowed red for added effect.

Considering the lack of any previous proof of any practically applied use of Necromancy in this realm thus far, I was assuming that the good undead Viscount was the product of the stolen Ring of Advari...the magical item that the Embodiment of Water believed to be in Cromwell's possession. I took a good long look at the abomination before me and noted that its latent magical power was far greater that what Wardes had when he was still alive. I guess they did more than just bring him and his mount back.

"So you're their ace in the hole? I can't really say that I expected this, though it is not unwelcome." I stated while cracking the bones in my neck.

"My other half was the one responsible for the original deaths of you and your mount~! It will be my personal pleasure to pick up where she left off and grind the both of you to dust before vaporizing you into nothingness~! Prepare yourself, undead abomination~! For you now face the strongest youkai in Gensokyo~! Ahahahahahahaha~" I gleefully stated before charging at the former Viscount as I cackled with joy.

...

"Louise!" The youngest child of the noble house of Valliere turned to the call of her name. Louise was leading Henrietta by the hand through the panicking villagers and soldiers who were trying to regroup and restore order. She was planning on going deeper within Tarbes and away from whatever Yuka decided to fight against. The young Void Mage saw Kirche, along with Guiche and Montmorency, a distance away.

"All of you!" Louise called out in joy for seeing her friends. She picked through the flood of people, cursing the fact that there were still so many of them left, until she finally managed to reach her friends along with her princess.

"Thank the founder that you're safe!" Montmorency exclaimed before enveloping the shorter girl in a hug.

"Where's Tabitha?" Louise asked as she looked around for the young Gallian from within her friend's grasp.

'Look up. All of you.' Tabitha's voice resonated within their individual 'Hey-Listen'. Like good little students, they all instinctively looked up and saw Sylphid circling around in the sky.

'Follow the villagers. The Musketeer Squadron is at the village square. Hurry.' The Gallian instructed and before Sylphid flew off to the direction where Tabitha asked them to go.

"Well don't just stand there looking at each other like a bunch of goblins, let's go!" Kirche's words snapped everyone out of their short moment of inactivity.

"Louise Françoise, what are you all talking about?" Princess Henrietta asked her friend in growing panic. From her perspective, Louise and her friends seemed to have been talking to some spirit or invisible entity.

"We don't have time to explain, your Highness. Right now, we need to get the village square, your Musketeer Knights should be there helping the villagers." Louise stated as calmly as she could even though she was getting very worried as well.

'Get to the village square. Go. Go now.' Tabitha repeated her instructions, her seeminly urgent request sounding odd because of her usual monotone voice. Louise's expression tightened at the words of her friend but chose to wait for Henrietta's response.

"Alright, I will trust you Louise Francoise." Princess Henrietta said with a smile as she squeezed Louise's hand, which was still haning onto hers.

"Thank you." Louise responded with her own smile before they started heading to the square.

...

'Fuga. Fuga.' I ignored Ruukoto's advisory that I was chasing Wardes too far. I ignored its request for me to return as the abomination was likely leading me to a trap.

"As if there was any trap a human in this realm could take me down~" I said to myself with a sinister smile as I tailed Wardes in the distance. The abomination tested my mettle by casting a triple-tornado spell right at me after I started my charge at it. I met it head on by virtue of slamming my left fist right into the spell. Not only did the spell not break after I hit it, the ripping winds of the three fused tornadoes actually managed to shred the left sleeve of my trademark white shirt. My smile grew even wider when I started to feel pain. Yes...at last! Something in this realm that could finally HURT ME! Finally! Something I could REALLY sink my teeth into!

"Haha! Hahahahahaha!" The memory of that moment only fueled my gleeful desire to fight the abomination. I couldn't resist the bubbling urge within me any longer so I pointed my parasol at the former Viscount and fired another Master Spark. The abomination displayed the aerial agility that one would expect from something being part griffin now by doing a barrel roll to twist away from my line of fire. The dodge it did allowed it to avoid a direct hit and ended up making it face me. It then unleashed a barrage of wind spells that were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Magic that warps the atmosphere around it to produce razor winds to tear the opponent to shreds.

"Not so fast~!" I yelled out playfully as I swung my spark at the former Viscount like a massive sword made of light.

'Fuga! Fuga!' I ignored Ruukoto's pleas for me to cease my actions. I didn't care that my spark was getting too close to the mass of ships up ahead. I didn't care that there were friendly forces there. All I cared about was that my opponent was there...and it was still moving~

The razor wind spells that Wardes unloaded finally hit me and managed to jar me enought to kick my aim off until my spell finished. Good~

"Yes! This is what I have been missing~" I muttered as I gazed upon my form. The razor winds managed to form slash marks all over my clothing, making it look like I was subjected to a Slash of Eternity. I savored the feeling of being cut apart repeatedly, to actually be truly wounded. The last time I experienced this was back during the Lunarian Invasion when those damn rabbits decided that the Garden of the Sun needed some landscaping done to it. I relished the felling even as my body regenerated. I made sure to make the most of what wounds I recieved before they all closed up like nothing happened, my clothes being the only indication of my healed injuries. I looked back to where Wardes was last and saw that it was nothing more than a speck in the distance. The fool actually ran without me. I pouted at the thought for a moment before once again putting my 'game face~' on.

"Hey there~! Wait for Yuka~! Ahahahahahaha~!" I yelled out as I resumed the chase. The smell of death was growing and was further fueling my own bloodlust.

This was the best day ever~

...

"Your Highness!" Agnès called out as soon as she saw her liege being escorted by Louise and her friends. Princess Henrietta looked around for the source of the voice and spotted her loyal knight.

"Louise Francoise, over there." Henrietta pointed to where her knight was already marching up toward them.

"It is good that you are alright, your Highness. Please come this way, we need to get you to a safe place first." Agnès firmly stated immediately after she reached Louise's group. The Muskateer Squadron Captain offered her hand to the Princess but Henrietta shook her head in refusal.

"I will not leave this place until I confirm with my own eyes that my people are safe. This means that we will need to coordinate defenses to facilitate the rest of the evacuation. I need status reports from all our remaining forces and someone needs to get ahold of Count Constantine so we could..." Henrietta immediately started issuing order after order for her knights and the rest of her forces, proving that the heir to the throne of Tristain was not simply some pretty face. Louise was once again staring in awe at her Princess, this being the very first time she had seen the young woman this serious, until Kirche shook her shoulders enough to catch her attention.

"Where's Yuka?" The redheaded Germanian asked her friend. Louise blinked a couple of times before grimacing.

"Yuka told me to get to safety with the Princess. Something threw a very powerful wind spell from a ridiculous distance and Yuka went off to intercept it before it could do more damage." Louise explained, just in time for all of them to hear a familiar crackle in their ears.

'Ships stating to be visible in the distance. Still very far away but seem to be in the middle of combat.' Tabitha stated. Everyone instinctively looked up and saw the tiny silhouette of Sylphid circling above them.

"This is bad...they're getting closer." Guiche grimly pointed out the obvious, his nerves finally catching up to him as he remembered the events in Albion. I reflexively reached out and held Montmorency's hand since the young woman was standing next to him. Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency flinched at the sudden contact and turned to glare at the young man.

"Guiche, what the foun-" The young woman's words died in her throat when she saw Guiche's expression. It was pained, worried, scared, determined...a side of Guiche de Gramont that Montmorency will admit that she had never seen before.

"Ruukoto? Ruukoto! Can you hear me?" Louise's words snapped Montmorency from her thoughts. She looked at her closest friend as she seemingly tried to contact her gynoid. Montmorency wondered why if she couldn't even understand the thing, all the while not letting go of Guiche's hand.

'Fuga. Fuga. Fuga Fuga.' Louise grimaced when the gynoid replied in the manner she always did. Unfortunately, the absence of Yuka and Siesta meant that she was without any means to be able to understand Ruukoto in the regular sense.

'In a way I can understand please...you have something that can make us understand you, right? Explain it in Halkeginian and make sure that everyone else can hear it too.' Louise said with thinly veiled frustration. There was silence on the other end of their communication before Ruukoto repeated its earlier statement in the same motherly voice it used when it first made its lifetime contract with the strawberry-blonde haired girl.

'Yuka is currently engaging the source of the previously detected Magical Anomaly. The target is an undead with an unusual amount of magical power. This Ruukoto unit was providing long range support for Yuka but he suddenly ordered my to cease as he wanted to neutralize the threat by himself. The ships that are currently engaged in combat with each other are within this Ruukoto unit's effective firing range however this Ruukoto unit has no means to identify friend from foe. Yuka suggested to use the emblems on the sails but the fog of war and the general chaos of the battle prevents me from effectively utilizing them for positive identification. This Ruukoto unit is currently unable to engage at this time because of this, awaiting further orders.' Ruukoto gave an overview of what was currently happening beyond their own perceptions.

Louise furrowed her brows and made a low growl in her throat. Unfortunately, despite the vast and practically legendary military prowess that both her parents were known for, Louise didn't understand half of what her gynoid explained to her. It all sounded precise and 'by the book' but it simply didn't click with her.

'Umm...did anyone understand anything that Ruukoto explained just now?' Louise asked through her 'Hey-Listen' to make sure that Tabitha heard her as well. She glanced at her friends and they all looked about as confused as she was.

'Yuka is fighting the unknown enemy alone. Albion and Tristain fleets are still fighting each other. Ruukoto is unable to attack from afar, unable to determine friend from foe. Ruukoto is awaiting further instructions because it cannot do anything else right now.' Thankfully, Tabitha provided the much needed abriged version of Ruukoto's report. Louise went through the information in her head a few times before conferencing with everyone again.

'I can order Ruukoto to help Yuka and the Tristain fleet but I want your opinions first.' Louise stated.

'I don't think that you should do that.' Kirche stated after a few moments.

'Agreed.' Tabitha also voiced her opinion.

'Why not? With both of them out there, they should be able to wrap up the battle pretty quickly.' Montmorency asked as she pointed out the fact that both Yuka and Ruukoto have abilities that surpass any human, noble or otherwise.

'Yes. Ruukoto and Mister Yuka can end the conflict right now if we let them both out there.' Guiche added, supporting Montmorency's statement. It was two-against-two when it came to the decision. Louise made a thoughtful hum before remembering that she had someone else that she can ask.

"Derflinger." Louise called out as she turned to the sword strapped on her back.

"What do you need, Litte Miss?" The Devourer of Magi asked its current owner after partially coming out of its scabbard.

"Yuka is going nuts against whatever threw that wind bomb. Ruukoto is up in the sky but can't really support Yuka because she can't differentiate enemy from ally due to the lack of anything distinct between them. I'm currently debating whether or not to send her in to fight alongside Yuka. Kirche and Tabitha say that she should stay put but Guiche and Monmon say that she should go help Yuka. What do you think?" Louise explained the situation to Derflinger and pointed out her current dilemma regarding what she should do about Ruukoto.

"Hmmm...if you can't decide because of how complicated the situation seems to be, then think about something simpler that will allow you to get an answer to that question anyway." The six-thousand year old magical sword finally said after a few moments.

"Elaborate..." Louise said, getting more and more annoyed at the fact that everyone seems to be saying many meaningful things that seem to sail right over her head. Things that would likely be understood by Yuka or Tabitha or the Princess but she simply couldn't comprehend at face value.

"Tell me...why are we all even here? What is our objective for coming to Tarbes?" Derflinger posed the question.

"To protect Tarbes of course!" Louise nearly yelled out in growing frustration since no one seems to think that she deserves a straight answer.

"Exactly. Because of that objective, you have to ask yourself: 'Will this action help protect Tarbes?' Use that question as the starting point for your actions. Now, ask yourself that question. Will sending Ruukoto away from Tarbes help in protecting it?" The sword explained before posing the question to Louise. It was then that Louise understood it all and began to rethink the consequences of sending her gynoid out or not.

Sending Ruukoto into the battle between the two fleets to support Yuka will add much needed offensive power to their forces. However, it will leave Tarbes without the protection of its Steel Goddess.

Keeping Ruukoto where she was will leave Yuka and the Tristain fleet to fend for themselves. However, it will allow Ruukoto to intercept anything that tries to attack Tarbes directly.

Both had vaild pros and cons so Louise couldn't really decide within a moment.

'Keep Ruukoto here. Yuka can take care of himself.' Tabitha voiced her opinion once again and partially elaborated on it.

'Tabitha's right. Darling isn't squishy like us, quite the opposite in fact. Unfortunately, no one here shares his firm and rugged durability aside from Ruukoto herself.' Kirche agreed with her best friend and elaborated her own point.

'Well, if you all put it that way, it's hard to disagree. I retract my initial opinion.' Montmorency piped up.

'I agree with them as well. Miss Ruukoto can act as a failsafe in case anything gets past Mister Yuka and our fleet.' Guiche finally agreed with the rest of them as well. It was unnecessary though since Louise had already decided on what to do based on the question Derflinger posed to her.

"Thanks Derf...you're a pretty smart sword, you know that?" Louise said with a smirk. Derflinger rattled in its scabbard a bit before laughing.

"I'm the smartest sword around, Little Miss~" The Devourer of Magi replied. Louise nodded at the sword before tapping on her 'Hey-Listen'.

'Ruukoto, here are my orders. Stay there and maintain your guard. Our main objective here is to protect Tarbes, not defeat the Albion Armada. However, if anything that is hostile to this village attacks, defeat them immediately. It doesn't matter if you end up revealing yourself, we'll protect Tarbes no matter what!' Louise ordered her gynoid with newfound determination and purpose that cleared the doubt that was slowly building within her after Yuka left to fight the unknown enemy.

'Understood. Maintaining overwatch position. Weapons free to neutralize all hostile entities that target the village of Tarbes directly or indirectly.' Ruukoto responded to the approval of its mistress.

"Louise Francoise, why are you all still here?" Louise turned to the worried looking Princess Henrietta. Louise wasn't able to respond immediately because she was momentarily mesmerized by the fire within the eyes of a person she had looked up to for years.

"It is no longer safe here, my friend. Please evacuate with the villagers immediately. Agnès has already confirmed that your maid, Siesta, has already been evacuated with her family. There is no more need for you to be here." Princess Henrietta adamantly stated. Behind her, Agnès along with two more members of the Musketeer Squadron stood at the ready...likely to escort Louise and her friends to a safer location.

Louise's heart swelled at the concern that the crown princess of her country was showing her. However, Louise quickly remembered the many a thing that compelled her to stay despite the fact that Siesta and her family were already safe from immidiate harm. Also, it seemed that the princess had already forgotten that her familiar had spontaneously sprouted wings and flew off to fight whatever attacked them earlier. It was then that Louise had a sudden epiphany. She didn't want to leave even though her beloved Princess Henrietta has insisted her to do so, even going as far as getting her personal knights to escort her and her friends away from the village. For the first time since she has known the crown princess of the kingdom of Tristain, Louise wanted to disobey her...it felt odd.

"Louise Francoise, please hurry. The Musketeer Squadron will ensure safe passage for you and your companions." Henrietta's concerned voice snapped Louise from her thoughts. Louise stared at the princess, considered her words, asked the question that Derflinger posed to her earlier, and made her decision.

"No..." Louise said in a voice that sounded too quiet even for her.

"Louise Francoise?" Thankfully, the princess seemed to have heard her just fine.

"I will stay here to protect this village. I...want to protect this place...I think that you will find that my friends share my opinion." Louise said. Despite the uncertain tone she used, the princess recoiled all the same as if struck by what her old friend had just said.

"But...Louise Francoise...its too dangerous here. I've put you in too many dangerous situations before, I don't want to add to that anymore." Henrietta tried to reason to her friend, her voice filled with worry and pain. It rended Louise's heart to think that she had caused such a reaction to someone she looks up to so much...but she had made her choice.

"I'm sorry, your Highness...but I won't abandon this village." Louise responded, slowly regaining the fire in her eyes. Henrietta looked at her old friend as if she had just grown a second head made out of solid gold, completely unable to respond to the rejection.

"And I'm sure that my friends will give you the same answer too..." Louise added with an uncertain smile before turning to where Kirche, Montmorency, and Guiche were. Each and every one of them gave her their nods of approval as they all shared their friend's determination to protect the village. Louise could not see Tabitha, and doubted if the Gallian had heard what she had just said to Princess Henrietta, but she knew that her quiet friend would agree with her.

"But...why...?" Was all Princess Henrietta de Tristain was able to say.

"Because this is Siesta's home...even though she is a commoner, she is my friend so I want to protect it. Please don't say that I am not capable of this, your Highness." Louise responded and added before her old friend could say anything else. The youngest daughter of 'The Heavy Wind' took a deep breath before doing something she never thought she would ever do, talk back to her beloved princess and point the faults in her reasoning. Yes...this felt more like something that Yuka would do.

"I have accomplished every mission you have requested of me, your highness. Every task. Every request. Despite the council of my tutor and my familiar to do otherwise, I did them anyway. I have gone through things that I have never thought I would ever have to go through in my life. I have lost things because of it. I have endured things because of it. I have grown stronger because of it. I've had a lot of help, I know...but I still set out with the desire to succeed make you proud." Louise took another breath before shaking her head slowly. Princess Henrietta could do nothing but listen to her friend as she said 'No' to her and pointed out every vaild reason as to why.

"It is strange. The first time I wanted to accomplish something like this through my own volition...is also the first time that I have to defy you. Please your Highness...let me and my friends do this." Louise concluded and Henrietta knew...she stood no chance against her friend when she becomes like this.

...

"Death~!" I roared out as I swatted away another tornado spell that the abomination threw out using my parasol. I had found myself lured to where the battle between the Albion Armada and the Tristain Royal Fleet was still going on. I only briefly took notice of that fact since I was still chasing down my prey~

"Death! Death! Death!" I repeated the word three more times as I flew after the former Viscount through the throngs of ships that made up this airborne melee between two countries. Men fell from the ships as both sides tried to board and neutralize the ships from the opposing side. Griffin Knights engaged Red Dragon Knights in aerial or simply ganged up on an enemy unlucky enough to be caught on their own.

"Death! Death! Death! Death! Death! Death!" I continued to repeath the word like a mantra. The scent of lives being ended. The sweet smell of fresh blood being spilled. The satisfying sound of men screaming to whatever heavenly being they prostated themselves to as they burned to death.

It was absolutely intoxicating~!

"Death! Death! Death!" I repeated the word three more times as I saw Wardes try to use the bulk of a passing ship as a barrier between us. I smiled dementedly at the utterly impotent way the abomination tried to protect itself. I did not slow down as I approached the ship and simply crashed into it, using the tip of my parasol like a spear. I broke through the hull of the unsuspecting ship, my smile growing a bit larger when I heard the panicked screams of the crew after 'something' just busted through the hull of their ship before exiting in the same manner.

"Die the Death!" I stated as I reacquired my target. Wardes was waiting for me on the other side with three Red Dragon Knights in front of him. The three knights charged at me, their mounts breathing fireballs at me as they came closer. I swatted their pedestrian attempt at an attack before charging at them as well. The middle one tried to get his mount to bite my head off. I stopped the offensive gesture by slamming the tip of my parasol under the beast's lower jaw and pushing upwards. The action effectively slammed the lizard's jaw shut, breaking several of its teeth and most of its skull in the process.

"The Sentence is Death!" I said as I casually flicked the dragon away with my parasol, its rider screaming in terror as he and his mount fell to their doom.

"The Great Equalizer is~!" I continued as I backhanded the dragon to my left with my left hand when it tried the trick the first one did. The force applied was more than I had initiallty intended so the creature's head popped clean off. The now dead dragon pulled its rider to his death as I turned to the only interruption left. I spun around the maw of the remaining Red Dragon, the action moving me to the beast's side where its rider tried to strike me down with his sword. I blocked the offending piece of metal with my parasol before putting my face directly in front of the rider's.

"THE DEATH!" I yelled as I grabbed the man's head, pulled him clean off his mount, and proceeded to pummel the Red Dragon using its rider. The beast roared in pain as I bludgeoned it with its former master. I swung the now dead rider at the dragon's face, causing it to finally fall to its death.

"You forgot something~!" I playfully said as I wound up my left hand and threw the dead man at the falling dragon. I chortled when I saw them bounce off each other after the impact. I turned back to the former Viscount and saw that the abomination did not move from its postion. I blinked and glanced around and saw that I was surrounded by no more than twenty more Red Dragon Knights. I laughed some more when I thought that they seriously expected that this was enough to put me down.

"OkAy~! NoW~! FoR My NeXt TriCK~!" My voice distorted as I said those words. I saw the humans give out looks of horror when they saw how my other half emerged from my back. She cracked her neck before hefting her own parasol on her right shoulder and smiling.

"Fighty Tiiiii~iime~!" She declared and we unleashed hell upon the silly Red Dragon Knights.

...

Please R&R!


	20. Chapter 18

Author's Notes: Hello! Been a while eh? Due to various IRL things such as changing jobs and getting new games, I was not able to write in the pace I usually did. No matter, here is the new chapter for the story. I had to cut the battle in half because it was getting too long, so I'll post the other half once it's done.

I can honestly say, its times like that that I am glad to be an Ace Combat fan.

Anyway, please enjoy~

Disclaimer: Warwolf!

…

"We seem to have encountered a new complication." Griffin Knight Lyner Alec la Pyrean, Red to his squadmates, reported to the rest of the team via a modified wind spell that Viscount Wardes and Trombe learned from 'The Heavy Wind'. The young man was currently having the longest day of his life as he watched two mysterious and rather terrifying winged people, a man and a woman, tear through the Red Dragon Knights that stood between them and his squadron's main objective...literally tear through them. The sixty-sixth continued to carry their stigma even through the massive battle that was taking place between the Tristain and Albion fleets as they were ordered by command to keep the creature that was once their Captain in check while the rest of their forces deal with the Albion Armada. It was six-on-one but was still very risky when you consider what they were fighting. Their squadron leader demanded to know why they wouldn't be allowed to request or even seek out any reinforcements against the abomination if the need arose. All he got was a sneer and the statement that the sixty-sixth should clean up their own mess. Even in a situation where their priority should have been to destroy the greatest threat in the battlefield, the brass still managed to show how much contempt they had for the formerly prized unit.

"Elaborate please." Scarface, current Captain and Squadron Leader of the sixty-sixth inquired using the same wind spell. Red was about to respond when someone else beat him to it.

"By the founder's metaphysical beard! What the hell are those things?" The panicked voice of one Charles Casval la Fontaine or 'Char' was heard as he pulled up next to Red.

"Answer the question, boys." Scarface reminded.

"Two unknowns are currently ripping the Albion Dragon Knight Corps a new one, sir." Char answered the inquiry.

"Unknowns? Not ours? What are their emblems and mounts?" Second-in-Command, James Terrance la Raynore or 'Trombe' asked for more details.

"They don't seem to have any mounts, sir. They have wings on their backs and they are wearing civilian clothing." Stephan Alexander de Morris or 'Stephan' answered the question as he descended to match the altitude of his squadronmates. They were currently split up into two teams due to the dwindling number of Tristain forces in the battlefield. Char, Red, and Stephan were charged with keeping the Dragon Knights busy and keep them off friendly ships as well as the rest of their squadron. Meanwhile, Scarface, Trombe, and Lawrence Masters de Foulke or 'Larry' would keep the abomination that was once their Captain in check.

Unfortunately, few plans survive first encounter with the enemy. The First Encounter Assault Run by the sixty-sixth managed to get Wardes away from the rest of the Albion Forces. The bad news came when the trio that was supposed to have been responsible with harassing the abomination got bogged down by Red Dragon Knights. Char's team tried to sort them out but they were kept at bay by ship cannons and the onboard mages that Albion brought along with them. It pretty much degraded into a battle of attrition for the Albion Armada and a battle for survival for the Tristain Fleet. For whatever stroke of luck, debatable if it was good or bad, Char, Red, and Stephan all ended up finding Wardes while their seniors were trying to keep their ship losses from increasing due to the Red Dragon Knights.

"Also, they seem to be fighting off everything using umbrellas...I kid you not." Red added with a shake of his head.

"Are they attacking any of ours?" Scarface asked his subbordinates.

"No, only the Albion units. In fact, they look like they're gunning for Captain Wardes too." Stephan pointed out.

"What do we do boss? Do we jump in and help those two or do we attack Captain Wardes and leave the knights to them?" Char anxiously waited for his Captain to respond. In all honesty, he wanted to stay the nine hells away from those two monsters. He'd rather just have those monsters kill each other instead.

"Rendezvous with us at the Raddish. We're using the ship as a buffer between the Albion forces and the flagship. It's holding up pretty well so far but we're not sure for how much longer. If it goes down, then we'll be one of the squadrons left that can defend our flagship." Scarface gave the order, much to Char's relief.

"But what about Captain Wardes and the unknowns?" Red inquired.

"Leave the monsters alone for now. If we ever come to a situation where he have to fight all three, then we'd all be dead by then." Their Captain responded with a hard tone. The three knights looked at each other before glancing back at the monsters that were still being assaulted by more and more Red Dragon Knights. Char shook the question of where the opposing knights kept coming from and turned to his team.

"You heard boss, let's move out!" Char ordered and all three knights flew off to reinforce their remaining ships.

...

"Guh!" I grunted as I got hit with a concentrated blast of fire from four Red Dragons. I was finally able to get control of myself from my bloodlust earlier thanks to all the knights I have already killed and the fact that I made my other half appear. When I realized just where I was and what I was doing -I was in the middle of ripping the head off a Red Dragon Knight- I clicked my tongue and sighed at my actions. Really, I was disappointed at my lack of control when faced with a prey I really, really, really wanted to kill.

I scanned around the area some more to take stock of the current situation as I tossed the decapitated head of the Dragon Knight at my other half. She gleefully caught it before proceeding to play dodge ball with the rest of her targets. I noted that a few ships have already started to crash to the ground with the men onboard screaming their death throes as the battle continued. I wasn't sure who was winning because of all the fire, smoke, and screaming but I was sure of one thing: The Scent of Death was palpable. I then narrowed my eyes when I noticed something. I gave out a low growl in my throat when I realized it and tapped my 'Hey-Listen' with my left index finger as I smacked away another attempt by the Red Dragons at a combined fire blast with my closed parasol.

'Ruukoto. Viscount Wardes is the undead anomaly we were detecting earlier. I'm currently engaged alongside my double with what I believe is the bulk of the Albion Red Dragon Knight forces. Can you confirm the situation?' I asked the gynoid who should still be on overwatch over Tarbes. I sighed and swept my closed parasol at the Red Dragons that were still hawking me, scattering several sunflower petals in the air. I decided to try out that trick I learned from Guiche de Gramont during our little duel a few months ago.

It was a simple experiment to prove the concept that the casting method he used was compatible with my own magic. Lace the petals with my spell and see if it will trigger. The concept proved sound as the individual petals glowed bright before being converted into marble-sized teardrop bullets that launched at the annoyances with extreme prejudice.

'Fuga. Fuga Fuga?' Ruukoto responded to me as I watched the lifeless beasts and their riders plummet to the ground. So Wardes slipped away as I was in the throes of my bloodlu-

"Hooo~waaaahhh~!" The somewhat muffled but delighted scream of my other half interrupted my thoughts. I looked in her direction and saw her holding a pair of Red Dragon corpses by their tails in each hand and using them as flails. Her parasol was firmly clutched in her teeth by the handle which was why her voice was muffled.

"Hm..." Was the only thing I did to acknowledge the sight before turning my attention back to the matter of a sneaky undead Viscount. Wardes used the chaos of the initial bloodbath my other half and I caused to sneak away and make another attack run at Tarbes. Ruukoto was asking me if it should directly engage the offending abomination since it was unable to effectively hit it at long range. I considered the question before realizing that I needed to confirm something first.

'How are Louise and her friends? Have you advised them of the situation?' I asked Ruukoto.

'Fuga Fuga. Fuga.' So my master and her friends were working with what was left with Princess Henrietta's little army to evacuate the remaining residents of the village. Ruukoto didn't bother to tell them about the situation because none of them would have been able to understand the gynoid anyway. I closed my eyes and opened up another channel.

'Louise...can you hear me?' I tried to raise my master as I started to evade cannon fire from one of the burning ships...an Albion one it seemed.

...

'Louise...can you hear me?' The young Void mage visibly flinched when she suddenly heard her familiar's voice. The old woman, whom she was helping onto a wagon which will take her and her family away from the village, noticed this and placed a hand on her arm.

"Are you alright milady?" The old woman asked Louise. She was currently isolated from the rest of her friends but she was still being accompanied by a three members of Agnes' Musketeer Squadron.

"I-I'm fine. Please hurry so they can take you and your family to a safer location." Louise responded with a smile. The young woman sighed as she watched the family be carted off and saw the looks that they were all giving as they were taken away from their home.

"Are you alright Dame Valliere?" A firm female voice called out from behind Louise. She turned around and saw that it was one of the knights that accompanied her. Helgarose was her name, Helgarose Chevalier de La Falkenmayer. She was a rather serious looking woman with short dark blue hair and eyes. She was as tall as Princess Henrietta was and the way she carried herself in her armor showed her professionalism, just like their Captain Agnes.

"I am fine Dame Falkenmayer." Louise nodded to the knight after her response. It was still odd for Louise to be called by a proper title like 'Dame'. It was true that she was knighted as a Chevalier by Princess Henrietta, but she didn't really care for those kinds of titles. She cared for her knightly title about as much as Tabitha or Matilda did for theirs.

"Helga~! Are you two already done there~?" The rather friendly voice of Ilfriede Chevalier de La Feulner caught both of their attentions. Ilfriede was walking toward them along side the remaining knight that was assigned to accompany Louise, Lunateresia Chevalier de La Wizleben.

Ilfriede was blonde and had green eyes but was a bit shorter than Helgarose. Her hair reached her shoulders but was mostly tied up into a short ponytail. Considering her appearance and attitude, it was like Louise was looking at the opposite of Agnes.

Lunateresia had evergreen colored wavy hair and matching eyes and was the shortest of the three knights, but not by much. With the limited interaction she has had with the third knight, Louise concluded that she qualified as the 'Team Mom' as Cirno put it one time.

"Ilfriede! What did I tell you about speaking with respect?" Helgarose scolded her fellow knight, who deftly used Lunateresia as a shield. Considering the smoothness of the movement that the blonde haired knight did, Louise inferred that this sort of thing has happened before.

'Louise? Are you there?' Yuka's voice pulled Louise out of her thoughts and she quickly tapped her ear piece to respond while the knights were...distracted.

'This is Snake.' Louise grimaced after she unconsciously used that strange code name again. She didn't really intend to do so but it somehow simply felt...right...to do that.

'...did you hit your head at some point? Ruukoto never reported that you were hurt though.' Louise growled and effectively facepalmed at her familiar's words.

'I'm fine, Yuka. We're helping with the evacuations and are currently split up. The Princess assigned members of the Musketeer Squadron to protect us just in case. There are three with me right now but they're currently...preoccupied.' Louise explained her current situation as she watched Lunateresia calmly tried to facilitate peace between her two fellow knights.

'Very well. Just so you know, the source of the anomaly turns out to be the undead reconstructed corpse of your former fiancé and his mount. They were literally attached together by the hip and were likely revived by the Ring of Advari and were magically augmented to be able to use spells far more powerful than what Wardes was originally supposed to be capable of. By the way, he's headed there right now and Ruukoto is asking if it can intercept it directly since sniping it isn't really working.' Yuka's sudden, unexpected, and downright absurd information dump caught Louise so off guard that there was only one way she could respond coherently.

'What?' Was her response.

'The revived undead abomination that was once your fiancé is headed to Tarbes. I'm a bit busy with all the ships and Red Dragon Knights shooting at me so I can't get there in time to prevent Wardes from reaching the village. Ruukoto is asking if it can intercept it even though it will reveal its existence to just about everyone there.' Yuka deadpanned and Louise could swear that she heard screaming from the other end of their communique.

'Umm...sure...Ruukoto!' Louise called out to her gynoid.

'Fuga.' Who responded immediately. Louise grimaced at the fact that she still couldn't understand a word the robot-maid says.

'Yuka...' Louise deadpanned as she prompted her familiar to translate.

'She's simply acknowledging your call.' Yuka responded. Louise was about to speak when she noticed that the knights with her were already done with their little argument.

'Hang on...' Louise whispered before tapping her 'Hey-Listen' and turning toward the three members of the Musketeer Squadron.

"Dame Valliere," Helgarose called out to Louise. The apparently most serious of the three knights called out to the young Void mage.

"Ilfriede and Lunateresia are finished with their assignments so we are all done in this area. What would you have us do now Dame Valliere?" Louise blinked a few times at the question. She stared at Helgarose for a few moments before glancing at the other two knights. Louise couldn't really believe it but...were they waiting on her orders?

"Umm...can you please clarify what you meant by that Dame Falkenmayer?" The young Void mage let the question roll out as calmly as she possibly could. Yuka has pointed out repeatedly that she tended to suddenly lose composure when put on a spot by other people and it was starting to show. Louise gulped unconsciously when she noticed Helgarose's eyebrow twitch. For some insane reason, Louise was starting to compare Helgarose with her elder sister Eleanor.

"Jeez~! Stop scaring the poor girl Helga~" Louise let out the breath she didn't know she was holding when Ilfriede spoke out. Helgarose glared at the blonde knight but she ignored it and walked up to Louise before taking her hands into her own.

"Don't worry about Helga. She's strict but she just wanted you to know that we're here to support you." The oddly cheery knight said to Louise with a smile that reminded her of her other elder sister Cattleya. Louise glanced back at Helgarose when the woman let out an audible sigh.

"Ilfriede is right. We saw what you did for the sake of the commoners of Tarbes, how you even stood up to Princess Henrietta just to be able to help with the evacuations. Now we understand why the Princess always speaks so highly of you." Louise could only shake her head weakly at the words that the green haired knight told her. Her hair and her mannerisms reminded her of her tutor Matilda and how much Louise missed and worried for the woman.

"It is rare for nobility to speak their minds like that, especially against the Princess and even more so if it is for the benefit of commoners. Although, I suppose that it is possible for a Valliere." Helgarose nonchalantly pointed out as she gave the young woman a sideward glance.

"You have our support, so please use us as you see fit Dame Valliere." Lunateresia added as if to assure Louise with her words.

"...Louise." The strawberry-blonde stated as she looked at each of them in the eye, a familiar kind of fire started burning in her eyes.

"Call me Louise, all my friends do." The young Void mage continued with a smile but she still had that fire in her eyes. She had already steeled herself to help protect the village of Tarbes ever since she said those words to Princess Henrietta. Although, actually being acknowledged for that gave her a strange feeling of accomplishment. A feeling she rarely had experienced in her life until recently, a rather novel feeling indeed!

That was when she heard Ilfiede go 'Kyaaaaa~' and gave her a big hug. Yep. Definitely like Chii-nee-sama...

"You're so adorable~! I wish I had a little sister like you~" The blonde knight exclaimed. Louise was struggling against the loving embrace of the older woman when she noticed the tell tale crackling of her ear piece before she heard Yuka's voice.

'Louise, are you still there? Ruukoto is asking to confirm its orders.' Yuka reminded her that she was still supposed to tell her gynoid her decision on what to do about the 'Magical Anomaly'. Louise managed to struggle enough out of Ilfriede's grip to get her arm free to be able to activate her 'Hey-Listen'. She didn't really know how she's going to talk her way out of this one but she had a very strange feeling that the three knights she was with could be trusted. With that in mind, she spoke.

'Ruukoto! Intercept and use whatever you have to stop Viscount Wardes! Protect your village of Tarbes, Steel Goddess!' Louise yelled out, surprising the three knights that were with her. Thankfully, that meant that she was finally able to free herself from the blonde knight's grasp.

"Ummm...is everything alright, Louise? Are you feeling sick?" Louise ignored Lunateresia's worried voice and focused of her gynoid's response. After a long moment the same strange but soothing sound of one of Ruukoto's abilities came into her ear.

'Understood. Commencing armed intervention.' Ruukoto calmly stated after activating her 'White Noise' ability.

"I'm preparing our defense." Louise absentmindedly answered Lunateresia's question.

"Defense? For what?" Helgarose asked sternly. That was when they all heard a high pitched noise coming from the sky. They all turned in the direction where it came from and was rewarded with a sound of an explosion from on high.

"...that." Louise answered simply as the three members of the Musketeer Squadron still had varied looks of shock.

...

Battle

That one word encompassed the reason for her existence.

Two times she was struck down by monsters that threatened to destroy all life on that world.

Three times she was rebuilt to continue the fight.

The first time was because her first body was too damaged to be repaired after she arrived in that world.

The second time was because her second body gave out from the constant fighting.

The third time was because her third body was destroyed after trying to accomplish something beyond her capabilities.

Only after she received her fourth and current body did Professor Uzuki impose her 'Prime Directives'. Those directives were the reason why she was nearly part of the annihilation of that world along with Professor Uzuki. Only by the overriding order of that woman was she able to escape her doom alongside everyone else.

'Live on after our end. This is your life now, so decide for yourself. You need to choose what you wish to protect with your own hands, what to discard, and what to take with you.'

Those were the last words that Professor Uzuki said to her before she was shut in her capsule. She still has that video of the professor's final order and farewell archived and backed up in multiple storage mediums. She would not forget. She would never forget. That woman...and that world.

She was sent off into a rift in space and time after all the people there left and ended up in the place where she would eventually call home for the next few decades. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the machine ended up taking a few more things along with her...like the hangar she was in at the time.

She was awakened by a man who would eventually become Siesta's grandfather and by 'that person'. She acted upon the final order of the woman that gave her a reason to continue her existence and offered her services to the man.

She was originally rather perplexed as to why both of them could understand her without the use of Professor Uzuki's complicated translation software that was installed on her 'White Noise' and 'Level Six Shift' systems. However, when the man and 'that person' explained, she stoically accepted their word and continued on to become the local legendary goddess.

And now...

'Understood. Commencing armed intervention.' Ruukoto acknowledged Louise's order and recalled her R-Cannon in favor of weapons more suited for short to medium range combat.

_R-Blade_

_G-Revolver_

Her left arm turned into the familiar blue double-edged blade that has ended threats large and small for those under her protection.

The empty space in her right hand flashed white before dissipating. In its place was a large white revolver that had six chambers. Each bullet was engineered and designed to be able to punch through steel like it was wet cardboard.

The gynoid flexed her wings and determined the most effective interception vector before launching herself at the threat.

Battle

That was once her reason for existing. However, one woman gave her an order that let her choose her own life. Now, there was one thing in her mind.

Once again, the Steel Goddess of Tarbes flew to protect those who needed her.

'Alert for Tabitha. Please remain out of combat airspace while this Ruukoto version four unit is engaged with the enemy.' Ruukoto noted to the young Chevalier who was still riding her Dragon above Tarbes.

'Done. Good luck.' The wind mage responded. Satisfied with the conditions, Ruukoto flew faster until it finally made contact that was punctuated with the sound of a concussive blast.

To say that Wardes really didn't expect this was an understatement...

...

"Really?" I asked in deadpan as yet another one of those silly Red Dragon Knights tried to have his mount bite my head off. I mean...after all the death my other half and I caused, you'd think that they would take a hint.

Apparently, logic was not their strong point as I backhanded another Red Dragon for what was the seventh time now. My other half was still having her fun when I noticed that some of the attacks that were being directed at me by the Albion ships were being redirected elsewhere. I gave a thoughtful hum before making my way in the direction where the cannon fire was being concentrated at. I raised a brow when I noticed a familiar magical aura coming from one of the larger ships. I raised the other brow when I finally saw who it was.

There, in the middle of the deck, surrounded by six griffin knights that had clothing similar to Wardes', was the exiled prince of Albion: Wales Tudor.

"Boss! We have a big problem!" One of the griffin knights suddenly yelled out while pointing at me with his sword. He looked young, around Jessica's age I assumed. The rest of them, as well as Wales, turned as one to where the young knight was at me.

"Sir Kazami! You...you were what the Sixty-Sixth reported?" The exiled Albion prince exclaimed in both surprise and horror. Surprise was understandable but I was wondering about the horror part. I blinked a few times and realized the cause of the prince's distress. I looked down at my current state of self and concluded that, yes, having splattered human and dragon blood on you could be considered intimidating to some. I gave out a tired sigh at the mess that I made of myself. Very messy. Although it was a small price to pay because of all the fun I had prior, and all the fun my other half was having still.

"The 'Sixty-Sixth' you speak off, I assume, are those knights who are with you right now, yes?" I asked casually while noticing that the red griffin of one of the knights was starting to get rather shaken. A familiar of its rider I supposed.

"Easy there Quattro..." The rider of the steadily panicking griffin tried to calm the beast down after sensing its distress. The rest of them looked fine so they must not be familiars and were just regular mounts.

"Yes, they reported of two unknowns who were constantly being attacked by the Albion Red Dragon Knight Corps. I never imagined that one of them would be you, Sir Kazami. What are you doing here?" Prince Wales explained warily before he asked his question, the six knights eyed me carefully as well. They were well disciplined. If they already knew what I was capable of, then they should already know that I was more than capable of ending their lives.

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard the whistling sound of a cannon ball streaking across the sky. I tightened the grip on my parasol before turning around and winding up like one of those players from that game...baseball was it? In any case, I saw the cannon ball head right for me and smiled before using my parasol to send it careening into one of the Albion ships. Probably not the one that fired it but, oh well. I turned back to the prince and his bodyguards and saw that they all had very shocked expressions.

I've been getting a lot of those lately...I just hoped that Louise hasn't been doing anything to draw too much attention to herself.

"I keep telling you that you can simply call me Yuka instead of something like 'Sir Kazami' or something equally as silly." I reminded the prince with a lazy wave of my hand. Honestly, I have no interest in meaningless titles such as that. Silly humans...

"To answer your question though," I continued while lowering myself to the ship's deck. I tried to flick away some of the blood that was on my hands and on my parasol but it seemed that the liquid once again continues to show how annoying it can be when you want to get rid of it.

"A certain member of my master's group detected a certain magical anomaly that was particularly large moving in the direction of the village of Tarbes. My master being the person that she is, insisted for us to do something about it...and here we ar-" My explanation was interrupted once again when a random soldier on the ship suddenly shouted...

"The Raddish is going down!" Said random soldier exclaimed.

"Shit! Time's up!" One of the knights that were accompanying Prince Wales barked out. The other five of them reacted immediately and took to the air on their mounts.

"Your Highness! We need to go! Now!" The same night exclaimed to Wales with an obvious tone of urgency.

"Sir Kazami...Yuka...I came here to try to convince my countrymen to stop this foolishness and cease all hostilities." The prince said grimly, ignoring the scar faced knight. I shook my head and gave him a sardonic smile before folding my arms and leaning back.

"Not as planned?" I asked the rhetorical question.

"Quite." The exiled prince responded while wincing.

"Prince Wales! We need to leave! Now!" The scar faced knight yelled out with more force than before, even going so far as to grab the prince's arm and try to pull him onto his griffin. As if to give him more incentive, the whole ship rocked after it was apparently hit with cannon fire from one of the many Albion warships that were still in the fight.

"Go. I'll do something about the Albion Armada." I stated before taking to the sky myself.

"Will you continue to kill my countrymen?" Prince Wales Tudor asked me seriously as he sat behind the scar faced knight on the griffin. I barked out a laugh as I noticed the tell tale sign of my other half continuing her rampage.

"My...our...objective in coming here was to protect Tarbes from whatever was approaching it. So long as the Albion Armada intends to mow down that village in their path to conquest of the country of Tristain...I will continue to keep killing them until none are left." I clearly stated before giving the prince and the knight the sadistic smile that I became legendary for.

"Look around~! Have a listen~! Take in the fragrance~! Man and beast killing each other ruthlessly for the sake of victory~! I kill to protect a helpless village from being wiped off the map~! Now tell me Prince Wales Tudor~" I pointed out gleefully while spreading my arms wide to gesture the massive fleet battle that was still going on.

"Who is the sane one in this situation~?" I asked him with a playful shrug. The young man didn't look like he had an answer to that.

...

"Hng!" Ruukoto grunted as she spun away from another tornado spell that was launched by the undead Viscount. She blinked as the tornado suddenly changed direction and once again tried to hit the gynoid.

"Homing properties of spells confirmed. Assume that all spells from target have the same potential." Ruukoto muttered to herself as she flipped in mid-air to avoid the oncoming tornado. Several feathers separated from her wings as she expertly grazed the spell. The gynoid twisted her body to be able to get a bead on her opponent using the G-Revolver. She fired a round as soon as she locked onto her target but the Viscount was already moving at that point and was barely able to avoid the high caliber round from hitting its shoulder.

Moving. Always moving. Never letting the opponent effectively track it.

Ruukoto begrudgingly admitted to herself that her foe knew how to fight aerial battles well. If she had all her equipment and abilities available, then this wouldn't even be a fight. Unforunately, that was not the case.

"Continuing to engage." The gynoid said to no one in particular as she flew in closer. She performed a barrel roll while firing from her G-Revolver to make herself a harder target and to force her for into defense. That tactic proved effective as the abomination was forced to rely on weaker spells to counter her attacks. Ruukoto was easily able to identify, lock on, and cut away the razor wind spells that were launched at her using her R-Blade.

The abomination finally realized that it was in danger and quickly started to perform evasive maneuvers. Ruukoto was on its tail in pursuit even as the Undead Viscount Wardes jinked left and right to try to shake her off.

The robot maid continued pursuit even while she was mechanically reloading her weapon. Locked and loaded, she raised the revolver before firing shots intended to corner her target and limit its maneuvering options.

"Hm!" Ruukoto suddenly lowered her revolver in favor of her arm blade when the Viscount suddenly tucked and rolled its lower half, forcing the griffin part of his body to face her. Normally, at the kind of speeds that they were going, such a move would have quickly killed the griffin and its rider.

'One of the advantages of being undead' Ruukoto mentally noted the maneuver for future reference even as the undead griffin opened its beak and let loose its own tornado spell.

"Note: Griffin head shows spell casting abilities. Assume it can cast other spells aside from tornado as well." Ruukoto muttered to herself as she used the R-Blade in her left arm as a fulcrum to spin away from the point of contact with the sudden magical attack. The half-second given by the unexpected distraction was enough for the undead abomination to perform a rolling dive straight down. Ruukoto quickly pursued her target and opened up a channel to everyone still at Tarbes when she noticed where her target was headed.

'Alert! Hostile is performing high-speed dive onto Tarbes immediate airspace! Miss Tabitha, perform evasive maneuvers at once. Mistress Louise, please brace for the sonic boom. Danger close.' Ruukoto yelled out as she continued to catch up to her foe.

'Understood.' Was Tabitha's only reply, which was enough of a response from the Gallian Chevalier. Louise on the other hand...

...

"Sonic boom? What the founder is that?" Louise asked out loud, a bit worriedly when she considered the urgent tone that her gynoid was using.

"Louise?" Helgarose called out to the young Void mage when she noticed that she was seemingly talking to herself again. Louise and the three knights were making their way back to the village square, where Princess Henrietta had set up a temporary command center, when Ruukoto's sudden alert came. Louise's eyes went wide when a very bad feeling washed over her. It was one of the many things that she had eventually developed during her training in Mugenkan with both Yuka and Cirno. It was her awareness to things that could potentially do her harm...and Yuka had made sure that particular skill was as sharp as possible.

"Everyone get down!" Louise yelled out to the three knights. They looked at her in surprise but they haven't been in the personal service of Princess Henrietta for nothing.

"Down!" Lunarteresia repeated Louise's words and dropped down on the ground after she saw how grave the young woman's expression was. The rest of them followed suit just in time for Wardes and Ruukoto to fly overhead at rooftop level at ridiculous speeds, taking out a several roof tiles from nearby buildings in the process. All four of them raised their heads at the same time, only to duck back down when they all heard and felt a shockwave a few seconds later.

"By Brimir's beard! What was that? Is it Albion?" Ilfriede yelled out as she and her two comrades quickly stood up once the shockwaves ended. Despite the obvious panic in her voice, the blonde knight still maintained the discipline that befitted her status. All three of them instinctively formed a defensive perimeter around Louise with their respective pistols drawn and were already looking around for any possible threats.

"Only one of them, the other one is one of ours. We need to get to the princess!" Louise answered the Ilfriede's question while tugging on Helgarose's mantle.

"What are you talking about Louise?" The blue haired knight asked after glancing at the younger woman.

"I'll explain later! Please, just trust me!" Louise pleaded with Helgarose but not out of panic, but out of urgency. This was not lost on the knight and she placed her hand on Louise's shoulder.

"Alright, we'll trust you Louise. But just so you know, we get really uncomfortable whenever we're out of the loop. Doubly so if its something serious like this." Helgarose pointed out, to which Lunateresia and Ilfriede nooded along with. While their duty sometimes demanded them to follow orders without knowing the reasons why, it didn't mean that they liked those orders.

"Don't worry, you'll probably find out anyway." Louise said as she and the three knights made their way back to the village square. Helgarose took the lead while Ilfriede and Lunateresia flanked Louise. All three of them still had their pistols drawn and were on high alert as they walked.

"Are you sure about that little miss?" Derflinger piped up from Louise's back when it noticed that she was about to contact her friends. The three knights didn't seem too phased about the talking sword since Derflinger already made its sentience known while they were still evacuating the villagers in the area they were assigned to. Louise didn't give a second thought about keeping their communication system a secret anymore, she was worried about her friends. She ignored Derflinger and tapped on her ear piece.

'Is everyone okay?' Louise asked, earning glances from the three knights. Derflinger gave an audible sigh before doing another one of its sword-shrugs.

"We'll explain later." The six-thousand year old magic sword stated for the benefit of the knights before slipping back into its scabbard. Helgarose and the others looked at each other for a moment before nodding back to Louise and moving on.

'Sylphid is dizzy. Headed back to the village square.' Tabitha was the first to respond. Louse exhaled the breath that she didn't know she was holding when the young Gallian answered. She was particularly worried about Tabitha since she and her dragon, Sylphid, were in the sky when Ruukoto and the undead abomination that was once Viscount Wardes and his griffin passed by.

'Monmon and I are fine. A bit shaken from the sudden noise, but we are unharmed.' Guiche was the next one that answered. He insisted on accompanying Montmorency to another part of the village to help with the rest of the evacuations. The young woman was originally opposed to the idea but both Kirche and Louise made it a point that they really didn't have time to deal with the issue between the two lovers.

'What was that? Louise, are you alright? Are you hurt?' Speaking of Montmorency, Louise's closest friend asked her questions in quick succession. The young Void mage couldn't help but smile at her friend's words.

'I'm fine Monmon. Dame Falkenmayer and the others kept me safe. Viscount Wardes and Ruukoto were the one that caused that. I'll explain more later. Meet back at the village square, Tabitha is already on the way.' She replied and she could hear a sigh of relief coming from Montmorency.

"Hurgh..." Louise grunted after several moments of silence. There was still one more person that had yet to respond to her. She hated to admit it but...she was actually getting worried.

"By the nine hells!" Louise yelled out before tapping her ear piece one more time.

'Kirche! If you don't answer me, I swear I am going to cast Explosion on you until I can't speak anymore!' The petite strawberry-blonde haired girl roared out in a way that made the three knights with her take pause and stare.

"Is...is everything alright?" Lunateresia asked her tentatively. Louise gave her a quick glare that pretty much said 'not now'.

"Scary..." Ilfriede muttered before they continued on. Louise ignored them and waited for the Germanian to respond.

'I'm fine. Busy, really. If you were planning to confess your love to me, you should be more subtle about it Louise~! You can scream all you want once we get some time alone~' Kirche said in her trademark teasing tone, making Louise blush new shades of red.

'W-w-w-w-w-what? No...I refuse to play this game, we don't have time for this. Why didn't you respond at once?' Louise inquired with no small sense of annoyance.

'Ruukoto and Viscount Wardes took down a few parts of some buildings we were walking by and one of the people I'm with got hurt. We're on our way back but you guys will probably get there faster.' Kirche explained. Louise huffed, both in annoyance at Kirche and in relief to know that the red head was alright.

'Well don't do that again...' Louise muttered and she swore that she could hear Kirche smirk.

'Because you were worried about me~?' Louise decided to stop talking to Kirche at that point.

...

"Hm?" I raised a brow when I kept hearing a chirping sound in my ear. It took me a few more moments to realize that it was coming from the 'Hey-Listen'. That was...odd. If anyone wanted to reach me, they would usually just say what they wanted. I tossed away the severed arm of a magician that tried to cast some sort of ice magic at me a few moments ago before tapping on my ear piece.

'Yes? Who is this?' I answered the call as I leaned away from an oncoming cannonball.

'Hello? If this is a prank call, then it isn't a good one. You should have at least asked me to call out to someone with a name that would sound obscene like I.C. Weener or E. Jack-Yulation.' I noted when I recalled those old pranks that Rumia used to pull on the residents of Gensokyo whenever she was bored.

'You claim to fight for the sake of the village of Tarbes, do you not Sanctuary?' A distorted voice of undeterminable gender spoke out, it was like listening to thousands of people speaking at the same time. Additionally, it was a distorted voice of undeterminable gender that was referring me in the way that the Embodiment of Water did.

'Who are you? What do you mean when you refer to me as Sanctuary? What do you know of the situation?' I quickly asked the mystery speaker as I deflected another cannon ball using my closed parasol. I made an annoyed grunt before letting go of the 'Hey-Listen' for a bit.

"Come over here." I stated to the open sky. The command was intended for my other half and she quickly appeared behind me.

"Someone or something has contacted me. I'm trying to find out more about what it knows. Deal with any annoyances until I'm done." I stated while glancing back to my double who gave her usual demented smile before flicking her hair back and giving me a playful salute.

"My pleasure~" My other half stated. I nodded to her and handed her my parasol. She beamed at the gesture and gleefully took it and tested out a few swordsmanship moves while dual-wielding parasols. It seemed that the knowledge that I gained in terms of using a sword because of the Gandalfr runes also applied to my other half. I've never really had to use any real amount of skill in swordsmanship since it wasn't my style, but my double was always up to try new ways of inflicting violence. I nodded to her once more before turning my attention back to my mystery caller.

'I'm still waiting for an answer.' I pointed out to whoever it was that was contacting me.

'If you wish to keep the village of Tarbes safe, the lives of Prince Wales Tudor, Princess Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia and Princess Henrietta de Tristain must be preserved. This is the primary condition to be able to achieve the best outcome in this situation. The three heirs to the thrones must not die.' The mysterious voice gave me an answer, just not the answer to the question I was asking it.

Wait...

'Who is Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia? I know of no one with this name.' I asked the mystery voice. Was there yet another royal that was in hiding in Tarbes? Was this princess a political hostage of sorts? All was silent save for the sounds of battle and the joyous laughter of my other half whenever someone tried their luck and attacked us.

'Preserve the lives of the three heirs. Destroy the perverse mockery of life. Find a way for the prince of the floating country to speak with his people. Do these things and you will achieve the best outcome. We wish you luck, Sanctuary.' The voice stated before the line went dead.

'Wait! What are you? What do you know? Answer me!' I roared out but no further answers came. I snarled at the gall of whatever it was that spoke to me. Not because it refused to answer me, but because it clearly knew more than anyone else did...far more...

Mind games...I HATE mind games if I was directly involved in them. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"Still, the entity clearly wanted me to accomplish the defense of Tarbes." I muttered as I mulled over the information that was presented to me.

The entity...'The Voice' provided three objectives that needed to be accomplished in order to achieve the 'Best Outcome', whatever that meant.

I had originally planned on simply hanging above the village of Tarbes along with Ruukoto and kill everything that came close to becoming a threat. However, it seemed that the plan is no longer the best option.

-Preserve the lives of the three heirs.

-Destroy the perverse mockery of life.

-Find a way for the prince of the floating country to speak with his people.

Those were the things that needed to be done. 'The Voice' referred to the three heirs by name. Prince Wales Tudor, Princess Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia and Princess Henrietta de Tristain. Wales and Henrietta I already knew. However, I have never heard of anyone by the name of Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia...much less a princess. From her name though, I supposed that she was the princess of the country of Gallia. If so...what was she doing in Tristain?

The 'Perverse Mockery of Life' was obvious as well. 'The Voice' was clearly referring to the undead abomination that was Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. That was fine, I was going to destroy that thing regardless anyway. Besides, Ruukoto seemed to be fighting it right now.

The last objective was the strangest one. What would be accomplished if Wales spoke to the men of the Albion Armada? Then I remembered something that the prince said when we met earlier. He was there to try to convince his countrymen to stand down and cease the invasion of Tristain.

"How bothersome..." I muttered because of how absurd the whole thing was when you take a step back and look at things objectively. After all, I was effectively taking advice from something that I had no knowledge of. It could be a trap...or worse...if could be all true and there really is something out here that had intimate knowledge about this realm and could hack into Ruukoto's communication network.

Wait...what am I doing?

'I have a question...' I stated after opening up a communication link to Louise and the others.

'Does the name Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia sound familiar?' I asked. After all, if this person really was a princess, then someone must have heard of her. I was particularly waiting for Tabitha's response since the young magician was apparently from Gallia originally.

'Second daughter of the previous king of Gallia. Exiled and missing after the assassination of the king and the ascension of his brother to the throne. Current whereabouts are...unknown.' As expected, it was Tabitha who answered immediately. So it really was another exiled royal then? How cliché...

'I heard about that, but didn't official report say that the previous king died from an illness didn't he?' Monmon piped up after Tabitha finished.

'That's right. The Gallian royal family said that the previous king suffered heart failure and passed away after appointing his brother, Joseph de Gallia, as the new king. It was said that the reason why was because the previous king thought that his daughter, Princess Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia was too young to rule effectively and because his wife, the queen, suffered from emotional trauma from the previous king's passing.' Louise elaborated on Monmon's point.

'That...was rather detailed, Louise.' Guiche couldn't help but point that out after all the information my master just provided.

'My~! I didn't expect Louise to be quite the gossiper~' Kirche once more used the open opportunity to once again start teasing Louise.

'Quiet Kirche! It was an important foreign event! My family always made it a point for me to know about those things because we are nobility! We have to know those things!' Louise shot back and I was sure that this would devolve into another one of their rounds of bickering.

'No!' Tabitha suddenly cut into the conversation again with a very unusual show of emotion. In fact, I was pretty sure that she was angry right now.

'The previous king of Gallia was murdered. The queen was given a poison that caused her mind to break down, poison that was meant for her daughter. Princess Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia was sent into exile because she threatened the rule of the current king due to her bloodline. Joseph Gaul is not the rightful king of Gallia.' Tabitha bit out each sentence with as much vehemence and hate as Fujiwara no Mokou once did whenever she spoke of her old feud with the Lunarian Princess Kaguya Houraisan before they finally got over it a century ago.

'...Tabitha.' Kirche called out to her best friend. The redhead's voice was tinged with worry for the young Gallian.

'...are all royal families in this realm trying to kill each other? That isn't a particularly good way to govern a country. Although, I am intrigued as to how you can say such a thing for certain, Tabitha. Your words are quite dangerous if my knowledge of monarchical government is correct.' I flatly stated before pointing out what Tabitha had just said. Really, a Monarchy was bad enough...but a Magocratic Monarchy? Such a thing was just asking for trouble.

'I am Gallian.' Tabitha stated in a way that was...beyond doubt.

'Well, I can guarantee that the Tristain royal family isn't like that.' Louise proudly stated, no doubt speaking for the sake of Princess Henrietta once again. Of course, I was rather certain that Tristain had its fair share of skeletons in the closet.

'Why did you bring that up anyway, Darling~? How did you even know the name of a missing Gallian princess that no one has heard from for years anyway~?' Kirche brought up a serious question in her usual teasing manner.

'That is a very good question, Kirche. Rest assured that I will be more than happy to answer it once things calm down. On another note, where is Ruukoto right now? Can any of you see it? Tabitha?' I dodged the question and inquired about the member of our little party who was fighting Wardes.

'Unknown. I'm grounded at the village square with the others. Sylphid got dizzy after Ruukoto and Viscount Wardes passed above the village.' Tabitha stated. I made a thoughtful sound and was to ask something else when I heard the sound of an explosion in the distance.

'Never mind...I think I found them.' I stated before looking back to my other half, who was in the middle of skewering a pair of magicians with her two parasols.

...

"Hm!" Ruukoto grunted as she was forced back because of the undead Viscount's counterattack.

The gynoid was able to finally figure out the attack patterns that the former griffin knight was using and used it to her advantage. After a series of aerial acrobatics, she was able to get in close and try to a G-Revolver shot at point blank range. She was almost successful too. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the utility of having an undead griffin for the lower half of one's body.

She was about to fire the shot but the griffin part of Wardes got in the way and managed to take a swipe at Ruukoto with its claws. Ruukoto was still able to get the shot off but it missed Wardes' head and only managed to take out his wide brimmed hat. Wardes quickly reacted and used its runed lances to cast a pair of tornado spells...which he aimed directly between the two lances. The sudden explosion of wind magic that followed was a result of Wardes crossing the streams -the tornadoes- instead of simply casting a double tornado spell.

Ruukoto dismissed both of her weapons after judging them ineffective against her current foe in the current situation. Both the R-Blade and G-Revolver were more than powerful enough to destroy the abomination but it kept making clever use of positioning and combat prowess in order to prevent Ruukoto from landing a direct hit. So...Ruukoto decided to take a page from Yuka's book instead.

_Arondight_

The gynoid declared her new weapon of choice and reached over her right shoulder with her right hand. Flashes of light erupted from her back as she pulled something from her personal dimensional storage unit or 'Holding Bag' as Professor Uzuki once called it. Ruukoto pulled out the blue sword before flicking her wrist to unfold the weapon and activate the pink beam edge in one smooth motion.

"I am Ruukoto. Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. I am the sword that smites the foes of my mistress." She stated in her usual motherly voice whenever she uses 'White Noise' mode while pointing the Anti-Material Sword at the undead Viscount.

For several tense moments, neither combatant moved. Ruukoto simply kept pointing Arondight at the undead while the abomination glared at her from a distance. A slight flinch from Ruukoto's wings was enough to set them both off. They launched themselves at each other like a pair of knights who were about to joust. Ruukoto kept her sword leveled and pointing at Wardes while her foe had his arms held out wide which made his two lances point to the side.

The two of them were about to crash into one another when Ruukoto performed a barrel roll. The gynoid used the momentun from the spin in order to swing Arondight down at Wardes without slowing down. The massive blue great sword made a low humming noise as she swung the weapon.

The abomination reacted immediately and performed its counter-maneuver. Wardes leaned down onto its lower half and crossed his runed lances above him before casting a wind shield spell right before Ruukoto's sword hit. Wardes used the wind shield as a buffer in order to protect itself from any damage. It also used the force of the blow to help it perform its own spin to avoid any immediate follow up attacks from its foe. The whole thing lasted for only a couple of seconds.

The first strike ended up ineffective and both combatants were already flying away from one another to prepare for another charge. After a certain distance, both of them suddenly turned around to face each other.

_G-Revolver_

Ruukoto quickly called out and her pistol materialized in her left hand. The gynoid grasped her weapon before locking onto Wardes and firing all six rounds successively at the abomination. Her foe had the same idea and had already cast six lances made of wind before launching them at Ruukoto at the same time. The rounds from the G-Revolver managed to take out four of the wind lances before the remaining projectiles continued to their respective targets.

Again, both of them were already charging at each other as soon as they were done with their attacks. Ruukoto easily managed to graze-dodge the remaining wind lances as she dismissed her pistol while speeding across the sky. Wardes simply avoided the oncoming rounds from the G-Revolver and continued its charge toward the gynoid. Ruukoto held Arondight's grip with both hands and kept the sword at the ready on her right side. Wardes was charging at her with the lance in its left hand extended right at her while the one on the right was pulled back for a follow up strike.

Another explosion in mid-air indicated their clash.

...

"How many of these guys are there?" Stephan complained out loud after creating another wall of water in order to block the continued relentless attempts by the Albion Red Dragon Knight Corps to burn them to cinders.

"Guh!" Red grunted as he pulled his mount into another sudden jink to the left in order to avoid the claws of a Red Dragon that tried to ambush him from below.

The Sixty-Sixth were trying to get Prince Wales Tudor to one of their remaining large ships that was still in fighting form. Unfortunately, the battleship 'Challenger' was at the rear of the battlefield as one of the reserve ships Admiral Sidney Meier la Highwind intended to use for the 'Glorious Tristain Counter-Offensive'. Obviously, the battles did not go the way the commander of the Tristain fleet had anticipated because of the inexplicable numbers off the Red Dragon Knight Corps and the sudden appearance of the former captain of the Sixty-Sixth.

"Don't stop moving! Go! Go! Go!" Trombe barked out from the front of the formation. They were using a spearhead formation with Trombe at the front. Larry and Stephan formed the second tier while Red and Char formed the third tier. Scarface was in the center of the 'V' formation because he was the one carrying Prince Wales.

"We've got incoming! Low and right!" Char yelled out. When he saw something headed right for them at high speeds.

"Dragon Knight or Jaques?" Scarface asked as he glanced in the direction where Char spotted the new contact.

"Neither! It's that crazy Unknown and one other!" Larry was the one who responded as he was at the same side of the formation as Char.

"What should we do boss?" The former 'Solo-Wing' asked his captain, who grit his teeth and looked like he didn't know how to answer that question.

Wales turned his head to the same direction when he heard what the knight said. The prince saw Yuka and someone who looked a lot like him fly in their direction.

"Your Highness!" Scarface called out to Wales while maintaining his gaze at the oncoming Unknowns.

"What is it Captain Falcone?" Wales responded. Scarface considered the question for a moment before finally asking it anyway.

"That one Unknown seemed like he knows you. Can we trust him or not?" Scarface asked the prince. The captain of the Sixty-Sixth wasn't really sure what the situation was between the prince and that green-haired man, but he doesn't want to fight anything he didn't have to. After all, he and his squadron still had Wardes to deal with.

"Yes. He and his master have saved my life once before and I can guarantee that he is an ally of Princess Henrietta as well." Prince Wales stated immediately. Despite the state he last saw Yuka, Wales still could never deny the man's actions back at Albion. Of course, saying that he was an ally of Henrietta might have been saying too much. After all, Yuka's loyalty seemed to lie soley with Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere.

Regardless, Wales' impression of Yuka was that he was a man who would not participate in acts of slaughter and genocide as if it was merely some form of entertainment for him. That there was a reason for him to have that much blood on him when they reunited earlier.

Yuka seemed too noble to be a monster.

...

It took a bit of flying around and killing everyone who got in our way to finally find Prince Wales in the middle of this battlefield in the sky. I had my other half return my parasol to me before we set off to look for the Albion prince. I originally tried to track him by sensing his magic signature since I remembered what his felt like when I saw him earlier. Unfortunately, there was so much magic and death everywhere that I couldn't get a decent reading for it. Thankfully, I was finally able to spot him and his escorts after rounding a burning Tristain vessel. My double and I flew right at the prince and the Griffin Knights protecting him as they struggled to shake off pursuers.

"Deal with them." I told my other half while pointing at the Red Dragon Knights, who were hot on the prince's tail, with my parasol. My other half didn't need to reply and simply flew right at the Red Dragon Knights to begin her fun. I flew closer to the griffin knight formation and raised a brow when they didn't attack me...they didn't even try to fly away, despite my earlier performance.

"Hello." I gave the closest knight a simple greeting with a wave of my hand. The young knight, the one with the red feathered mount, simply blinked at me a few times before waving back. I suddenly felt a strange enchantment cast upon me before I heard one of them speak.

"This is Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone of the Sixty-Sixth Squadron of the Sixth Order of the Tristain Griffin Knights. I just cast a wind enchantment on you that will allow you to directly communicate with me, Prince Wales Tudor, and the rest of my squadron. The prince seems to trust you but forgive me if I find myself hesitant to do the same. You didn't exactly give a great first impression." The scar faced knight spoke out to me. I gave a laugh at his words since I agreed with him.

"Quite understandable, Sir Falcone. You said you were the Sixty-Sixth, yes? Then you know of Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes?" I asked him and chuckled to myself when I saw him and the other knights flinch.

"Judging from your reactions, I also assume that you know what he and his mount have become." I added and smiled when I saw him glare at me.

"We know what Jaques tried to do in Albion...Prince Waless told us the truth. And from what you said, you seem to know quite a bit yourself...Sir..." The scar faced knight bitterly stated before pausing when he was about to address me.

"Yuka Kazami. Simply call me Yuka, I hate it when people address me with titles that mean nothing to me." I offered and the man nodded in understanding.

"If I may, Yuka." I heard Prince Wales speak.

"Yes?" I acknowledged with a raised brow.

"Who is that other person who is with you? Your sister perhaps?" The young man asked while glancing back to where my other half was dealing with the Red Dragon Knights with a smile.

"I am she. She is I. We are one. If it makes it easier for you, you can simply think of her as a representation of what I was before." I answered him with one of my malicious smiles. The exiled prince stared at me with a confused expression before looking back to where my other half was ripping off the head of an Albion knight before tossing the body at one of the other knights.

"I'm starting to question his highness' judge of character..." I heard one of the griffin knights mutter, the one with the red hair.

"Shut it, Red!" I heard the scar faced man reprimanded the younger knight.

"Moving on. I have recently been told of the best way to be able end this little conflict. It just so happened that the survival of Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta are required for this." I said before giving out a small sigh when I remembered that I trusted a disembodied voice of all things.

"Henrietta is here? I asked her to stay at the capital for her own safety!" Wales suddenly yelled out at the knowledge that her beloved Henrietta was so close to danger.

"Obviously she did not listen to you…or she listened but went anyway. This is her country after all. Regardless, she came to Tarbes along with a small army to help with the evacuation. I assume that since everyone believes this an invasion, then the opposing force has troop carriers as well, yes?" I explained before confirming something that I had noticed while flying around the battle searching for Wales. So far, all I have seen were battleships and mounted knights. However, I have yet to see any land forces taking any action on either side.

"That is correct. The armada is the vanguard for the invasion. I believe that they plan to take out Tristain's fleet before landing any foot soldiers to ensure that they are the sole owners of the sky." Wales explained as we continued our way to wherever those griffin knights were taking him. I blinked when I noticed my double's presence come closer. I glanced behind us and saw that she had a satisfied expression before she finally caught up and took her place at my side.

"Already done? What happened to our pursuers?" I asked my other half with a raised brow. Normally, she would do as I would in a situation like this. Kill everything that tries to harm her.

"What happened? 'I' happened~!" She responded with a sly grin and a wink. My other half seemed to have stopped after she took out the Red Dragon Knights that were in pursuit of Wales.

"Taking a break. This is nice and all, but I want to play with little Wardes and his pet again~" She further stated her intentions and I could not help but sigh.

"You've had your turn. Wardes has things I want him to suffer for personally and I wish to do so without any interference." I clearly stated and my double pouted at me since she clearly did not find my words agreeable.

Yes, I was having an argument with myself on which one of us gets to kill Wardes.

"No chance. Jaques is ours to kill." Both my double and I raised a brow each when the scar faced knight suddenly spoke up.

"I don't know what your beef with Jaques is and I don't really care. He's our responsibility and we'll be the ones to take him down." The man stated while levelling a glare at me. I could sense the magic power of the knight and his subordinates spike up at that statement.

"I assume that you and Wardes have had some history?" I asked the man and heard him growl.

"The Sixty-Sixth was Captain Wardes' squadron, Yuka. They didn't know about his intentions when he went to Albion and they certainly didn't like what he did." Wales was the one who answered in behalf of the seething men. I see, it seemed that Wardes' subordinates were carrying the burden of being once led by a traitor.

"I understand. However, you will not stop me, knight. Wardes is mine. He may have betrayed you. He may have spat on everything you and your fellow knights stood for. He may have turned his back on his country. However, he manipulated, harmed and broke the heart of my master. I will see that debt paid in full and crush all in my way." I clearly said while letting my aura of terror slip through. I could hear my other half whistle and clap her hands at my words. The rest of them didn't share my enthusiasm.

"Wait…" A new voice suddenly spoke up. I then saw the knight in the red griffin turn back to me with an expression that was close to confused and surprised.

"Does that mean that your master is…Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere?" The knight asked me in a way where he seemed to doubt the question himself.

"And of what importance is that to you, knight?" I asked him with a raised brow. I didn't think that someone outside of Louise's family and her circle of friends knew about her previous relationship with Wardes.

"No…never mind…I just hope that she's fine. The Captain's betrayal hit us all pretty hard…I can't even begin to imagine what it might have been like for his fiancé." The knight said ruefully. It had been such a sincere statement that I was certain that he knew of Louise in some way. Perhaps Wardes spoke of his engagement with my master or something? Either way, I was not able to ask him about it as we seemed to have finally reached our destination.

"Looks like the Challenger is still good. We'll bring the prince there and guard that ship with our lives." The scarred knight said as we came closer to the battleship. It looked like it had sustained damage through the course of the battle but not nearly as much as the rest of the ships I've seen so far.

"Hans, what about Jaques?" I suddenly heard one of the knights ask. The scarred knight, Hans I supposed, remained silent for a few moments before looking at me and answering.

"Someone else will be taking care of that problem, right?" He said while narrowing his eyes at me.

"Of course. Just make sure you keep Prince Wales alive and on that ship. We'll need him for the final act of this little battle and I'd appreciate it if I wouldn't have to go looking for him in the middle of the fog of war again. Would that be alright, Hans?" I replied with a smile, using the knight's name after hearing one of his subordinates use it.

"Scarface." He suddenly stated in response.

"Call me Scarface, Yuka." He clarified before giving me his own smile.

"Hahaha! Very well! I wish luck to you and to your knights, Scarface. May you be able to bring your squadron back to prominence after I clear the stain that is Viscount Wardes." I acknowledged with a grin, to which my other half mirrored.

"Please be careful, Yuka." Wales piped up and I saw that he had a very tired but determined expression.

"Hm…I'm not the one you should be saying that to, Prince Wales. Now if you'll excuse me…" I trailed off before flying away and back to Tarbes with my other half close behind. Ruukoto should still be fighting Wardes. I'll need it and Louise for the final part if 'The Voice' could be believed.

I just hope that this wasn't some sort of Moriya Shrine Conspiracy or something…

…

Please R&R!


	21. Chapter 19 R:2

Author's Notes: Here it is! The BIGGEST chapter ever in this story and the finale of 'Season One'. I thank all of you who have supported this fic after all this time and I hope that you enjoy this. I will be taking a break from writing this for a while so I can review the material for Season Two and such.

In the meantime, please enjoy the new chapter!

EDIT: Due to several people complaining about my sudden and out of left field inclusion of Touhou Rider Reimu, I have revised the ending of Season One with my original plan for it.

Disclaimer: **FUS RO D'AWWWWW~**

...

There were many things that Duchess Karin Desiree de la Valliere was known for:

A perfect example of nobility not only in Tristain but also in all of Halkeginia.

The wife of the mighty Duke Valliere who was famous for his political and military exploits.

A vision of beauty that persistently refused to be affected by the sands of time.

A devout follower of the rules established by the founder and enforced by the Tristain royal family.

A mother of three daughters, each having her beauty and strength of character.

There were also things that Ducthess Karin Desiree de la Valliere was not publicly known for:

A rebellious daughter who was once eager to prove herself to her family, her peers, her country, and to herself in military discipline.

A Chevallier who was once mistaken for a man by the then Royal Princess of Tristain and was enamored by her.

A knight who was once involved in a number of dangerous missions that risked her life and the lives of her comrades.

A Square-Class Wind Mage of the highest caliber.

A captain of the Manticore Knights which she rose to levels once thought impossible.

A brilliant tactician that could even give her husband a run for his money.

The greatest enforcer of 'Rule of Steel'.

The legendary 'Heavy Wind' of Tristain.

And...there were also things that Duchess Karin Desiree de la Valliere wished people would just forget, regardless if no one knew that she was affected by those things or not:

A rumor that Duchess Valliere was actually immortal because of a pact with a spirit.

The story where 'The Heavy Wind' managed to face and defeat an Elf Warrior in single magic combat.

The story where 'The Heavy Wind' was able to utterly destroy an entire Germanian Vanguard Battalion using never before seen 'Anti-Army' wind spells.

The story about that one time when 'The Heavy Wind' managed to move the floating country of Albion itself using only her magic.

The rumor that the mighty Manticore of 'The Heavy Wind' was not a familiar but a magical construct created from scratch by the legend for the sole purpose of destroying all foes.

As much as people knew her or did not know her or were just exaggerating everything beyond all redemption, Karin was purely one thing in her own mind.

Ducthess Karin Desiree de la Valliere, legendary Captain of the First Squadron of the First Order of Tristain Manticore Knights and once known as 'The Heavy Wind', is forever loyal to her country and to the crown.

...

"What are you thinking about, Karin?" A voice called out to the living legend as she stood frozen in a certain room one night. It was one of the most secure and most secret rooms in the entire Valliere estate. Why you ask? It was because this was the room...the armory...that held all that could link former Manticore Knight Captain to Duchess Karin Desiree de la Valliere. The duchess and former knight was wearing a fine white silk nightgown with a white shawl. Her strawberry-blonde hair, which was inherited by two of her daughters, was let down and flowed freely down her back. Indeed, at a single glance, she was not someone who looked like she had three daughters and once lived the life of a knight. The only indication of her previous life were her eyes. Eyes that were as hard as the finest steel.

"What is your opinion about the news that the Albion Armada is invading us and is only a day away from the village of Tarbes?" She asked as she tore her eyes away from the stand that held her armor. She leveled her ever stern gaze at the only man that she had ever considered her equal. The man that she loved. The man that fathered their three daughters. Duke Valliere made a thoughtful hum as he considered his wife's question. The man absentmindedly stroked his finely kept mustache as he thought about what Karin just asked him. Like his wife, Duke Valliere was in his eveningwear, a fine blue robe. Duke Valliere had also lived the life of a knight until he finally stepped down from his duties and took up politics instead. This was also around the time when he married Karin and when the legend of the 'Heavy Wind' finally ended. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, which their second daughter inherited from him, and almost tried to adjust the monocle that he wasn't even wearing.

"Admiral Highwind will not win. Our fleet is too small, our skilled mounted knights are too few. If only Jaques were there and the Sixty-Sixth not had been-" Louise's father never managed to finish his sentence as his wife cut him off.

"Jaques is a traitor and his subordinates had to suffer for it!" Karin's voice was full of malice and disappointment at what her greatest student had done.

She had learned of the betrayal and what happened in the floating country of Albion when she made a personal inquiry to Princess Henrietta. It several days after Louise and Yuka came back with Prince Wales and Father Benedict so she did not see her daughter or her daughter's familiar when she went to the Royal Palace. Imagine her surprise when she saw none other than Prince Wales Tudor when she finally got her audience with Princess Henrietta.

It was a long conversation. A very long, very grueling conversation wherein both heirs to their respective countries' thrones did their best not to upset the duchess any more than she already was. Henrietta and Wales explained everything over and over again without divulging the fact that the daughter of the woman in front of them was involved in the incident. All Karin knew was that Viscount Wardes was sent out on a secret mission to escort an emissary that was hand picked by Henrietta to Wales' safe house in Albion.

Withstand the wrath of the duchess so they didn't have to deal with the wrath of Louise's familiar.

The whole ordeal took up the entire day and it was well into the evening when Karin begrudgingly accepted the fact that her prized student betrayed her country. To say that Karin had a bad day then was an understatement.

"And what do you think of all this, Karin?" Her husband's voice pulled her out of her recollection. The man did not look at all startled or bothered by her wife's outburst, he had seen far worse a long time ago.

"The fall of Tarbes will doom all of Tristain." Louise's mother said without any hesitation and saw her husband nod in agreement. Karin had called Duke Valliere as soon as she returned from her trip to the capital and quickly led him into their private study and locked the door. She gave strict orders, very strict orders, to her Eleanor and Cattleya as well as to the servants not to disturb them until they willingly came out.

Karin then told everything she had learned to her husband and equal. Duke Valliere very nearly took up his own wand to go on a warpath against the Wardes family for what Jacques tried to do. He was the man that he and his wife hand picked to marry their youngest daughter! Karin let her husband calm down on his own before continuing. She knew that, as emotional as he can become when it came to anything involving their daughters, he was not as simple as to loose his composure over a man who was already reported dead.

"And you will do something about it, I assume? Otherwise you wouldn't be staring at your armor like that." The Duke gave his wife a knowing grin, he was the only person known in Halkeginia who could do that to her and live. Karin gave her husband a measured look before turning back to her armor. She reached out and touched the shuttlecock that adorned the wide-brimmed hat which was part of her armor, the most distinct symbol of her rank in the mounted knight corps.

"Prepare the army. Make a second, third, and final line of defense. You are the only one who can convince the rest of the generals." Karin stated matter-of-factly without turning back to her husband.

"Prepare for the worst...and protect our daughters should I fall in battle. Do not let those Albion dogs even catch sight of our-" Was all the legendary Manticore Knight Commander was able to say before she was swept up in a powerful embrace by her husband. Karin did not fight against the grasp of her love. Only here, in this heavily locked up room, in the presence of the man she loves, was where Karin showed that she was still like any other wife and mother.

Cattleya and Eleanor looked on worriedly as they watched their mother leave the next day in full combat gear while she rode on her manticore. Duke Valliere was already on his way to the capital to prepare what his wife requested. After all, even if he was not asked to by his beloved, he would not allow any invader to even gaze upon his daughters.

...

"I guess that takes care of the evacuations." Louise stated absentmindedly in relief as she looked around the town square which was mostly empty now. Henrietta's soldiers and Louise's party were the only ones left in the village.

"Yes, it is certainly a relief that Ruukoto and Yuka managed to buy us some time. I thought we were all done for after the surprise attack by Viscount Wardes." Guiche stated with equal relief, earning nods from the rest of his friends. They were all gathered in one spot save for Sylphid, whom Tabitha sent away to the relative safety of the mountainside in order to recover, and were all talking amongst themselves. If one didn't know any better, one would not think that there was a large battle happening not too far away.

"Dame Valliere." Louise heard Helgarose call out to her from behind. She and her friends turned to find the blue-haired knight walking toward them along with Agnes and Princess Henrietta. Louise glanced around for any sign of Ilfriede or Lunateresia but she did not find them.

"Lunateresia and Ilfriede are helping with fortifications for the village, they send their regards." The chevalier provided after seeing Louise glancing around.

"Oh, okay..." The young void mage said with a smile and a nod. She then turned toward Princess Henrietta and saw that the monarch was giving her a measured look.

"I'm sorry for going against your wishes, your highness. I simply wanted to do what I believe is right. I will gladly accept any punishment you would deal to me because of my actions once this is all over but I beg of you to spare my friends the same fate." Louise pleaded to her princess with a bow, eliciting gasps from her friends and the princess herself.

"Raise...your head, Louise Francoise." Henrietta finally said after a few tense moments. Louise hesitantly did as she was told and was immediately engulfed in an embrace from her childhood friend.

"Y-y-y-y-your highness?" The strawberry-blonde girl stammered as she instinctively held onto Henrietta's arms to prevent the taller girl from completely smothering her.

"You need not worry yourself about that matter, my friend. I will not punish you or your companions for trying to protect your countrymen." Henrietta responded while stroking Louise's hair.

"But...I disobeyed a direct request from you." Louise pointed out in slight shock.

"You were doing what you had to do as my friend. I have very few who I can call that and I rely on you to set me straight when no one else will. Though I suppose that Mister Yuka would have done so if he was here." Henrietta countered before shifting the discussion to Louise's familiar. The young void mage gulped at the mention of Yuka's name as she had yet to explain anything about what they all already know. Henrietta separated herself from her friend and gave her a small smile.

"What happened with Mister Yuka after that sudden attack? Helgarose said that you and know quite a bit about this battle and promised to explain more once things settled down." The Princess of Tristain asked her friend and Louise visibly stiffened at her words. She glanced over to Agnes and Helgarose and saw that they had matching expressions while looking at her expectantly.

"Louise..." Monmon called out to her friend as she put a hand on Louise's shoulder. The girl in question turned around and found her friends smiling at her with confidence.

"No point hiding things now right~? The only thing we have to worry about now is protecting this place and having an army to back us up doesn't sound too bad a deal~" Kirche pointed out with her usual sultry tone before winking at Louise. The strawberry-blonde silently complained as to why the redhead had to make so much sense before turning away from the Germanian and trying to hide her blush. Louise cleared her throat before turning back to Henrietta to start explaining what she knew of the situation when...

'I'm sending this message out to everyone. Please attention because I don't have time to repeat myself.' Yuka's voice made Louise stall her explanation. She turned to everyone else and saw that they were each touching their 'Hey-Listen' on reflex and were looking at her.

"Louise Francoise? What is wrong?" Henrietta called out to her friend when she noticed that Louise and her companions flinch at the same time before looking at each other.

"I don't know yet. Please give is a few moments your Highness." Louise said with a bow before tapping her 'Hey-Listen'.

'Go ahead Yuka. What is this about?' Louise asked her familiar, an uncertain feeling of foreboding building up inside her.

...

'What I am about to tell you all may sound odd and crazy, but let me finish before you say anything else. Also, I want Ruukoto back with Louise and the others for this. Break off from Wardes on my mark...' I said as my double and I flew closer and closer to where Wardes and Ruukoto were still clashing.

'Three, two, one...mark.' I calmly said just as the two of them broke off from one another from what seemed to be a melee duel. The undead Viscount still had both of it runed lances while Ruukoto had its Anti-Material sword out and was wielding it with both hands. At my word, Ruukoto immediately broke off from battle and headed straight for Tarbes. Wardes was about to pursue the gynoid but I had other plans.

"Shoulder check." I commanded by other half and she gleefully followed my order with a salute before flying to intercept her target.

"Ramming speed!" She yelled out, getting her target's attention. I saw Wardes give what sounded like a frustrated roar right before it cast a hastily made wind shield just as my other half slammed her shoulder into it.

"Don't kill it yet, just keep it in check for now." I told my other half before turning my attention back to the others.

'Ruukoto is already there I presume?' I asked my master when I heard them voice their surprise at something.

'I have rendezvoused with the mistress and the others. Everyone is safe and accounted for.' The gynoid confirmed my question.

"Yes, she's here. Shocked everyone else here though, what's going on? What happened to keep as much of this a secret as possible?" Louise asked me from the other end of our contact.

'The endgame is already here. The Tristain Fleet will fall soon but we still have a way to win without me turning it into a genocide.' I explained even though I still considered genocide as another game for me to play. I decided to continue when I did not hear anyone else speak.

'Prince Wales is here and is currently on one of the few remaining Tristain vessels that are still in the air. He is here to try to convince the Albion Armada to cease its assault. I can't really see them changing their minds even with his words but possibility seems to be good enough for it to actually be effective.' I stated and glanced at my other half as she dodged or slapped away Wardes' attempts at shooting her down with tornadoes and razor wind spell combinations.

'Because of this, I need Ruukoto and Louise to rendezvous with Prince Wales for that plan to be completed.' I finished the layout for said plan.

'What? Why do Ruukoto and I need to be there?' My master asked the obvious question.

'Ruukoto, do you have any system that will allow a human to be heard over a very large area?' I decided to ignore my master's inquiry for now and confirmed if Ruukoto really was capable of what we needed for this little plan.

'Yes. White Noise and Level Six Shift both have a system that can allow one to be heard by all sentients over a maximum area of one-thousand miles in all directions. Caution. Please be advised that this Ruukoto Unit One Version Four will be completely unable to defend itself while using that system as all power will be redirected to maintaining it.' Ruukoto responded and made me raise a brow. One-thousand miles? What would prompt the gynoid to even have such a system on two of its special modes no less. I shook my head free of such trivial things. What mattered was that it had what we needed. The Viscount's former squadron should be capable of protecting Louise, Wales, and Ruukoto while the Prince is doing his business and while I make sure that all traces of Wardes is gone from existence.

'You haven't answered my question yet Yuka.' Louise reminded in a somewhat annoyed tone.

'Ah yes. I was planning on having Ruukoto help Prince Wales out in speaking to his fellow countrymen to try to convince them to stop trying to kill everyone. However, Louise is Ruukoto's master and the only one who can order it to do that, so I thought it prudent to bring you along for the ride as well.' I explained the reason for the plan and the need for Louise to be there.

'Are you crazy? Are you seriously asking Louise to go to the middle of that battle so that Prince Wales can try to talk the Albion Armada out of an invasion they were already more than ready for? How do you know that this will even work?' Monmon screamed through my ear-piece, eliciting pained hisses and urks from the rest of the group.

'Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for you all to hear that too!' The blonde girl profusely apologized after finally realizing that she had ended up yelling into everyone else's ears as well. The only voices I didn't complain about the girl's outburst were Ruukoto and Tabitha, though that was to be expected.

'Well yes, according to Yuka-well I'm sure he's safe your highness but-I'll be fine, if this will end the fighting then-' I heard Louise suddenly start saying. I assumed that she was with Henrietta and the princess was now both grilling my master and worrying about the safety of her childhood friend. I sighed at the way they were all handling a situation that should require a prompt response.

I was almost starting to long for the days when I could just vaporize all my problems away...almost.

'We don't have time for this. We need to accomplish this while we still can or else Prince Wales will die and the Tristain Fleet will fall. Now, before anything else happens, we need-' Was all I was able to say before something else did happen. I did not sense it until it was too late, but Wardes, my double, and I were all suddenly hit with what felt like a solid wall of force from an undeterminable distance. However, I was rather certain that it came from within Tristain territory.

"Well...that was unexpected..." I muttered as I stabilized myself before cracking my neck to get the kinks out. I glanced at my other half and saw that she was glaring at something. I glanced at Wardes and saw that it was slowly backing away from the origin of that sudden attack. My other half and I held up our parasols at the same time and opened them just when I sensed another attack. The same wall of force hit our parasols, but obviously did not break them, so we held our shields until the attack lost power.

Fool me once...

Wardes was not as lucky as it was blown back quite a distance because of the attack. I looked back to where the magic attacks came from and saw that it came from a single source, a magician...a human one. That alone prompted me to raise a brow considering the kind of raw power those attacks had compared to what I have dealt with so far with human magicians of this realm.

Whoever the magician was, he or she was certainly dressed up for a fight. Wearing a faded but heavier looking version of the armor that I saw on Wardes' former comrades, the various knicks and notches that were randomly marked all over the enchanted metal. Yes, that armor was enchanted as was the clothing that covered the body parts that the metal could not.

The mystery magic knight also had a wide brimmed hat that had an oddly prominent shuttlecock on it. More interestingly though, most of the knight's face was covered by a metal mask while the knight's neck was covered by a somewhat faded mantle. All in all, the only visible feature on the knights face were the eyes. They were eyes that held great power and discipline, reminding me of Shou Toramaru's eyes whenever I managed to goad her enough to fight seriously. Yet, they were eyes that seemed familiar to me somehow for a different reason, but I couldn't place my finger on it. A runed lance was in the knight's right hand while the left was holding onto the reins of his or hers mount.

Yes, the mount itself was quite the specimen as well. During my stay in this realm I have seen dragons and griffins being used as mounts by magicians but never something like what that knight was riding on so effortlessly. The beast was...robust and ancient...that was the impression I had when I felt its presence. It had the head and body of a large male lion complete with a dark mane, the wings of a dragon, and the tail of a giant red scorpion.

Manticore

I have read of such creatures back when I accompanied Cirno to the Scarlet Devil Mansion's Voile Magic Library for her lessons with little Patchouli. They were supposed to be mythical beasts that were quite hostile to humans, they're power and intelligence were also apparently directly proportional to their age. Because of those things, it would seem that this mystery magic knight was quite powerful to have tamed a manticore that seemed to be quite ancient. That did raise a question though...

If such a knight existed, why didn't Henrietta bring this one with her when she first showed up?

"Hm!" I grunted as any further speculations and observations were put on hold when the knight made a sweeping motion with the runed lance. It was then that I finally understood what that wall of force that hit us was.

It was wind.

"Hmph!" A particularly heavy wind considering the amount of power I had to put behind my now closed parasol in order to swat the spell away. I saw a flash of what seemed like surprise in the knight's eyes for a second before the manticore propelled itself at me. The knight wordlessly cast spell after spell at me in rapid succession, likely trying to overwhelm me with it. Really? Of all the targets here, the knight goes after me?

"Cease your foolish actions. If you are a a knight in ther service of the country of Tristain, then I'm not the one you should be attacking." I said to the knight who still continued to attack me with wall after wall of wind. Despite the odd situation, I could not help but be curious as to who this knight was. The knight was silent-rapid casting wind spells that had more power behind them than a full-blown punch from Matilda's golem.

The knight then pulled back immediately cast a wall of wind to the left side while launching three wind lances in the same direction. I frowned when the sneak attack that my double tried to pull off was detected. My other half hissed in annoyance before she smacked away the wind lances launched at her, I narrowed my eyes when I noticed that it nearly took a full two seconds for her to break apart each lance. My double persisted despite that little surprise and thrust her parasol straight through the shield of wind.

"Hmmm..." I hummed contemplatively when I saw my other half's expression. It was confusion laced with surprise. Why? Because the shield held. A magic shield made by a human magician, who wasn't a Hakurei nor from Gensokyo, held fast against a direct strike from my other half. It was at that moment that I decided that I was likely facing the most powerful conventional human magician in Tristain, probably even the entire realm. I then blinked before growling in realization that Wardes had once again slipped away. Okay, that does it.

"Return!" I declared humorlessly and my double instantly stopped its pursuit of the mystery magic knight. She smiled before blowing a kiss at her target and turning into a pile of sunflower petals before disappearing. The momentary surprise the knight had after my other half dissolved in mid-pursuit was all I needed. A simple rustle from my deep dark green wings later and I was upon my foe. To the knight's credit, he or she managed to catch my killing intent fast enough to cast another wind shield...as if that would help any.

"Who. Are. You?" I growled the question at the knight as I sank the fingers of my left hand into the shield. At the moment, I had no intention of killing the knight. If my foe really was a knight of Tristain then he or she will have some use...so long as the knight did not do anything monumentally stupid.

"I have no name to give to a monster drenched in the blood of man and beast." The muffled voice of the knight said before pulling away from me as I broke the wind shield with my bare hand.

"A woman?" I questioned. I did not notice it from the knight's appearance because of all the armor before but...that voice, though muffled and distorted because of the metal mask, was definitely that of a woman.

'Yuka! What is happening up there? Where are you? Ruukoto says that Viscount Wardes is headed right for us and sh-' The transmission cut off and a loud explosion of force came from the direction of Tarbes. My mouth went dry and I felt my heart stop. One moment. One single moment of fear the kind I have never felt in my entire existence. It only took one moment...and I exploded.

"LOUISE!" I roared before flying full tilt towards Tarbes. Wave upon wave upon wave of emotions assaulted me as I the seconds on during my approach to the village.

Why did I play around so much?

Why didn't I take this situation more seriously?

Why did I underestimate Wardes?

Why didn't I just vaporize that monster the moment I saw it?

Why did I let myself get so distracted by little things?

My thoughts raced as my anger rose when I saw the damage caused by the sudden attack. Half of the village square was completely destroyed along with several nearby buildings. The other part of the square looked untouched though it looked like something was hurled at one of the buildings and made a hole. I snarled when I didn't see Wardes anywhere.

I was torn.

I wanted very, very, very badly to end the existence of that wretch. However, my concern for Louise was just as great as my desire to kill, if not more. I was just about to call out my double once more when I was blindsided by that knight. I found myself on the ground, pinned down by the knight's manticore. I wondered how she managed to catch up to me so quickly as she pointed her lance between my eyes while her mount threatened to bite my throat off at a moment's notice. I didn't have time for this! I have to-

"WHERE IS SHE?" The knight all but screamed at me. I grabbed the runed lance with my left hand while pointing my parasol between her mount's eyes.

"I don't have time to worry about Henrietta, I have to fin-" A sudden explosion from one of the larger nearby houses caught both of our attentions and interrupted our little standoff.

"You didn't have to destroy the house!" The unmistakable sound of Louise reprimanding someone almost made my brain halt all functions. She was safe? She was safe and scolding someone...

"I apologize, mistress." I heard Ruukoto say just as it emerged from the newly made hole in the house. The gynoid had disabled its wings but still had its G-Revolver in its left hand. It turned to the situation I had myself in before tilting its head in contemplation.

"Do you require assistance Yuka?" It asked simply, likely dubious as to how much help I would actually needed in this situation. I was about to wave it away and disable the knight and its mount when I heard some noise and assorted voices from within the structure.

"Yuka? Yuka's here? Yuka! Get your butt over here! Now!" I heard Louise yell out. I did not know why, but my first impulse upon confirming my master's safety...was to laugh.

And laugh I did. I ignored the low threatening growl of the manticore as well as the annoyed look that the knight was giving me through her mask.

"What's going on? Why are you laughing? I'll be fine Helgarose. If Yuka's out there then we should be safe. Just stay here and help guard the princess." Louise said in a surprisingly commanding voice. I assumed that Ruukoto managed to get everyone into that building before Wardes made its attack. The gynoid also seemed to have protected said structure from the attack as well. I'll need to ask it about that later or see if Nitori's notes have anything on that kind of ability.

"It may not be safe to come out yet, mistress. Yuka seems to be in a sort of situation." Ruukoto warned Louise with a glance before looking back to me, probably formulating the best way to resolve the...situation...in case I was not able to.

"Please, Yuka is out there. What's the worse that could-" Louise's words froze along with her body when she saw me and the mystery knight. My master looked rather silly frozen mid-step while coming out of the hole Ruukoto made, though I was mildly impressed that she could remain balanced on all that loose stone with only one foot on the ground.

"Louise, we both know that this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing..." I deadpanned, trying to snap Louise out of her trance. No response. In fact, she stayed that way even after everyone else in that building managed to come out. Even Kirche wasn't able to snap her out of her frozen state. Henrietta came out last and gasped when she saw me still being pinned down by the mystery manticore knight. Agnes and one other female knight, a blue-haired one kept their guard up at the strange but intimidating sight and made sure that they were between us and their princess. Tabitha looked at me directly, looking for something to go on. I gave a small shake of my head to indicate that she should do nothing. As powerful as the quiet girl was, this was a foe none of them can face and come out victorious.

"It brings me joy to see you safe, Princess Henrietta." The knight suddenly said after a momentary glance at the princess.

"That armor...that mantle..." The blue-haired female knight beside Agnes muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Henrietta regarded the scene with a critical eye, not even flinching at the sight of me with wings or covered from head to toe with blood.

"That is the armor of the Tristain Manticore Knights..." The princess said carefully as if the snarling manticore on top of me wasn't evidence enough.

"Tell me...what is your name?" The princess asked the knight. She could have asked her to get the beast off of me before she asked that question but I supposed that Henrietta had her own sets of priorities.

"I was once known as Karin, former commander of the First Squadron of the First Order of Tristain Manticore Knights." The knight named Karin responded immediately. I heard the sound of something falling on the ground before Monmon started to frantically call out to Louise. I glanced at my master and saw that she had fainted.

That seemed familiar somehow but I couldn't place my finger on it at the time...

...

"Well...now that we've established that you are of the Tristain military, or was once one, would you please get your manticore off me?" I asked in a bored tone as I pointed at the offending beast with my parasol. I was tempted to poke it on the nose but I thought that the creature might try to bite my parasol and I would have ended up having to rip its head off for doing something so silly.

"Silence monster! You do not belong in this world!" The knight now known as Karin yelled at me while trying to look as intimidating as possible. I rolled my eyes at the gesture, both because I've been through something like this before and because nothing in this realm scares me short of Scarron...or possibly losing Louise, not that I would ever admit that.

"Karin, Knight of the Heavy Wind, I would ask you to please release Sir Kazami." Henrietta said to the masked rider. Karin regarded the princess with narrowed eyes as soon as she realized what Henrietta was asking.

"Yuka is fine. Though, releasing me would be a good idea lest I start becoming uncomfortable with my current position." I commented offhandedly, which Karin decided to ignore and address the princess instead.

"You know this...monster?" Karin asked. Since I wasn't really doing anything, my mind started to wander for a moment and I realized something. The only real way for a beast as hostile to humans as a manticore would ever willingly serve as a mount to one was if it was the familiar of the rider. Obviously, that shows how powerful Karin was to be able to summon and bind a manticore as a familiar, but it also showed something else. The beast was a familiar...but it wasn't afraid of me. Up until now, every familiar that first encounters me shows some degree of fear because of what I was. But this creature that was pinning me down...that I let pin me down...showed none of that. It was then that I decided that this 'Karin of the Heavy Wind' was an extremely interesting woman. She gets to live because of that.

"In fact I do. I owe Mister Yuka and his master, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, great debts that I don't think I will ever be able to repay. Now please...I do not wish to make this an official order, especially to one who has done so much for our country." Henrietta explained before once again asking Karin to get her manticore off me. I noticed Karin look between me and the still unconsciousLouise before looking back to Princess Henrietta.

"Very well..." The knight reluctantly obeyed the request but was still obviously on guard against me. I simply shook my head before sighing and dusting off my shit and vest...which was still caked with blood, but still. I stood up and gave Karin a momentary glance before walking to where my master and her friends were. There was another thing I didn't quite understand though. I saw Karin look to me and then to Louise directly when Henrietta told her that the strawberry-blonde girl was my master. Out of all the people there, how did she know who Louise was in relation to everyone else?

"Mister Yuka! What in Halkeginia happened to you? Are you hurt? By the founder, there's so much blood!" Guiche suddenly started blurting out when he finally got a good look at me, everyone else, except for Tabitha, had the same expression. Monmon also looked revulsed by my current appearance but chose to turn her attention back to Louise instead. I supposed that she was taking her duty as the team medic seriously, more so since her best friend was the patient.

"Oh darling~! You look absolutely terrible~! Please don't tell me that all that blood is yours..." Kirche asked me in an oddly worried manner despite having her teasing voice.

"I'm fine. The blood isn't mine at all.." I responded with a casual wave of my hand.

"Take a bath after the battle." Tabitha muttered as I passed her before turning away.

"Thank you for the advice." I said to the young Gallian. I walked up to where Louise was lying just in time for Monmon to look up at me before-

"By the Founder, you look like you swam in a lake of blood! Gah! And you smell like a slaughter house!" Monmon exclaimed before covering her mouth and nose with her left hand.

"Yes, I am well aware of that. How is Louise?" I quickly dismissed Monmon's shot at me and asked about my master.

"She just fainted but I'm having quite a time trying to wake her back up." Monmon answered in slight frustration while keeping her hand over her nose.

"I can wake her up." I told her before kneeling at Louise's left side with Monmon across from me on my master's right. I leaned in close and tried something that Yukari once did to get Louise back up to her feet in Mugenkan.

"What is love~?" I whispered to Louise in a slightly sing-song voice. Monmon gave me a look that seemed to doubt my sanity but I simply smiled at her and waited for the effect to take place.

"Baby don't hurt me~!" Louise suddenly sat up and yelled out in a similar sing-song voice, grabbing everyone's attention. Louise looked around a bit confused before settling her eyes on me and scowling.

"What is love? How dare you use that on me! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?" Louise yelled at me with a furious blush on her face before starting to smack me on the arm with her hands.

"Mind the blood Louise." I reminded my master and she responded by trying to hit me harder as if doing so would actually hurt me.

"Are...are you alright now, Louise Francoise?" Henrietta called out to her friend. The effect was immediate as my master ceased her 'attacks' on me and stood up to greet the princess.

"I'm perfectly alright, your highness! I'm-" Louise's response was cut short when she suddenly froze up again after seeing Karin.

"...doing it again. Snap out of it Louise." I said as I poked my master at the back of the head.

"Come on, we don't have time for this. We still need to rendezvous with Prince Wales and get him to talk to the Albion Armada on top of destroying your undead former fiance as well as keeping Wales and Henrietta alive through the whole ordeal." I reminded her while poking her head at regular intervals. I chose to leave out keeping Charlotte Helene Orleans De Gallia alive since we didn't know that she was even here or where she was at the moment. No need to deal with something that would just waste our time.

"Keeping Prince Wales and I alive?" The princess of Tristain blinked in surprise at what I just said. I looked around and it seemed that all eyes were upon me. Even the knight, Karin, was looking at me with narrowed eyes. I glanced at her manticore and almost raised a brow when I saw that it too was looking at me. I thought that it just regarded me as a threat and was just keeping its guard up but I saw the kind of clarity its eyes had and it looked like...understanding. As intriguing as that was, I didn't have the time for it.

"Yes. The current running plan right now has three objectives..." I then relayed the 'Victory Conditions' that 'The Voice' gave me earlier. They all seemed to doubt it at first but I then pointed out that we needed to accomplish two of those three objectives anyway and that the last objective was just something that Prince Wales himself wanted to do.

"Well? What are you all still doing here then? The remaining soldiers along with the rest of us should be enough to protect Tarbes and Princess Henrietta while you and the rest go off and save the day~" Kirche pointed out and provided a rough strategy on how to pull it off.

"Agreed." Tabitha agreed with the Germanian's suggestion.

"Indeed. As long as you can keep Viscount Wardes in check or simply get rid of him, I think that we can manage holding Tarbes until you accomplish everything." Guiche piped up with a smile. I noted that he was standing right next to Monmon and was holding her trembling hand. I looked at my master and she was staring at me rather intently.

"Can we really do this?" Louise asked me simply.

"Of course we can. Ruukoto and I were only holding back because our original objective was simply to defend Tarbes. Now that we have actual objectives for victory...they won't stand a chance." I replied with a smile, one that Louise returned. She then turned to the oddly silent princess.

"Princess! Please let us do this! Yuka, Ruukoto, and I will defeat Viscount Wardes and help Prince Wales to speak with the Albion Armada!" Louise all but shouted to her old friend with as much fire and determination that she can muster. I could still sense that she was scared about what might happen while we were up there, but the courage and confidence she developed through her training in Mugenkan and her own experience here in her realm overshadowed that fear by a large margin. Henrietta and the two knights with her looked rather surprised at the enthusiasm my master was showing even though she was asking to dive head first into a major aerial battle.

"Louise Francoise...are you sure about this-" Henrietta was not able to complete her question because Karin cut her off.

"With all due respect, your highness. However, you cannot be serious in putting your faith in a plan that was concocted by a monster and endorsed by a child!" The masked knight stated as she dismounted her manticore and approached Henrietta. She seemed to have left her lance with her manticore but I could still see a sword on her side and she probably had some surprises hidden in that armor as well. Louise winced and started to take steps back when Karin started to walk toward us. I stepped behind her and held her shoulder with my left hand like when she first met Yukari. Louise stiffened at my grasp before visibly relaxing when she realized that it was me.

The princess regarded the masked knight for a few moments before turning back to us. Must have been quite the sight. A young teenage magician standing in front of a blood covered dark green winged monster behind her and a white winged maid to her side.

"I believe in them." Princess Henrietta De Tristain finally said before turning back to Karin.

"You are willing to place the fate of this country in the hands of a child and a monster?" The former manticore knight commander asked before glaring at me and Louise. I wasn't about to take any more of that so I moved in front of my master to shield her from any more hard looks and harsh words from the former commander. I glanced to my side when I saw Ruukoto move in front of me to look at the knight dead in the eye.

"And who are you? You obviously don't look like a normal human either." Karin cooly regarded the gynoid. Ruukoto remained silent while tilting its head to the side. I couldn't see its expression because I was behind it but I assumed that Ruukoto was just staring at Karin with those strangely warm blue eyes whenever it uses 'White Noise' ability. The gynoid straightened out before giving a perfect curtsy to the knight.

"I am Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. I have been known as many things by many beings. The Metal Maid of the Shrine Maiden of Paradise. The successor and final surviving product of Project KOS-MIC. The Steel Goddess of Tarbes. However, I have recently swore lifelong service under Mistress Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere as her protector and personal maid." Ruukoto provided its name and various other titles that it had built up during the course of its existence. It stood up straight once more before giving a low bow to the knight. I raised a brow at the odd gesture but the gynoid gave the reason once it straightened up again.

"It is unexpected but still an honor to meet a relative of my mistress. May I ask your exact relation to Mistress Louise?" Ruukoto casually stated but the words it spoke and the question it asked were quite...surprising to say the least.

"Karin 'The Heavy Wind' is related to Louise?" Monmon suddenly exclaimed nearby, likely voicing everyone's thoughts at the moment. Everyone there had looks of varying surprise aside from Louise, Karin, and Ruukoto. Even Tabitha looked between the knight and my master with widened eyes.

"Is this true?" I asked my master. Louise fidgeted in place and suddenly found something on the ground that was very interesting to observe. Instead of Louise, or even Karin, Ruukoto was the one who answered.

"Lady Karin and Mistress Louise share enough biological information to infer that they are of close blood relation. Minimum estimate is at least that of an aunt and niece." The gynoid explained matter-of-factly.

"And how pray tell did you come across a sample of Karin's 'biological information' for you to reach that conclusion?" I asked dubiously while folding my arms and leaning back.

"The area currently saturated with..." Ruukoto started to explain the reasoning behind its conclusion. The contents therein were finely detailed and sounded very straight to the point...but none of us could understand it. I could somehow get the basic concept of how it did it but the actual specifics were lost on me as with everyone else if their expressions were to be believed.

"...Are there any questions?" Ruukoto asked the standard question after giving a long informative lecture on something. I glanced around and noticed that the whole thing seemed to have sailed over everyone's heads...even Karin and Tabitha. I decided to move things forward and get this done so I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.

"For the benefit of those who did not quite understand your explanation..." Which was likely everyone here...

"...basically, you created an energy shield to take the brunt of Wardes' attack. However, you needed to disperse nanomachines into the air to help make the shield dense enough and strong enough to prevent it from breaking. The nanomachines lingered in the air long enough so when Karin and I came here, some of them managed to stick onto her and register her biological information before they all dissolved into nothingness. Was that right?" I explained and asked the gynoid for any clarification.

"That was...an abridged explanation but not incorrect." Ruukoto answered with a nod.

"What are nanomachines?" Henrietta suddenly asked.

"It's complicated." Louise, Monmon, Guiche, Kirche, Tabitha, and I all said at the same time.

"I see..." The princess responded with an uncertain smile.

"How did you even figure all that out on your own anyway darling~? I mean, I knew that you are ama~zing, but to understand all that mumbo-jumbo as well~? I'm falling in love all over again~" Kirche gushed while looking like she was writhing in place. She still kept her distance from me though because of all the blood on me.

"Stop that..." Louise immediately interjected after Kirche finished speaking. My master still looked uncomfortable but even that wasn't enough for her to stop taking shots at the Germanian.

"You don't have to be so jealous, Louise~! I'm sure I can still...squeeze you in somewhere comfortable~" The red head shot back, earning her a red hot glare from my master. I suppressed a smile when I realized what Kirche was really trying to accomplish. The girl was trying to take Louise's mind off all the stress, if only for a few moments. It was times that this when I was reminded that Louise had good friends, even though they don't all seem to get along on the surface.

"To answer your question...I did not actually understand the specifics of what Ruukoto said. However I understood the underlying concepts involved to a degree because I've encountered situations similar to that in the past." I explained to get everything back on track. I noticed Henrietta and her two escorts look at me with somewhat awed but curious eyes.

"I've had an interesting life..." I stated simply.

"So the legendary Karin 'The Heavy Wind' really is your aunt? That's amazing! Why didn't you ever tell us?" Monmon exclaimed in surprise and awe at the apparent discovery. Louise winced at her friend's words and glanced at Karin before looking back down on the ground.

"No...she's not...my aunt..." Louise muttered as if ashamed about something.

"That is correct." Karin finally spoke up while looking right at us. Louise started to back away again but Monmon walked up next to her and held her friends hand. Kirche did the same and took Louise's other hand. Guiche stood at Monmon's side while Tabitha stood at Kirche's. My master looked at her friends in bewilderment and was rewarded with warm smiles from each of them. Louise pursed her lips and looked down as if trying to bite back tears. I glanced at Henrietta and saw that the crown princess looked like she wanted to join in and embrace Louise like she normally does. I saw Karin regard my master and her friends for a few moments before speaking once more.

"My full name is Karin Desiree de la Valliere and I...am her mother." Karin clearly stated, adding more shock to everyone there. The metal mask she was wearing made her voice slightly muffled but the sound echoed within it making it sound like the rumbling growl of a powerful beast.

"No! That can't be!" Guiche suddenly blurted out, voicing his disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Kirche added immediately afterward. Considering her original opinion about Louise, the news must have been quite the shock to her as well. Karin looked straight in my eyes and I had a realization just as she started speaking again.

"Search your heart, if you have one...you know it to be true." The woman said in a way that left no room for any argument. That was the reason why her eyes looked so familiar to me. They looked like Louise's eye whenever the fire of her determination started to burn. Karin's eyes were the same but they seemed to always have that look. I was starting to understand where my master's stubbornness came from.

Louise remained silent while everyone else looked too surprised to do much else, even Tabitha was uncharacteristically blinking in confusion at the revelation. I did not know the kinds of exploits and accomplishments Karin had but due to the way she fought me earlier and the reactions of everyone here, I concluded that my master's mother was quite the woman. She reminded me of a much more stubborn and hard edged version of Reika Hakurei. Considering what Reika's daughter ended up becoming, I couldn't help but start drawing strange parallels between Louise and Reimu. Of course, Reimu never had any problems when it came to the talent department but I was certain that Louise will take her magic into her own once we learn more about the Void Element.

I suddenly gave out a chuckle when I imagined Louise performing high-end Hakurei spells like 'Dragon Slaying Circle' or one of the many 'Fantasy Seal' variants. I noticed my master's mother narrow her steely eyes at me and I wondered if she thought that I found her words amusing. I huffed and inclined my head respectfully to her. I did not fear the human but she would be quite useful in our plan.

"I apologize if I offended you, Madame Valliere. I did not realize your relation to my master." I offered with a warm smile before continuing.

"I am Yuka Kazami. I was summoned by your daughter during their Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual and subsequently became her familiar. I am a being from a realm different from this one but I have found living in Halkeginia to be quite...novel. As you have likely deduced, I am no mere mortal and quite formidable in combat. Of course, given better circumstances, you will find that I am one with refined tastes and decorum." I continued with the same warm smile before shifting to one of 'those' smiles.

"After all, a youkai's politeness is directly proportional to their power." I concluded my formal introduction to Karin. It had the effect that I expected with Karin suddenly giving me more than a measured look while Henrietta stared at me with renewed curiosity. Louise and her friends all already knew what I was and Ruukoto came from the same place I did so they all just took my words in stride. I chose to keep the fact that Louise was a Void Mage a secret from her mother for now. I did not know how she would react to the news, even though she and Henrietta's knights were the only ones who didn't know, and you never know who might be listening in. I would personally like to thank the Lunarians for my apprehension towards possibly hidden eavesdroppers.

"Now that we have all that cleared up, I would like to move things on and ask for your assistance in our little mission plan." I said with another one of my warm smiles and the tension in the air suddenly got thicker.

"And why should I help a monster like you?" The woman asked me with thinly veiled disdain. I smiled at the way she was treating me. She was treating me like a monster...a very wise woman indeed. I shook my head when I realized my increasing interest in my master's mother and answered her question.

"Because your daughter is willing to risk her life to save this village regardless if you agree to come along or not. Of course, any additional help from one as skilled as you would be appreciated." I stated something that should have been obvious. The woman gave tried to burn a hole between my eyes with the way she was glaring at me before turning to my master. I was almost starting to think that Karin didn't like me.

"Do you really think that the battle will just end if the objectives of your familiar are accomplished?" Karin asked her daughter. Louise flinched at the sudden scrutiny, as did her friends. I saw Ruukoto look at me before starting to maneuver to stand between its mistress and Karin. I gave the gynoid a brief shake of my head to stop it from doing so. Ruukoto narrowed her eyes at me in silent protest but backed off all the same. Now, how will you handle this Louise? The fear mingling with persistently burning determination in her eyes show that my master held great fear of her mother. There was probably a time when she would simply obey the woman without any question because of how overwhelmingly intimidating Karin was.

Of course, that was then...

"I..." Louise started, squeezing Monmon and Kirche's hands before her friends obliged her by squeezing back.

And this is now...

"I believe in Yuka's judgment!" Louise said out loud for all to hear. Even Karin herself showed the slightest hint of surprise in her eyes for but a second before her usual look was restored as if nothing happened.

"I know...I know better than anyone that I wasn't talented at magic. I know that I was incapable of performing even the simplest of spells without it failing spectacularly and blowing up in my face. I know how far I have to go to even get any sliver of your approval. But its different now mother..." Louise explained with her voice clear and void of any hesitation or stuttering she used to have. My master looked at me and her features softened for a moment before regaining her hardened edge when she turned back to Karin.

"When I summoned Yuka this past spring and he willingly became my familiar...my partner...it all started to change. Yuka has been through a lot. He has been around for over a thousand years and has become arguably the strongest in his realm. At first, I didn't believe him...I thought he was just a commoner and my summoning was just another notch in my long list of failures. But he proved me wrong. You should know by now how powerful Yuka is." Louise continued her explanation. Karin looked at me as soon as her daughter reminded her of my power.

"Yes, and I wonder why exactly a being like that would willingly stay as a familiar of a mortal girl who was a failure at magic?" Karin asked accusingly while giving me a look of hidden anger. I let her words slide and decided to answer in my master's behalf since I never really told anyone just why I remained as Louise's familiar.

"It was because I have been where she was at the time." I said, getting everyone's attention and taking the heat off my master for a bit.

"Explain yourself." The woman commanded as if her words held any sway on me. I chuckled it away since it was amusing to see a human who was still rather fearless before me despite the situation. I ignored her reactive glare at my chuckle and answered the question.

"I intimately know the feeling of helplessness of being unable to do anything right. What you see before you is the peak of my ability, fifteen-hundred years of experience and power. Of course, everything starts somewhere. There was a time when I was young, when my innate power to manipulate flowers was all I had. That was it. Nothing else. I once thought that 'a stupid ability like that will never be useful or ever amount to anything'." I started before giving my master a smirk. She gasped and blushed when she realized that those were the very words she told me the day we first met. I turned back to Karin and continued.

"Unlike Louise, I did not grow up in relative comfort. The realm I grew up in was a harsh place to live in at the time. Death was a very common thing there regardless of what you were, human or otherwise. A savage world. I was alone. I was weak. I barely had any means to defend myself. I lost count how many times and how many ways I would have died during my first half-century." I stated, earning a few gasps and surprised expressions from the others. Whatever they were imagining as to what life was like back then, the reality was worse. Louise in particular looked at me with renewed disbelief. It was understandable since the stories she had heard about my life, even her dream about my memories of the Mystic Square incident, all took place long after I became powerful enough to be such a big a threat that very few would dare try to challenge me.

"That is horrible...how did you survive?" Guiche asked the unvoiced question.

"I dealt with it." I said with a smile while folding my arms and leaning back. That seemed to be rather vague for them so I elaborated.

"I refused to die. No matter how close I was to losing my life, no matter of man or monster I faced, no matter how much my body wanted to simply give up and die...I refused to do so. After a series of events that finally helped me established a means for me to become stronger, I never looked back." I said with a nod. Of course, I was talking about my establishment of Mugenkan, my continuing mastery of my flower manipulation, my discovery of Master Spark and subsequent meeting with the Golden Witch, and countless other things great and small that helped me become as strong as I am today.

"I have been through much, as your daughter has already stated Madame Valliere. I willingly stayed with Louise because she reminded me of myself during the time when I thought myself the weakest in my realm. That obviously changed and I wanted to know if my master was also capable of overcoming or working around her limitations." I continued and saw Karin glance at her daughter and narrowed her eyes. Blink and one might have missed the hidden question in her gaze: 'Did she?'

"You should be proud of your daughter. She was nothing more than a pile of doubt and self-loathing when we first met. She used her anger and pride as a shield against the truth. However, through experience and teaching, she overcame that and more." Louise blushed furiously at my words and refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"She has learned to respect the power and value of others, regardless of their origin. She has learned to see the possibilities that hid even in failure. She has learned how to turn her bane into an advantage. She has learned how to overcome great fear, even the fear of death itself if the situation called for it. She has learned how to maximize the gifts that the world gave her. As you can see, she has even gained friends that are willing to brave a battlefield with her." Louise's blush deepened even further and I even saw Monmon wince a bit, probably because of how hard my master was squeezing her hand.

"Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere has grown a great deal without you looking and she will continue to grow still. I have watched her every step of the way thus far and I can honestly say that a being like this..." I pointed at myself while smirking at Karin.

"...is proud to have a master such as her." I pointed to Louise while keeping the same smirk. As though through some sort of ridiculous timing, Ruukoto suddenly looked tense and looked at me and Louise in turn.

"Alert! Anomaly Cloud has resumed advance towards Tarbes! Immediate action is advised!" The gynoid stated with no small sense of urgency. Everyone suddenly looked tense because of the news and how Ruukoto delivered it.

"What does that mean?" Henrietta asked Louise and I, her tone changing to a neutral and professional one that one would expect from a ruler. The Anomaly Cloud was what Ruukoto called Wardes and the Albion Armada back when we didn't know that it was them. The fact that it was moving again meant...

"The Albion Armada is advancing...and it looks like nothing is preventing them from doing so anymore." I answered directly.

"What about Prince Wales? Isn't he still out there?" My master suddenly interjected.

"Yes, I left him in the care of Wardes' old squadron when they rendezvoused with an intact Tristain ship...the Challenger, I think it was called. We are almost out of time..." I muttered while thinking of the best way we could still accomplish everything that 'The Voice' said.

"The Sixty-Sixth...yes, they are capable knights." Henrietta nodded with understanding that was obviously overshadowed by her worry for her lover. I grunted a reply and turned to Karin.

"We need your help." I said as a statement and not a question. If Karin refused to assist us then the battle was lost and I would have no choice but to minimize damage by annihilating everything in the sky. I didn't think my master would appreciate that course of action, so everything was hanging on her mother's cooperation.

"You still believe that victory is possible?" The masked knight asked me.

"If we can get Louise and Ruukoto to Wales and if the prince is still alive, yes. I'll deal with Wardes." I immediately responded with a serious expression. The woman studied me for a few moments before glancing at Ruukoto and Louise in turn.

"Karin...please...trust in your daughter and her familiar." Princess Henrietta de Tristain pleaded, which sounded like a thinly veiled order because of her tone of voice. The former commander looked at her princess then to me and to her daughter.

"You will be riding with me." Karin said to Louise before immediately turning to her manticore and walking away, the action making her cape billow in the air. I smiled at the development while Louise looked absolutely shocked at the prospect of riding to battle with her mother.

"Don't just stand there staring at your mom like a monkey. Move!" Derf finally spoke after remaining silent for so long...I actually forgot that the six-thousand year old sentient magic sword was still strapped to Louise's back. The sword's words seemed to have snapped my master out of her trance and glanced at me and Ruukoto. We both nodded to her and she began to follow her mother, who was already mounting her manticore and re-arming herself with her runed lance.

"Wait." Tabitha suddenly called out to Louise. My master looked at the Gallian with a confused expression but Tabitha just ignored it and put her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled. Sylphid flew over us and landed nearby in short order and Tabitha started to walk to her familiar.

"Come over here." She said to Louise and my master followed her friend. They both reached Tabitha's drake and I raised a brow when the blue-haired girl reached into a large bag that was strapped on her familiar's back.

"Oh..." I muttered with a nod when Tabitha pulled out Louise's hat along with the Founder's Prayer Book. Even more surprising, she then pulled out my straw hat as well.

"You forgot these..." Tabitha said simply before handing Louise her hat and book.

"Thank you!" Louise exclaimed before giving Tabitha a big hug and putting on her hat, but not before placing the Founder's Prayer Book on her head first.

"Why does Tabitha get a hug and I don't~?" Kirche muttered before glancing at me with hopeful eyes. The hope died when she remembered that I was still a walking bloodbath. She looked around and smiled before gesturing a hug from Guiche.

"Oh no you don't!" Monmon immediately exclaimed and stood between Kirche and Guiche.

"Monmon..." Guiche called out the girl's name with tears in his eyes. I smiled when I saw Monmon start blushing deeply while glaring at the redhead. It seemed that Guiche finally earned his lover back. My smile went away when Kirche looked at Monmon and smirked.

"Fine, you'll do~" Monmon didn't even get the chance to look at the Germanian incredulously before she was swallowed up by Kirche's embrace. I shook my head at the scene and walked up to Louise and Tabitha to retrieve my hat.

"Thank you for bringing them along. Although, why did you wait so long before telling us about it?" I asked the young magician with a raised brow.

"You never asked." Touché...

"Very well. Take care of everyone else here, would you? We all know that you are the most capable one among your little group." I told Tabitha while putting on my hat. I cast a spell on it to make sure it does not leave my head unless I personally took it off. I did the same for Louise's hat, but not before explaining to my master what the spell did.

"Come back alive." Tabitha added, to which Louise and I nodded. My master gave her friend one more hug before walking up to Princess Henrietta.

"Prince-" Was all my master got out before she was engulfed in an embrace...it seemed that the princess was not able to contain herself any longer.

"Come back safely. This is an official Royal Command from your princess. Do you understand, Louise Francoise? I will not tolerate anything less." Henrietta said, her voice cracking with each word uttered.

"I will..." Louise responded while returning her old friend's hug. The princess reluctantly let my master go and backed away. Her escorts stood by her side but their eyes showed that they wished us well.

"Louise." Monmon called out to her friend after finally freeing herself from Kirche. Guiche stood at her side and both of them were smiling at my master.

"Be safe..." Was all Guiche said with a nod.

"Come back to us, okay?" Monmon said before hugging Louise, which my master returned.

"Of course." Louise answered. They let go of each other and the strawberry-blonde girl turned to meet her former nemesis Kirche.

"I'm not going to hug you." Louise immediately said in an annoyed tone. Kirche responded by barking out a laugh.

"Silly Louise~! Hugs are so outdated between us~" Kirche said before suddenly grabbing the sides of my master's face and leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. Several gasps could be heard and my master was suddenly reduced to a stammering pile of goo.

"Hawawawawawawawawa!" Louise repeated over and over again with her face as bright red as it could possibly get. I saw Kirche smile gently at her friend before gently pressing their foreheads together and closing her eyes.

"In brightest day or darkest night. May the spirits and the founder watch over you and keep you safe. I give you my strength and my blessing so you may overcome the challenges you may face." Kirche solemnly said, snapping Louise out of her stupor. The redhead moved back a bit before leaning in again to give another kiss on Louise' forehead. Thankfully, my master didn't short out this time.

"One more, just to be sure~" Kirche playfully said with a wink. She and Louise stared at each other for a few moments before bursting out in laughter.

Twenty minutes later, we were in the sky and headed off to intercept the Albion Armada.

It was time to end this little battle.

...

'Follow me and try to keep up. Ignore the Red Dragon Knights as much as possible.' I stated from the front of our group as we flew closer and closer to the Albion Armada.

I had Ruukoto provide Karin a 'Hey-Listen' before we left for communication purposes. The knight was very wary of the device and it took Louise ten minutes to convince her mother to use it and another five to teach her how it worked.

'Are you certain that you can find the prince?' Karin inquired, proving her skill at adapting to a situation quickly as well as her policy of getting the job done by tolerating me and treating me as one would an ally...at least for now. Louise was riding with her and was hanging onto her mother's cape as they flew. The spell I put on our hats did its job and prevented our headwear from being blown away. However, Louise still sometimes reached up to hold her hat steady whenever a particularly strong gust blew. I momentarily wondered how Karin and the other mounted knights prevented their hats from being blown away before answering the woman's question.

'I have a pretty good way of finding out.' I said with a smirk before switching from the 'Hey-Listen' to the wind enchantment that Scarface put on me.

'Scarface, are you there? This is Yuka. Captain Falcone?' I called out to the knight using the enchantment. I felt the spell work and my words seemed to have been sent out but no one was responding yet.

'Yuka to Scarface. Yuka to Scarface. Answer me dammit!' I tried again. I blinked when I thought I heard something. Was I out of range?

'This is Griffin Knight Lyner Alec la Pyrean, call sign Red...We're-dammit!' A different voice replied before getting interrupted by something. I remembered that voice as the knight that gave that snide comment about Prince Wales' judgment of character.

'What's going on? What happened to Scarface?' I asked as we flew past the first few ships. Some Red Dragon Knights tried to pursue us but Ruukoto and Karin managed to pick them off without much trouble.

'It's Captain Wardes! He's trying to go after Prince Wales! We're holding him off but he's kicking our ass!' Red stated with obvious effort. I concentrated and found the trail of magic that linked the wind enchantment on me with the rest of the Sixty-Sixth. The brighter trail of magic indicated the active link between me and Red.

'Understood. Help is on the way.' I said simply before switching back to the 'Hey-Listen'.

'The Sixty-Sixth are in trouble. Wardes is trying to kill Prince Wales and they're trying to stop him. We're not about to let that abomination do that, so follow me.' I told Louise, Karin, and Ruukoto before speeding up.

'Understood, remaining in formation.' Ruukoto immediately replied.

'Don't get used to this, monster. I don't take orders from you.' Karin coldly stated and I could almost feel her trying to burn a glare right through me.

'We don't have time for this mother! Prince Wales is in danger and we have to save him!' My master exclaimed in protest before pointing out the obvious.

'Do not think to raise your voice against me, daughter. I am only going along with this in order to get these Albion dogs off my skies.' The apparent living legend warned her daughter.

'Now now, no need to fight. It was merely a request.' I pointed out just as a flight of four Red Dragon Knights came around one of the Albion ships we were passing before making a bee line right for us.

'Where do these Red Dragon Knights keep coming from?' I asked in mild annoyance. I prepared to face the fools but Ruukoto beat me to the punch as gynoid accelerated past me.

_R-Cannon_

_G-Revolver_

I heard the weapon declarations before Ruukoto's right arm turned into a sleek white cannon while its left hand held the newly materialized revolver. The gynoid took quick aim and fired with uncanny precision, making very short work of the interception attempt.

"Like shooting faries in a hallway." I commented to myself after Ruukoto demonstrated how effective its weapons were when they were used within their intended range.

'Nicely done.' I stated after Ruukoto moved back in formation. Its right arm morphed back to normal but its left hand was still holding its G-Revolver.

'I will not let anything harm my mistress.' Ruukoto said with a nod.

'Good job Ruukoto!' Louise exclaimed with no small sense of pride.

'Thank you, Mistress Louise.' The gynoid responded to its mistress' voice with a ghost of a smile.

'Effective weapons.' Karin commented nonchalantly as she glanced at Ruukoto before focusing her eyes forward. I felt her magic rise faintly for a moment before settling down. She was good at masking her emotions. That small rise in her magic may as well have been the equivalent of a gasp of surprise from Louise.

'Thank you, Madame Valliere.' Ruukoto responded, taking the words of Louise's mother as a compliment.

It didn't take much longer for us to finally find Wardes and his old squadron doing battle a fair distance away from the ship that should be holding the prince.

'Madame Valliere, Ruukoto, Louise, get to that ship and see if Prince Wales is alive. If he is, then explain that Ruukoto can help him speak with his countrymen. Ruukoto can take care of it there.' I stated while pointing to the 'Challenger'.

'What about Viscount Wardes?' Louise asked.

'I'll take care of it. Remember your training, Louise.' I answered before flying right at Wardes. The abomination was about to skewer one of Scarface's subordinates with its runed lance when it suddenly turned to me, just in time for me to slam into it with a shoulder tackle. Wardes was not able to put up a shield before I hit it, making that the first clean hit I've made on it. The force of the blow made it scream across the sky and slam into an unsuspecting Red Dragon Knight before smashing into an unsuspecting ship.

'Haha! Not bad!' I heard the griffin knight I assisted say. I turned to the knight and saw that his uniform was damaged in various places but his armor seemed to be mostly intact.

'Thanks for the help. Call sign Larry.' The knight who presented himself as 'Larry', such a bland call sign, continued before extending his left hand for a handshake.

'My name is Yuka. A pleasure to meet you.' I replied before shaking the man's hand. He looked older than the other members of his squadron, even older than Scarface and Wardes before my double killed the former Viscount, but his eyes spoke of cunning and experience.

'Yo buddy, still alive?' Another of the knights called out using the wind enchantment as he and his mount flew closer. I saw that this knight had long black hair and had dark skin like Kirche. The rest of the knights flew closer to us and I saw Scarface among them.

'Very funny, Trombe.' I heard Larry quip before he and the knight known as Trombe bumped their fists together.

'Glad to see you decided to join the fun. I thought you said that you'd take care of Jaques?' Scarface dryly said when he and his subordinates got close enough.

'I apologize. He slipped away when an unexpected guest showed up and attacked me and the former Viscount.' I explained.

'Friendly?' The Knight Captain asked with a raised brow.

'Indeed, and quite powerful as well. Do you know of Karin 'The Heavy Wind'?' I answered and asked them with a sly smile.

'By Brimir's Beard, 'The Heavy Wind' is here?' The knight known as Trombe exclaimed, Scarface and the other knights looked just as surprised.

'You're certain?' Scarface asked me with a particularly serious voice.

'Indeed. Karin should be on the Challenger by now and helping Prince Wales with something. In the meantime, Wardes needs to die...again.' I stated just as a loud explosion was heard from the ship where Wardes crashed into. The former Viscount shot out of the ship just as the vessel started to capsize and likely start falling to its doom.

'Do you need any help?' Scarface asked as we all looked at our foe.

'No. I have some things I wish to personally work through with the former Viscount. I highly suggest that you rendezvous with Karin on the Challenger in case some more Red Dragon Knights decide to test their luck.' I responded and heard a sigh from the knight with the red griffin.

'Where do those guys keep coming from anyway? Do they have Red Dragon Factories or something?' The knight asked with a frustrated huff. I heard some of the other knights chuckle to that.

'Alright. Give him hell for us.' The Knight Captain said before maneuvering his squadron back to the Challenger. I cracked my neck to prepare to take out Wardes once and for all. I hummed before tapping on my 'Hey-Listen'.

'The Sixty-Sixth are headed your way to reinforce your position. I'll be taking care of Wardes now.' I informed Karin, Louise, and Ruukoto before flapping my wings once and flying right at the abomination.

...

"Your highness!" Louise exclaimed just as her group reached the Challenger. Wales could be seen on deck and issuing orders as well as helping the wounded. The heir to the Albion throne looked up from where he was and saw Louise waving. He wasn't sure what to think of her company though.

A masked armored knight riding a large manticore that had a Commander-Rank Shuttlecock provided Louise's means of transportation.

A white winged flying armored maid that was armed with an odd but deadly looking white-silver pistol.

Wales couldn't even begin to fathom how a teenage student of the Tristain Magic Academy would even meet such people.

"Milady Valliere, what are you doing here?" Wales asked Louise after Karin's manticore landed on the deck of the Challenger. Both the young Void mage and her mother dismounted the familiar while Ruukoto landed a short distance away.

"Louise is fine, your highness. Anyway, we're here to help you. Yuka told me that you want to know how you can talk to the Albion Armada and we have a way how." Louise quickly explained. Wales nodded as he considered her words before his gaze drifted to the masked Manticore Knight Commander and the winged maid. Louise noticed his gaze and suddenly became a bit uncomfortable.

"Umm...this is...I mean..." Louise stuttered tried to come up with some way to explain why she came in with a Manticore Knight, an officer no less! She knew how big a deal it was to keep her mother's identity a secret because of her legend. The only reason why she revealed who she was back in Tarbes was because of the situation and because it was a direct question from Princess Henrietta. Prince Wales may be royalty but he was the prince of a different country...the very country that was invading! Thankfully, her mother decided to speak up instead.

"Greetings Prince Wales Tudor. It is an honor to finally meet you, though I wish that we would have met under better circumstances." Karin stated respectfully before bowing to the prince. Thanks to the general craziness of the situation, the mask that she was wearing was enough to distort her voice enough so one could not determine if the speaker was a man or a woman. Karin stood back up straight before continuing.

"I am a former Manticore Knight Commander and an ally of the Valliere family. I'm afraid I cannot provide my true name because of circumstances but you may refer to me as...Kain." Karin stated with a nod of her head. Louise blinked and repressed the urge to give out her characteristic 'urk' when she realized what her mother had done. Karin had effectively created a practically anonymous code name just by removing the middle letter of her real name.

"I understand. Any ally of Milady Louise's family is an ally of mine and thus an ally of the true Royal Family of Albion." Wales said before extending his hand towards Karin for a handshake. The former Manticore Knight Commander obliged the prince by shaking his hand, though it was a somewhat odd experience for her to be shaking the hand of the heir to the Albion throne. Although, the young man's words raised a few questions for Karin.

"You seem to personally know Louise and have quite a high opinion of her." Karin casually pointed out before ending the handshake. Louise felt herself tense up at her mother's comment.

_Of course she would wonder why Prince Wales and I know each other! We never told her about the mission to Albion!_ Louise thought in horror. Ruukoto looked at her mistress in wonder when she noticed her increased heart rate and tension. The gynoid decided to chalk it up to Louise's usual quirks after she did not find any evidence that Louise's condition was life threatening. Louise's distress went unnoticed by Prince Wales and the young man answered Karin's question with a smile.

"That and more Sir Kain! I would not be here today were it not for Milady Valliere's bravery as well as the power and creativity of Sir Yuka Kazami. They saved my life on Albion and I have placed my full trust in both of them since. I am certain that Princess Henrietta is of the same opinion as well. Milady Louise is a paragon of what young nobles should aspire to be!" Prince Wales stated enthusiastically before looking at Louise and giving her a warm smile, one that Karin clearly noticed. Louise momentarily blushed from the sudden praise and the gesture...but said blush froze over when she noticed her mother giving her a not so amused glance. Even when only her eyes were visible, Louise knew very well that Karin was not happy about finding out about the Albion rescue incident.

"I see..." Karin said simply before looking straight at Louise. The young Void Mage fidgited uncomfortably at her mother's unrelenting glare and she couldn't even understand why! This was not the best situation for a scolding!

"Louise...did you not have a means of helping Prince Wales?" Karin finally spoke and Louise blinked in realization.

"Right! Your highness, this is Ruukoto. She will help you to be able to speak with the Albion Armada." Louise quickly stated as she gestured to her gynoid. Ruukoto stepped forward and bowed deeply to the prince.

"Greetings, your highness. I am Combat Maid Gynoid designation Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four, though calling me Ruukoto would be adequate." Ruukoto introduced herself before standing back up straight.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Ruukoto." The good natured prince returned the greeting with a smile, his eyes glancing at the white wings that adorned the gynoid's back.

"Hmm?" Karin suddenly hummed when she heard the 'Hey-Listen' in her ear make a faint crackling noise which she had since associated with someone trying to contact her.

'The Sixty-Sixth are headed your way to reinforce your position. I'll be taking care of Wardes now.' The voice of her daughter's familiar suddenly stated before cutting out abruptly. The woman narrowed her eyes before turning to the others.

"It would appear that your familiar has sent the Sixty-Sixth back here and will be dealing with Wardes on his own." Karin casually stated as if giving out a common situation report. She glanced at her daughter and she had her finger in her ear that had her ear piece, Karin deduced that the familiar sent out the message to all of them because of that.

"I see, do you believe that Mister Yuka can defeat him?" Wales asked Louise. The young woman blinked at the prince for a moment before breaking out into a confident smile.

"There is no one here that can beat Yuka when he gets serious." Louise stated with equal confidence...only to immediately regret doing so when she saw the way her mother looked at her. She cleared her throat to get some semblance of dignity back before continuing.

"Well, since Yuka will be keeping Viscount Wardes in check...Ruukoto will be helping you in communicating with the armada." Louise said before gesturing toward Ruukoto.

"And how will you be able to do that, if you don't mind my asking?" Prince Wales asked just as Karin noticed the six griffin knights that made up the Sixty-Sixth come into view.

"We will accomplish this by..." Ruukoto started to explain in the same way she explained how she got a sample of Karin's DNA. Louise immediately thought that it was going to be a long battle.

...

"So..." I muttered as I swatted away another of the many Red Dragon Knights that suddenly showed up to block my advance toward my prey. I wasn't where they came from nor why they didn't seem to display any sort of hesitation or fear anymore despite the number of their comrades that I've already ended.

"Come now...you're all starting to act like those incessant fairies back home." I stated with thinly veiled annoyance as I grabbed one of the red dragons by the neck before throwing it at the others. I was almost tempted to bring out my other half again but I restrained myself since she might try to take out Wardes before me. I knew that technically, I would be the one to destroy the abomination, but it was the principle of the thing.

That was when the dragons did something I did not expect. They all charged at me at once, they and their riders roaring like savages going through their final charge. I swatted a few of them away but I was suddenly overwhelmed with the sheer number of them. It only took a few moments for me to be completely engulfed in a mass of man and dragon. Those closest tried to injure me by any means possible before they died due to the heat, pressure, or getting caught in a swipe of a claw or a swing of a sword.

It was getting ridiculous...

"That's enough from all of you." I stated though I doubted if any of them could even understand me. I touched one of them with my left hand and let my flower grow. Immediately after my silent command, the unfortunate dragon that I first touched suddenly had countless steel vines bursting out of it and ripping through the rest of the offending dragons and knights. Once I confirmed the mass of man and dragon to be all dead because of my plant, I commanded it to give me room to escape. I slipped out of my impromptu ball of vine-based death and took in a breath of fresh air. I glanced at the motionless Wardes and noted that its body was spasming in odd ways. I raised a brow at the sight before turning back to the ball of death in front of me. I dismissed the thought as to why it was still airborne before smiling at it and then at Wardes.

"Here, I think this belongs to you." I said before kicking the ball of Red Dragon Knights at the undead. I had fully expected Wardes to dodge the mass of death or even deflect it in some way. Instead, it just stayed where it was as it lifted both of its runed lances and focused magic into them. Then just as the ball was about to hit it, Wardes swung both lances down diagonally in an 'X' and effectively slashing through the mass. I idly wondered who was going to clean up all of that as I watched the mass of dead bodies drop like a sack of...well, dead bodies.

"Hm?" I hummed as I looked up and blinked when I noticed that Wardes was already right in front of me. The abomination quickly thrust both of its runed lances at my chest with oddly substantial force before casting a triple-tornado at point blank range.

"Augh!" I grunted as I felt myself sent back because of the triple-tornado spell before crashing onto the deck of a nearby ship. I wasn't able to tell which side the ship was from because Wardes made it a point to follow up on its initial attack by crashing right on top of me.

"That's the spirit!" I commended the abomination's sudden enthusiasm at fighting me. The panicked cries of the crewmen of the ship we crashed on were everywhere. I supposed that this wasn't exactly the kind of thing they thought they'd have to deal with when they signed up as soldiers. Meanwhile, Wardes' griffin half pinned me on the deck just as it readied a thrust with the runed lance in his right hand.

"Not so fast!" I stated with a smile as I caught the lance with my left hand and pulled...hard. Wardes and its griffin half roared inhumanly in pain and anger as I ripped off its arm at the shoulder. I then used the recently acquired melee weapon to smack the griffin's head to get it off me. Wardes staggered away from me and I used the opportunity to take the runed lance and hold it in my left hand. The runes of the Gandalfr started to glow as the ancient magic made by Brimir taught me everything I needed to know on how to properly wield a lance. I smiled at the applications of that knowledge as I looked at the lance in my hand...all those things I could try out with my parasol.

I noticed a flash of serpentine-like movement from the corner of my vision and instinctively put up the runed lance at an angle that provided the best protection based on the information imparted to me by the Gandalfr runes. I blinked when the runed lance was cleanly sliced in half by something before following through and managing to slash me on my chest. The wound was shallow and already healing when I finally saw where the attack came from.

"Well...this is new." I muttered as I saw that the attack came from a whip-like appendage that came from the back of the griffin part of Wardes. It was the mount's tail...

Although, it was not the normal tail of that kind of creature if I recalled correctly. The fur and skin was all but stripped off, leaving only the bloody muscle and bone that protruded from the meat like thorns on a vine. The tip of the tail had a particularly large sharpened piece of bone that looked like the blade of a thick curved ivory sword.

The surprises continued to roll as I saw the shoulder of the recently disarmed former Viscount, the one that used to have an arm attached to it, suddenly quiver while making wet meaty noises. I raised a brow when the armless stump suddenly started spewing out blood before a large, overly muscled, bloody, four fingered arm suddenly burst out. Like the griffin's tail, the arm did not have any skin and only had bone and muscle. Although, there was a rather large and prominent bone spike protruding from the elbow and the four fingers on the 'hand' reminded me of those butcher knife-like fingers that Matilda's golem had during the Staff of Destruction Caper incident.

THIS was the full effect of the resurrection property of the Ring of Advari? I supposed that this was one reason why the Embodiment of Water didn't want any humans getting their hands on it.

"Viscount Wardes...what big knife-like fingers you have you have. All the better to scratch your back with or are you just happy to see me?" I couldn't help but quip with a smirk. Sadly, it seemed that I was the only one who thought it funny as Wardes remained motionless while both the human and griffin halves glared at me with their glowing red eyes while the other occupants of the ship saw it fit to start panicking at the sight and start abandoning ship. Really, all it takes is for two monsters to fight nearby and they all start going crazy with fear?

'**THIS IS PRINCE WALES TUDOR OF THE TRUE ALBION ROYAL FAMILY! FRIENDS! BRAVE SOLDIERS! COUNTRYMEN! LEND ME YOUR EARS!**' The surreal booming voice of one Wales Tudor suddenly interrupted my thoughts. His words were not carried through the air as with regular speech would. Instead, it seemed like his voice resonated in your skull which gave it uninterrupted clarity. I supposed that this was why Ruukoto was so confident that it could help out Wales in this particular problem...the volume was a bit of a problem though.

'Can you turn it down? I can hear Wales just fine, no need to have him yelling at me...also, could you make it so that only Albion soldiers can hear it?' I asked Ruukoto but did not get a response. I parried another attempted cheap shot by Wardes' whip tail with the remaining half of the runed lance before throwing said lance at my foe. Wardes caught the lance with its new appendage before crushing it between its sharp clawed hand. I narrowed my eyes when I did not hear a response from the gynoid. It did say that it would be focusing all of its resources to the system that was allowing Wales to get inside everyone's heads and won't be able to do anything in the meantime.

'Louise, Karin, can either of you ask Ruukoto to turn down the volume or even possibly tune out everyone who isn't from Albion from the broadcast? It's kind of distracting especially since our old friend Wardes decided to start showing a few surprises in our fight.' I asked the two Valliere women as I dodged a charging claw strike from Wardes. I took to the air before kicking the ship's mast toward the abomination. It managed to rip it apart using a series of razor wind spells from its remaining runed lance and from the beak of its griffon half.

'I already tried but Ruukoto won't respond to me. She placed Prince Wales inside some weird and complicated magic circle that had a ridiculous amount of numbers and symbols before asking him to start speaking.' My master was the one who responded to my call and I hummed at the information she provided as Wardes displayed surprising improvement in its speed. I noted that the wings on the griffin looked larger than they were before and were starting to shed feathers. I twisted away from an attempted impalement via a runed lance before applying that knowledge at swordsmanship that I gained from the Gandalfr runes when I held the newly cleaned Derflinger. I used my parasol like a one-handed sword and slashed off Wardes' left arm, albeit not as cleanly as it would have had I used a proper blade. Regardless, the amount of force I applied was enough to achieve the intended result as Wardes suddenly found himself disarmed yet again.

'I speak to you all here in hopes that we may prevent further bloodshed because of a tyrant that...' Wales' voice once again rang in my head but it was at a much more reasonable volume that I had little to no trouble in tuning it out. If you have gone through having to deal with a certain gang of youkai that was previously known as Team-Nine, you'd end up developing that kind of skill as well.

'Thank Ruukoto if that was its doing.' I commented to Louise and Karin before turning my focus back on Wardes. True to form with the current gimmick that it was using, the stump that was his left shoulder started to spew out copious amounts of blood before another gory appendage spontaneously grew out of it. Unlike the right arm, which looked like it was a giant overmuscled arm with hands that had steak knives for fingers, the left arm took it a step further and looked like the bloody monstrous bone version of Ruukoto's R-Blade. From shoulder to elbow, it looked like a standard skinless bloody monster limb. However, instead of finding a forearm and hand from the elbow, what I saw was a massive chunk of bone that was held together with several strands of thick sinew. The bone itself was shaped like a large broadsword and I suspected that the sharpened edge if the biological weapon was much tougher than regular bone.

I have fought monsters with such properties and abilities in the past, during my earlier centuries as a youkai in fact. Though I have never seen a human turn into such a thing so...thoroughly. Wardes stared at its new bladed arm for a moment before looking back at me and giving a ghost of a smile. The griffin half flapped its wings once, shedding more feathers in the process, and revealing bloodied membrane wings that resembled a dragon's. I returned the smile and cracked my neck and fingers before giving it one of my more traditional pre-battle smiles.

"Shall we continue then~?" I offered before I took the initiative and flew right at Wardes, who had its new weapons at the ready. I expected it to be a good old fashioned full-on bloody brawl that went on until I've hacked my foe to pieces that couldn't be put back together. Unfortunately, Wardes decided to be cheap and its griffin half opened up its mouth and let loose a tornado spell. I wasn't about to let something like that stop me, so I smacked away the annoying spell and was met with the blades of Wardes' new appendages that dug themselves into my flesh. My natural resistance to physical damage did not allow the blades to pierce my body too deeply but I still FELT IT. And that pain alone was more than enough to get my bloodlust boiling over again.

"Ahahahaha! More! And don't you dare die on me too quickly!" I screamed out. However, due to my...enthusiasm...I ended up lopping Wardes' head off with a swing of my parasol. I stared at the rapidly falling head of my foe with an odd sense of disappointment as I thought the fight to be prematurely decided. That disappointment died when I heard the tell tale fleshy noise of sudden growth coming from the former Viscount's neck, which was starting to squirt out quite a lot of blood as well.

"Hm?" I hummed with a raised brow at the odd scene right before a tendril with a bony sickle at the end burst out of Wardes' neck and swung down to strike at my head.

...

"I thank all of you once more for giving me this opportunity to be able to speak with my countrymen." Wales stated after he had ended his speech. It was still too early to gauge the effects of his words but the young man hoped and prayed that the soldiers of his country still knew what it meant to fight for what was right.

"Not at all, your highness. We were glad to help you." Louise exclaimed with a bright smile before checking up on Ruukoto. The gynoid gave off a soft white glow before turning back to normal. Its wings were absorbed back into her body in order to be able to redirect more resources into broadcasting Wales' speech. Ruukoto backed away a few steps before several panels on her shoulders, arms, back, and legs suddenly opened up to discharge steam from within her body. Ruukoto noticed the surprised looks from the prince and her mistress and decided to explain to avoid any further confusion.

"The system I used to be able to broadcast Prince Wales Tudor's words took up nearly all of my processing capabilities. While not dangerous to me in any way, it does tend to make my core heat up significantly when used for a duration. I am currently performing cool down protocols to pull my temperature back down to levels that would be considered safe in combat situations. Estimated time to completion is three-hundred seconds." Ruukoto explained as well and as simply as she could. Unfortunately, neither one of her audience seemed to have understood it too well.

"Put simply, I need three-hundred seconds of undisturbed rest for me to be able to properly protect Mistress Louise." She settled on and saw the light of understanding in the eyes of Louise and Wales. Ruukoto wondered idly as to what it would take for her to be able to teach her mistress enough about science for her to at least comprehend the gynoid's words to a competent degree.

Karin remained mostly silent throughout the whole thing but was otherwise very much alert and aware of what was going on around her. The former Manticore Knight Commander silently reviewed and considered everything she had learned about what her daughter had done ever since the start of the school year.

In the span of less than a year, her daughter had acquired the loyalty and services of two powerful intelligent and sentient non-human followers, one of which was a familiar that Louise herself had summoned. Not only that, the girl had also managed to surround herself with competent companions from her school that were of various nationalities and families...even a daughter of the Zerbst. She had also somehow managed to gain the complete favor of both the future ruler of Tristain as well as the crown prince of Albion, clout that would no doubt aid her daughter in the future. Most of all, and most important of all, the whining failure of a girl that Karin once thought did not have the qualities of a true Valliere changed almost completely. What she saw in front of her eyes was a confident and driven young woman who had a strong sense of loyalty and justice. The qualities of a true member of the Valliere family. Karin will never admit it to Louise or likely to anyone else other than her husband...but she was very proud of how her daughter had grown.

_All because of that...familiar of hers. If my daughter's words were as true as she made it seem. _Karin thought as she continued to watch her daughter speak with the prince.

"By the light of the sun! What in blazes is that?" Char exclaimed in complete shock, getting everyone's attention.

The Sixty-Sixth had managed to rendezvous with the Challenger soon after the start of Wales' speech. What followed was a series of awkward silence between Karin and certain members of the squadron, particularly Trombe and Char due to their relations with Karin herself and to the Valleiere family. Most of it went unnoticed since neither Trombe nor Char would dare piss off the legendary Manticore Knight Commander by doing something stupid as saying 'Hi! It's been a while!' to her. Red on the other hand was simply in awe to be able to fight alongside a living legend and the knight that trained both their former Captain Wardes and Trombe.

Everyone looked to where Char was pointing at and saw one of the larger Albion ships slowly being...infested...with a strange and obviously disgusting mass of what looked like flesh, blood, bone, and screaming men. All of them were completely speechless at the grotesque sight before them. Even Karin was overcome with a feeling of...concern. Yes, concern...not fear. Vallieres do not get scared after all. They only get concerned.

"Ruukoto...what is that?" Louise asked her gynoid with great concern. Ruukoto turned her head to the mass of flesh and bone in question and streams of light immediately started going across her eyes.

"Unknown. Currently scanning. Stand by. Suggest that you contact Yuka in the meantime for possible situation report." Ruukoto stated as it continued its comprehensive long range scan of the entity. Louise nodded at the suggestion and immediately tried to get ahold of her familiar.

'Yuka! Where are you? What is that thing that just showed up? Is it another enemy? What happened to Viscount Wardes?' Louise quick-fired her questions to Yuka but got absolutely no response from him.

_I have a bad feeling about this..._ Louise thought as she watched the mass continue to grow as it consumed the Albion vessel.

...

"By the founder..." Scarface muttered as he watched the rapidly growing mass of flesh and bone almost completely consume an Albion battleship. The crewmen of the vessel were either being ripped to pieces before being pulled into the mass or were jumping off the ships altogether and dooming themselves to death anyway.

'Hans, what do we do? I don't know what the hell that thing is but it sure as hell doesn't look friendly.' Larry asked his captain using their wind-comms. Scarface weighed the situation they were in and clearly saw that the battle had gone way out of hand. It wasn't so much as winning anymore but more of surviving the battle at hand...or whatever the hell that monster was.

'Stephan, go the Challenger's captain and get him to pull the ship back. Prince Wales has already managed to accomplish what he wanted and I don't think we'll be able to do a counter attack with the state our remaining ships are in. There's no more need for them to stay here any longer.' Scarface ordered Stephan, who was one of the closest to the ship along with Char.

'You got it boss!' The griffin knight immediately acknowledged.

'Boss, I think there's something you should know.' Char's voice suddenly caught the knight captain's attention.

'Go ahead.' Scarface allowed his subordinate to speak.

'Former Manticore Knight Commander, codename _Kain_, as well as newly minted Chevaliere Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere wanted in on our wind-comm network. Prince Wales already gave his okay but I wanted to check with you first.' Char explained, making sure to emphasize the code name that Karin was using as well as giving Louise's full name. It didn't take a veteran like him to realize that Karin didn't want anyone to completely confirm that she was there right now. He wondered why she brought her daughter along though, the stories that Jaques and James told him about her didn't really paint her as the type who would bring one of her children to an obviously hostile battlefield. The knight captain put it on the back of his mind since a living legend like her probably had a good reason for doing what she was doing.

'Do it. From the looks of things, we'll need as much help as we can get at this point.' Scarface stated before waiting for the two women to connect to their comm network.

'This is former Manticore Knight Commander, you may refer to me as Kain. This is not my real name but I would ask to be called this for security purposes.' Karin stated as soon as she managed to connect to the knights.

'Well met, Commander Kain. You are speaking to Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone, callsign 'Scarface' and squadron leader of the Sixty-Sixth Squadron of the Sixth Order of the Tristain Griffin Knights. I assume that Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere is with you?' Scarface greeted Karin using her chosen code name and asking if Louise was already connected.

'Excuse me...can anyone hear me? Is this thing on?' Louise made herself known by showing just how little she knew when it came to Wind Magic based communications.

'Yes, I can hear you loud and clear Dame Valliere. This is Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone, callsign 'Scarface' and squadron leader of the Sixty-Sixth Squadron of the Sixth Order of the Tristain Griffin Knights-' Scarface was not able to get past his initial introduction to Louise when the girl in question interrupted him.

'Thank goodness! You need to help! I can't contact Yuka! He was supposed to have the same wind enchantment as you do so please see if you can reach him!' Louis said frantically in borderline panic. Karin's daughter knew Yuka? The man said that he had a master...was it the daughter of the Heavy Wind? No matter, the issue was that Yuka was missing and the last he checked, the man was supposed to be fighting Jaques.

'Yuka. Yuka, this is Scarface. Can you hear me? Yuka!' Scarface tried to reach the youkai with no response.

'Everyone, try to contact Yuka. I can't raise him for some reason.' Scarface ordered his squadron before switching back to a channel to Louise.

'Dame Valliere, when was the last time you were able to contact him?' Scarface inquired while waiting for his squadron's response.

'I can't raise him boss.' Stephan said in response to Scarface's order.

'It was a little after Prince Wales started his speech. He's supposed to be fighting Viscount Wardes but he hasn't contacted me since...' Louise trailed off after giving her account of what happened before she lost all contact with Yuka. At least their information matched up. Yuka was fighting Jaques the last time anyone saw or made contact with him. Scarface didn't think that someone as blood soaked and confident as Yuka would die so easily but...

'I got nothing Hans.' Larry reported.

'No good boss.' Trombe followed up soon after.

'I can't reach him boss.' Char also reported.

"That thing showed up after Yuka stopped contacting Dame Valliere..." Scarface muttered while glancing at the disgusting entity that had already completely consumed the Albion ship it appeared on. How it was still able to stay airborne, Scarface wasn't sure.

'Negative. Do you think something happened to him?' Red responded and asked the question Scarface was asking himself.

'I don't know but he can take care of himself. For now, we need to focus on getting Prince Wales away from the battle zone.' Scarface stated just as he saw Karin's Manticore take to the air.

'Hey! Don't leave me down here!' The knight captain suddenly heard Louise yell out through the channel.

'Boss! The Challenger's Captain okay-ed the retreat and Prince Wales agreed so they could get the injured away from whatever the nine hells that thing is. Problem is that Commander Kain wanted to leave behind Dame Valliere and her maid as well. The young lady isn't taking it too well.' Stephan reported. Wonderful.

'Captain Falcone, will escort the Challenger to safety or will you stay here to fight the beast?' Karin asked and Scarface smiled at the question.

'Jaques and Yuka are both missing, Commander Karin. Soon afterward, that...thing started growing on an Albion ship. I doubt that it is a coincidence.' Scarface pointed out to which Karin gave a grunt of agreement.

'Hey! Stop ignoring me! I can't leave until I make sure that Yuka's okay, that Viscount Wardes is defeated, that Tarbes is safe, and whatever that thing that suddenly showed up is destroyed!' Louise stated her case and Scarface wondered why the girl had so much invested in this battle that she would willingly go to the field and refuse to leave until she was certain that the major threats were gone.

'And why do you feel the need to do so?' Karin voiced the question in Scarface's head with a somewhat harshly if one would ask him.

'Because I promised the princess. I promised Prince Wales. I promised my friends. I promised Yuka. Most of all, I promised myself that I would help protect Tarbes...and a Valliere always keeps their promises.' Louise immediately replied without any hint of hesitation. Karin could almost feel her brow twitch with her daughter's declaration. The words she used and the way she said them reminded her too much of her own youth and the stupid things she did in order to prove herself back then. Based of that alone, no one will ever doubt that Louise was Karin's daughter.

Scarface wasn't sure what to do about the girl. He'd much rather not have to babysit a noncombatant in the middle of all the crazy that's been happening lately. Case in point was the entity that just consumed an entire Albion battleship and was still continuing to grow. As if to punctuate his point, the thing suddenly shot out a thick bloody sinewy tendril which smashed right into another nearby ship, the barely airworthy Tristain ship 'Bonaparte'. Just like the first ship, the mass of flesh and bone started to grow and seemingly consume the other ship as well. Scarface and everyone else who saw this knew that they had to destroy that monster before it grows too big to stop. Scarface was about to let the Challenger leave with Louise on it when an unexpected voice responded before he could do so.

'I'll take her.' Red suddenly said out loud, mildly surprising Scarface and the rest of his squadron.

'Really? Thank you! Where are you?' Louise immediately replied in joy and relief.

'I'm on my way to the Challenger. Please stay where you are.' Red provided to the young woman.

'What the high heavens do you think you're doing Red?' Trombe asked his comrade just as Scarface saw the young knight's griffin reach the Challenger.

'Helping out a fellow knight.' Red stated simply, reminding everyone there that yes, Louise is a Chevaliere and therefore a knight in the service of the crown.

'Identify yourself and state your intentions, knight.' Karin suddenly cut in with a none too pleased tone in her voice. The living legend had wanted the prince of Albion and her daughter out of the battlefield so she would have less things to worry about and therefore focus on winning. She grudgingly admitted that Louise's maid should have been more than capable of keeping her safe until they reached safer skies which was why she left Ruukoto behind as well.

'It is an honor to be able to speak and fight alongside you, Commander Kain. I am Griffin Knight Lyner Alec la Pyrean, call sign Red, of the Sixty-Sixth Squadron of the Sixth Order of the Tristain Griffin Knights. My only intention in my action is to provide a fellow knight, who is willing to fight for the innocent despite the odds, an opportunity to assist us in battle.' Red responded to Karin and explained his actions.

'Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere does not have any military training nor substantial battlefield experience.' Karin immediately countered.

'With all due respect commander...Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere earned her title as a Chevaliere, otherwise she wouldn't be one. She must have displayed the qualities required of a knight to be able to have such a title. I want to believe in her conviction, ma'am.' Red responded. What everyone didn't realize was that Red was scared out of his wits as he was saying those words. He was trying very, very, _very_ hard to make it seem that he was confident in his words so he didn't make himself look like an idiot in front of everyone there.

'Th-th-thank you, S-S-Sir Red...' Louise stammered her thanks to the red-haired knight. Scarface and the rest weren't sure if Louise intended for everyone to hear her embarrassed gesture of thanks. Char, Stephan, and Larry thought it was kind of cute in a little sister kind of way, they did well to keep that opinion to themselves.

'It's your ass if anything happens to Dame Valliere, Red. You understand that, right?' Trombe reminded his junior.

'Are you sure about this, both of you?' Scarface asked both Louise and Red one more time, a question that Karin didn't appreciate.

'You can't possibly be serious Captain Falcone. I would never allow such blatant insubordination in my ranks if it was my squadron.' Karin commented, her personal opinion of the new knight captain deteriorating because he tolerated such a thing from his subordinate.

'With all due respect, Commander. Last time I checked, this was my squadron. If they're so driven to pull that off, then I'd be more than happy to see them try to make it work.' Scarface replied evenly. Living legend or not, he wasn't about to roll over and do whatever Karin said.

'Thanks boss.' Red gave his earnest thanks to his captain before giving Louise a small smile. The young void mage blushed at the gesture and the fact that the knight openly declared that he believed in her. Louise still wasn't used to such direct methods of attack on her maidenly emotions. Kirche and Yukari didn't count because Louise the notion to be rather uncomfortable. Also, she firmly denied that her heart was racing when Kirche kissed her. She also made it a point to utilize the use of her broken spells to vaporize the notion that she _might have, possibly, maybe, _liked it. Definitely not!

"You heard him, please mind your step." Red stated before offering his hand just as his mount lowered itself to make it easier for Louise to climb on it.

"Thank you, Sir Pyrean." Louise thanked the young man before she was pulled onto his griffin. It wasn't very difficult since she had experience getting on various mounts such as horses, griffins, and her mother's manticore. However, she suddenly found herself overcome with embarrassment when Red placed her in front of him when she climbed on, like the way she rode with Viscount Wardes before.

"Glad to help. Just call me Red by the way." Red responded before reaching out and grabbing the reins of his griffin, effectively putting his arms around Louise.

"Okay...umm...you can...just call me Louise...then..." The young woman replied in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. She then noticed Red shifting around in his seat continuously as if uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong...Red? I can just get sit behind you if..." Louise inquired before trailing off when she turned her head and saw Red trying to adjust himself to be able to see around Louise's hat as well as Derflinger.

"Hurm...can you do something about your hat and your sword? Isn't that blade a bit too big for you?" Red asked her passenger with a knitted brow. Louise was about to answer that when the sword in question decided to answer instead. Derflinger rattled in its scabbard for a moment before partially popping out of it, nearly hitting Red in the face in the process.

"You calling me fat, kid?" Derflinger in a confrontational manner.

"What the-" Red's reaction to the sword's sudden outburst was cut short when a low bellowing growl could be heard from the distance. They turned to the source and found that it came from the disgusting entity.

"It can make noises now?" Derflinger commented but Louise noticed something else which unnerved the girl a great deal.

"Is it getting bigger?" Louise asked in worry.

'Heads up! That monster just finished eating the Bonaparte and just started going after three more ships!' Stephan exclaimed and red noticed that his squadron was forming up with Karin and Scarface at the forefront.

'It's getting bigger!' Char yelled out, confirming Louise's observation.

"We need to go. Now." Red firmly stated before grabbing Derflinger's hilt and pushing the sword back into its scabbard. The knight ignored the sword's rattling complaint and pulled Louise closer to him, making the young woman blush. Her blush deepened when Red went around his apparent visibility issue by slightly tilting Louise's shoulder to the right and placing his chin on the young Void Mage's left shoulder.

"Milady Valliere! Sir Red!" Wales called out to them. He gave them a determined look before nodding.

"Good luck and may the founder protect you." Wales told them with a warm smile.

"Of course, your highness! Ruukoto!" Louise replied before calling out to her gynoid. The robot maid stepped up and bowed to her mistress.

"I am at full combat capacity, Mistress Louise. Deploying G-Wing Type-Zero." Ruukoto declared before standing back up straight and letting her white feathered wings grow out. Louise nodded to her maid before shifting slightly, trying very hard not to react openly to her proximity with Red.

"Okay, let's go Red. Ruukoto will help us too." Louise said to the knight, who nodded into his shoulder. Red, on his part, was trying very hard not to think about how warm Louise was or how nice her hair smelled.

"Let's go Ash!" Red ordered his griffin and it squawked in acknowledgement. Louise stiffened at the sudden movement of the mount before they went off the side of the Challenger and flew, Ruukoto right behind them.

...

Hrmm...odd...

I felt myself weightless and I could not feel anything nor perceive anything about my surroundings. All my senses will not work, even my sensitivity to magic.

That had strange yet familiar implications.

...

'Keep your buddies! Stay in formation!' Scarface roared out as he and Larry dodged several bladed tendrils that shot out from the monster. The others were in the same situation as they tried to do enough raw damage to the entity to make it stop eating the ships.

'It's got another one!' Char yelled out through the wind-comm as he and Stephan watched another Albion ship get completely covered up with blood, muscle, and bone.

...

I tried to grasp at something but I could not even feel myself making the attempt. This situation reminded me greatly of when I was first pulled into Louise's summoning portal. This void gave off the same kind of feeling...or lack thereof.

Was I being sent back?

Was I set free and going back to Gensokyo?

...

"Begone from my sight!" Karin declared with anger as she rapid dual-casted her signature Heavy Wind using both her runed lance and sword-wand. The continuous concussive blasts of wind slammed into the monster and tore off chunk after massive chunk of meat and bone. The beast retaliated with darting spiked tendrils tendrils or bone darts. Karin was able to either deflect or block them with her wind barrier spells or she simply dodged them altogether.

"This isn't working." A deep growling voice came from below the former knight commander as the entity rapidly started healing the damage Karin dealt it. It was Karin's familiar, the ancient manticore that had become so powerful that it ended up developing intelligent sentience and a comprehensive grasp of human speech. It mostly kept quiet since it didn't really like the attention, only speaking up to Karin, Duke Valliere, and Cattleya when no one else was around.

"Your grasp of the obvious is astounding." Karin dryly stated as she and her manticore dodged even more attacks. Karin crossed her sword-wand and runed lance and created a howling vortex of wind that she shaped into a giant lance.

"Engrave this upon your soul!" Karin roared out before launching the spell at the still growing mass.

...

Was the whole thing about me being summoned by Louise just a strange lucid dream and I never really moved from that void in the first place?

No, that would mean that I was either losing my mind again or that I had quite the imagination.

I deny that possibility and concentrate. Louise was real...I just knew that she was real.

What was the last thing that happened to me again?

...

'Nail them down! Nail the ends down!' Trombe yelled out as he cast yet another tornado spell at the swarms of tendrils that were threatening to consume him and his griffin.

"Zero!" Louise declared as she used her broken spells to blast away any offending tendril as well as trying to break through the sheer mass of the entity.

"Guh!" Red grunted as he led his griffin into another tight turn in order to avoid more and more hostile tendrils. He was so focused on maneuvering that he couldn't even cast a single spell. The added weight of Louise and Derflinger made Ash slower so Red had to rely more on his focused control of his mount for them to stay in the fight.

"Ha!" They were about to be blindsided by a few tendrils, that came from a newly formed chunk of the entity that managed to take another Albion ship, when they were saved by Ruukoto and her Arondight Anti-Material Sword.

'Are you alright Mistress Louise?' Ruukoto asked her mistress as she flew down to work on hacking apart the newly growing part of the shapeless monster.

...

I remember a battle...

I was fighting one who was supposed to be dead but not in the same way that Yuyuko Saigyouji was dead.

No...it reminded me more of a very poorly made dead that was even less inspired than Yoshika Miyako.

I was fighting it and...

Something is wrong...

What is this...?

What is this sickening feeling?

Like something terrible was about to happen.

...

"They just keep coming!" Red complained as he maneuvered Ash through impossible gaps between the almost interlocking tendrils that were assaulting them. Even with the combined efforts of Louise, Ruukoto, and Trombe, the attacks just kept coming. It was like the monster was specifically going after them for some insane reason.

"Red!" Louise screamed out as part of the mass suddenly shaped itself into the visage of a giant zombified griffin head with no feathers. It then opened its maw and let out a blast of toxic wind aimed right at them.

"Dammit!" Red tried his best to push Ash to the brink to try to avoid the blast but it was too large and they were too close.

...

Move...

...

"Mistress!" Ruukoto yelled out in near panic before flying off to protect her mistress.

Only to be blindsided and smashed into a nearby ship by a massive tendril.

...

Move...

...

'Get the hell out of there Red!' Trombe all but screamed at his junior while barely being able to fend off the attacks on him.

...

Move...

...

"Karin!" The ancient manticore called the attention of its master when it noticed what was about to happen. The living legend turned and saw her daughter and the knight that was carrying her trying desperately to get out of the way of a blast of toxic wind.

They won't make it.

Karin's experience knew it...but she couldn't accept it.

She was too far away.

Karin's instinct told her.

She cannot prevent what was about to happen.

Karin knew this deep in her heart...and the thought of losing her child in such a way assaulted her with a sense of true fear she had not felt since Cattleya nearly died from a fever in her first year of life.

...

Move...

...

"We won't make it!" Louise pointed out as the wall of death bore down upon them.

"It's made of magic! Use me!" Derflinger suddenly yelled out after popping out of its scabbard and rattling it to emphasize its point.

"What?" Red didn't know what the sword was talking about but Louise did. She immediately pulled out Derflinger using both hands, nearly cutting Red's face in the process, and swung the sword at the blast of wind right as it was about to hit them.

...

Move!

...

"Ghaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Derflinger screamed out in pain as it tried to absorb a massive magic spell all at once. It tried, it really did. But it was simply too much for one sword, no matter how much of a legend it once was.

"Nghhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Louise screamed along with the sword as the force of the spell hitting Derflinger felt like her arms were being slowly broken into pieces. It was taking everything Red and Ash had to keep them all airborne despite the tempest happening right next to them. It was only a matter of time before something gave out.

...

Move!

...

A massive shockwave erupted as Derflinger was no longer able to take in any more of the spell and was forced to blow it back to the source. The event made the world slow down all around the young void mage.

She suddenly remembered her lessons with Cirno about the Laws of Physics. In particular, the Third Law of the man known as the deadliest in space, where it was stated that:

'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.'

...

Move!

...

Louise was blown clean off of Red's griffin and found herself momentarily looking right at the clear blue sky. She thought it a beautiful sight until Derflinger made her snap back to the current situation.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" The sword screamed out as it fell out of the sky. The blast knocked the sword out of Louise's hands before the young woman was thrown off her ride. Derflinger quickly became but a speck in the distance since it fell at a much faster rate that Louise.

"Noooooo!" Louise heard Red scream out before attempting to catch her. Unfortunately, the monster kept him from reaching the girl by continuously either trying to consume him and his mount or trying to consume Louise herself. The young knight was too busy keeping the tendrils and spikes off them to be able to fly fast enough to catch her.

'Someone! Catch her!' Red yelled out over their communications and soon saw Char and his red griffin as well as Karin and Ruukoto speeding toward them...but they were to far away.

...

MOVE!

...

Louise was falling...

She could feel the air rush around her as she came closer and closer to hitting the ground. It was an odd feeling, like a constant breeze being blown on her back. Wind Resistance, she recalled, from what Cirno had taught her.

She could see Red and his griffin trying to catch up to her and fending off the monster's tendrils with sword and magic. She tried to scream but no sound came out. She tried to move but the force of the air felt like she was being pinned to the ground.

_Yuka..._

_Help..._

Louise mouthed but the words did not even reach her ears, how could it possibly reach his?

She then remembered something...something that did reach Yuka even though they were literally worlds apart. So she spoke them out as best she could.

_I beg of you… _

_..._

"Oh Founder, what now?" Trombe complained when the entity started to give out another growl before starting to stir. It completely stopped its attacks and just continued to growl and move its mass around.

_..._

_My slave who lives somewhere in the universe! _

_Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit! I desire and here I plead from my heart! _

_..._

_Louise!_ Karin thought as she poured more and more magic into her acceleration spell. The distance between her and her daughter was immense and it felt like she wasn't gaining any ground at all.

That was when part of the mass suddenly bulged out and the entity gave out a loud roar that one would usually attribute to pain.

_..._

_Answer to my guidance!_

...

The bulged out part of the mass suddenly exploded with a searing white light that headed straight to Louise in an unimaginable speed.

Louise saw the flash of light in the distance and thought it familiar...

_Master Spark?_ She immediately thought as the beam of light reminded her of her familiar's trademark spell. She was incorrect though. The light was akin to Master Spark but it was differently utilized.

Master Spark was a directed energy blast designed to overwhelm one's foe with raw magical power. The thing that was headed to Louise was something of a reconceptualization of that spell. Just as when Marisa Kirisame took Yuka's Master Spark as her own spell, Yuka took one of Marisa's as well. While Yuka was never able to name said spell since it already had a name...it didn't really matter. The ray of light that was heading right at Louise was her trusted familiar, friend, and partner...

Care of a _~Blazing Star~_

"Louise!"

...

I call out to her and reach out with my left hand while keeping my parasol steady with my right. I did not have a broom I could ride on like Marisa did whenever she used this spell so I had to use one of my hands to stabilize the thrust cause by the spell.

Louise saw me and her eyes widened before she tried to reach out with both of her hands. I cut the spell when I was close enough to reach her with standard flight and pulled her into an embrace when I finally reached her.

"Hang on..." I whispered before flapping my wings hard to bleed off the remaining speed I had.

"You're here...you really came when I called out for you..." I heard my master say as she buried her face into my left shoulder.

"Was there ever any doubt?" I asked her with a wry smile on my face just as we finally slowed to a stop in the air.

'Mistress!' Both of us looked around when we heard Ruukoto's voice through the 'Hey-Listen'. I saw that the gynoid, Karin, the knight with the red griffin, as well as the knight known as Red were flying toward us.

"Please stay still Mistress Louise." Ruukoto, who arrived first, stated before placing a hand on Louise's head and making both of them glow softly.

"What do you think you're doing to her?" Karin, who arrived next, immediately asked with a bit less composure than she usually had though no less as harsh.

"Health diagnosis and utilization of nanomachines to repair any internal damage to Mistress Louise's body." Ruukoto briskly explained just as Red and the other knight arrived.

"Is she hurt?" The red headed knight asked worriedly. I raised a brow at the concern the young man had for Louise but my master only compounded to it by pulling herself off my shoulder and giving the knight a smile.

"I'm okay now." My master said softly just as the glow made by Ruukoto died out.

"No internal bleeding. Noted minor bruising on the forearms but those are already being healed as we speak. Only superficial damage on Mistress Louise's person otherwise." Ruukoto reported before giving Louise and I more space.

'Guys! Whatever the hells just happened, I think it just pissed our monster off.' I heard one of Scarface's knights point out. I looked at the growing mass of flesh and bone and scoffed.

What a miserable final form you have Viscount Wardes.

'Just to let everyone know. That entity you are all looking at right now is the final result of Viscount Wardes' stint as one of the undead after I damaged him enough.' I informed everyone using the wind enchantment that the griffin knights were using. I didn't need to use the 'Hey-Listen' because Karin, Louise, and Ruukoto were close enough to hear me.

'Are you telling me that...that...THING is Jaques?' Scarface growled in disgust.

'No. The man known as Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes died on Albion. What showed up here was nothing more than a pathetic attempt at creating a controlled undead warrior. The current result illustrates just how poorly the ones who did that understood the magic they were dabbling with.' I explained for the benefit of them all since none of them were actually there when my other half killed the traitor.

'And the good times continue to roll...' Larry's voice cut in with a generous amount of sarcasm.

'It's started to mend the damage from before and started attacking the ships again.' Another one of Scarface's knights informed us.

'Stephan's right. The remaining battleships on both sides and Red Dragon Knights are all attacking it but they're just pissing it off and getting eaten instead.' The knight captain stated the current situation. It seemed that Wardes' sudden and indiscriminately hostile transformation was forcing the Ablion and Tristain forces, what was left of them anyway, to work together for the simple reason of survival.

Give enemies a great enough common threat and they won't hesitate to march through hell itself together.

"Yuka...let me back on Red's griffin." Louise quietly asked me, prompting another rousing bout of eyebrow raising.

"How do you think I got up in the air?" She flatly replied with only the faintest blush on her face. I hummed thoughtfully as I looked at the knight in question who seemed to be conversing the knight on the red griffin.

"You still intend to continue this foolishness? You nearly got yourself killed. Don't think that you will be lucky twice in the same battle. We cannot even effectively damage it permanently, you will only get in the way." Karin suddenly interrupted the moment and gave her daughter a cold glare like she usually does apparently. On the point she was trying to make though...

"That...may not be the case." I mused as I idly stroked Louise's strawberry-blonde hair. There were things I noticed while I was inside that...thing. It reminded me too much of that void I had originally been pulled into. If it was something similar...something that was able to muffle my senses enough for me to not be able to perceive anything...

"The creature we are all facing right now is a crude amalgam of meat and bone held together and being moved by a substantial amount of magic. I believe that the reason why it keeps growing and consuming is because it converts biological matter into something it can use to do...whatever it is it does, either processing it into raw magic or converting it into more body mass." I pointed out while looking at the entity that was currently shrugging off everything the combined forces of the Tristain and Albion fleets were throwing at it. I also noted that the Sixty-Sixth were already assaulting the thing save for the knight known as Red, who was still hanging around nearby.

"Yuka's analysis is correct." Ruukoto picked up the conversation and seemed intent on continuing or expounding on my point.

"Explain yourself, false pegan god." The former Griffin Knight Commander all but commanded Ruukoto with a sneer. I noticed Louise's magic spike up because of her mother's words to her maid and squeezed her shoulder to get her attention. My master looked at me with a mildly irritated expression but I just shook my head at her. Louise getting mad at her mother because of what she called Ruukoto won't help anyway, least of all Louise herself.

"I am designated as Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. I request that you refer me as such or simply Ruukoto, Madame Valliere. Classifying me as a pegan god will not only create cultural and religious misunderstandings, it would also be inaccurate. I am not a god, Madame Valliere. I am neither invincible nor all-powerful. I am simply very good at what I do." Ruukoto smoothly pointed out, completely unfazed by Karin's disparaging remark. Louise blinked at her gynoid's response and once again turned to me. I said nothing and just gave her a small smile.

"More on my explanation...I have made comprehensive scans on the entity, which I will designate as 'Death Wardes', is being held together and moving using a dynamic arcane fusion spell. Specific spell is not registered in my systems. However, spell components seem to be derived from the disciplines of Necromancy, Conjuration, and Alteration. In conclusion, Death Wardes is made up more of magical energy than actual physical matter." Ruukoto gave her points of argument. I was impressed that Ruukoto was able to find out all of that just by scanning Wardes...or Death Wardes, I suppose. I was able to determine that the creature was being held together by magic but I didn't know that more than one dicipline of magic was involved in making and maintaining it. That was very interesting since Necromancy isn't really a kind of magic that can be attributed to any of the four common elements of the Halkeginian spell system.

Which meant that it came from somewhere else...

"And how does that help our situation? While we know that the beast is primarily made up of magical energy, it is not like we can simply disrupt or dispel it." Karin pointed out at Ruukoto, to which the gynoid only shrugged to.

"Fus!" Louise suddenly let out as soon as her mother mentioned dispelling the spell. Karin glanced at her daughter but quickly dismissed it.

"And what if we could?" I asked the woman before turning to Red and gesturing him to come closer. The knight blinked for a moment before moving his mount closer. I gently sat Louise down in front of the knight, who quickly made room for Louise when he realized what I was doing. If Louise was going to use Dispel, then she will need both hands free. This configuration should allow her to do so while making sure that she was securely seated on the griffin. Louise and Red quickly adjusted themselves with my master leaning back onto Red while the young man placed his chin on Louise's left shoulder for better visibility because of my master's hat. The odd thing was that they seemed to do it so naturally.

Did I miss something?

I shrugged off the odd feeling and turned to Karin when I noticed her glaring at me again through her iron mask.

"You mean to say that you have a way to be able to destroy that thing once and for all?" Karin asked me with a barely visible raised brow.

"I do, but it is too dangerous to use around humans because it would cause them to spontaneously combust or melt." I pointed out and thought that I heard Louise suddenly blurt out 'Ro' or something after I said that. Karin didn't seem pleased about my response so I decided to tell her my real answer.

"While I cannot utilize my ability, Louise has something in her repertoire that should be able to do the trick." I casually noted with a shrug.

"Dah!" Louise squeaked out in surprise. Karin narrowed her eyes at me before looking at her daughter who was, in turn, glaring at me.

'What do you think you're doing? I thought you said to keep anything regarding my real magic a secret!' Louise hissed at me using her 'Hey-Listen'. I looked at her and turned around before tapping my 'Hey-Listen'.

'I said that we need to keep it a secret until you are ready. Unfortunately, circumstances dictate that your Dispell is the most effective means of destroying Death Wardes.' I explained to Louise as quietly as I could.

'It's too big! There's no way I can cast Dispell large enough to take it all out!' Louise stated a bit louder.

'You managed to break an enchantment that Ruukoto guaranteed to be unbreakable by any modern Halkeginian magic. You can do this Louise...remember your training with me, Cirno, and Matilda. Who knows...the Founder's Prayer Book might give you something to help you out.' I stated just in time for Karin to move her manticore right in front of me.

"What. Are. You. Two. Talking. About. In. Secret?" Karin asked me very politely while pointing her runed lance between my eyes. I supposed that she didn't like being put out of the loop.

"It is commonly known as a Strategy Meeting. I had hoped that one as skilled and experienced as you would know of it." I innocently said, very tempted to give Karin one of those stupidly annoying grins that Yukari gives out whenever she really annoys someone. Karin had enough and thrust her runed lance right at my face...to which I stopped with two fingers.

"I do not doubt your prowess, strength and skill. Your legend alone attests to that. However, you of all people should appreciate when one would like to keep a secret a secret. We will reveal what we can to you in time...but not now and not here...not in the middle of a battlefield when you don't know who could be listening in." I stated in all seriousness. Karin glared at me before giving a low growl and backing off. I let go of her lance to accommodate that before turning to my master. I raised a brow when it seemed that my display unnerved Louise and Red. I sighed and decided to let everyone know of my plan to finally take care of our not so little friend. I tapped into the wind enchantment of the Sixty-Sixth while tapping my 'Hey-Listen' to make sure that everyone was listening to what I was about to say.

'Ladies and Gentlemen. I have a way to be able to destroy this monster but I will need everyone's help in order to do so.' I stated, waiting for the inevitable questions.

'You sure it will work?' Scarface was predictably the fist one to respond.

'Indeed, my dear captain. Otherwise, I wouldn't be suggesting it.' I responded confidently.

'Alright, let's hear it.' Scarface said after a few moments of silence. I ignored the glare being sent to me by Karin and started to tell him what we needed to do. It was simple really:

Buy enough time for Louise to cast a very large Dispel.

...

"-augh! Oooowww!" Derflinger screamed out in fear, then in pain, after hitting the ground by the tip of its blade after falling from an incredible height. Due to the location where it landed the six-thousand year old sword was surrounded with wreckage and various dead bodies.

"Yeeesh! Even Brimir didn't make this much of a mess back then!" The sword commented, quickly getting over its initial reaction to its impromptu freefall. If you've been around as long as Derflinger, you tend to shrug away a lot of things...even if a sword shouldn't be able to shrug.

"They'd better look for me soon. This isn't exactly the safest place to be if you're a six-thousand year old sentient magic sword." It idly said to no one in particular. Which was why it wished that it had a neck to be able to turn around when it heard footsteps from behind it.

"Ummm...hello?" The sword called out tentatively.

"Hello~! A talking sword. That's something you don't see everyday." A sultry mature female voice called out. That alone was enough to really get Derflinger's attention...if not for the fact that the mystery woman's voice also sounded...dangerous. It felt itself being pulled out of the ground and held sideways so it finally saw who it was that spoke out.

She about as tall as Matilda was but was paler than the former thief. Then the sword saw that the woman had long deep violet hair and matching eyes and lipstick, quaint really. She had black fang-like markings under her eyes and was wearing a black robe that covered most of her body.

"Such a beautiful sword...do you have a name dearie?" The woman said in a sickly sweet manner. Derflinger couldn't help but gulp in the way the woman could easily exude both sexiness and a sense of danger as well.

"Derflinger, my dear! The name is Derflinger! Sword forged and wielded by the original Gandalfr, one of Brimir's familiars!" Derflinger proudly stated. That spiel usually ended with the sword being tossed away or laughed at then tossed away or looked at blankly before being tossed away. However, the woman did none of that. Instead, she smiled and her eyes showed a sense of mischief and hunger.

"Gandalfr...what a coincidence..." The woman said before her forehead started to glow showing a set of runes...runes that Derflinger was very familiar with. It was then that the sword realized just how badly it screwed up.

"**Myoznitnirn**..." The sword managed to mutter just as the woman gave a sinister smile at it and the runes on her forehead glowed even brighter.

...

'Everybody get that? Deal as much damage to that thing and keep it off Red. We need to buy Dame Louise enough time to let off whatever spell she has that can take this thing down permanently!' Louise heard Scarface yell out through the wind-comm. She still wasn't sure how she was supposed to cast a Dispel large enough to affect the entire mass of Death Wardes. With that in mind, the young void mage took out the Founder's Prayer Book from under her hat, which mildly surprised Red, before flipping through the pages.

_There are new pages filled up... _Louise thought as she examined the new pages that were covered with the same ancient Halkeginian text as Dispel did. She did the same thing that she did back in front of Ruukoto's hangar and let the contents of the book flow into her mind instead of trying to force herself to comprehend the text. Louise blinked when she found that she had not one but two new spells to take in.

_Void Explosion and Void Fusion._ Louise thought before trying to check how what those spells do and if either of them could help their situation.

...

'What is the matter James? You were faster than this when I trained you! I'm disappointed!' Karin berrated her former student as she and Trombe worked together to deal as much damage to Death Wardes as possible in order to keep its attention away from Red and Louise. Said plan involved intense use of the entire library of wind spells that the two mages had at their disposal.

Unfortunately for the second-in-command of the Sixty-Sixth, her former teacher decided that an air battle against a mass of bloody death was a great opportunity for an exam.

…

I dodged tendril after tendril of the creature as I moved closer to it. Its effort was great and well enthused, but it lacked any sort of skill at trying to hit anything. To one who has been through countless Danmaku battles, this was nothing.

I sliced away a mass of offending tendrils that tried to overwhelm me with mass using my parasol before landing on the deck of a ship that was in the process of being infested and consumed by Death Wardes. I touched the wooden floor of the deck and a field of piranha plants burst out and started firing at the bloody mass that was attached to the ship. I had heard once that fire was rather effecting against the dead so I checked if it was true. That seemed to be the case as the monster tried to get rid of my plants using its tendrils. I had a surprise for it though.

"Oh no you don't." I said before pulling at my magic and making a grabbing motion with my left hand. The action made several vines materialize and become entangled around my left arm. I pulled harder and uprooted the plants I made and retracting them closer to me. Most of them managed to avoid getting attacked and so I ended up with an arm that had a little over a dozen piranha plants attached to it. I allowed them to continue what they do best, firing at anything I want them to with impunity.

'Yuka! I got it! I have something that I can use to destroy Death Wardes!' Louise triumphantly stated through our 'Hey-Listen'.

'Good. What do you need?' I asked as I ducked and weaved through another mess of tendrils that my plants reduced to ashes soon afterward.

'The spell I'm going to use can be cast faster than the regular Dispel but I need to get closer to the core to be able to maximize the effect.' Louise exclaimed and I quickly understood what she needed.

'Got it. I'm on my way there.' I stated as I flew to where Red, Louise, and Ruukoto were. The young knight slightly recoiled when it saw me and my plants but kept his composure well. My master just gave me a raised brow and a small frown but nothing else.

"So, what is it? How close do you need to be?" I asked my master.

"Around a hundred feet or so…" Louise stated in concentration as she stared at the contents of the Founder's Prayer Book, which seemed to have new pages filled up.

"That's a bit too close don't you think? That thing will be all over us at that range." Red pointed out, to which my master merely nodded.

"Yes, but this is the best way to make sure that we can destroy that thing." My master responded, not taking her eyes off the book. Red looked at me with slight worry in his eyes. I just gave the young man a wry smile and shrugged.

"Alright, are you up for this Ruukoto?" I asked the gynoid, who brandished its G-Revolver and R-Cannon in response.

"For Mistress Louise, always." It stated simply. And with that, we quickly flew right at the mass of death with me and Ruukoto flying in front of Red's griffin. Tendril after tendril came at us but Ruukoto and I managed to destroy them well before they ever became a threat to my master. Those that did get too close were easily dodged by the griffin that carried its master and Louise. I was slightly impressed at the control the young knight had over his mount to be able to perform such precise movement with it.

"Red, fly me closer! I want to hit it with my spell!" I heard Louise yell out just as she raised her wand up in the air before closing her eyes and starting her incantation. I noticed the griffin accelerate in response and Ruukoto and I matched its speed and movement. The closer we got, the more tendrils attacked us. Ruukoto and I ended up flying right next to Louise and Red to be able to effectively defend them, though we also needed to give them enough room to dodge should the need arise. The way the tendrils tried to box us in and trap us felt like we were flying in a narrow corridor or canyon while trying to dodge attackers.

We managed to get within a few hundred feet of the main mass when I felt Louise's magic spike significantly, like she was pouring everything into the spell she was about to use. I wondered what it was when Louise pointed her wand right at her target and declared her spell.

_Void Fuse! Explosion alt Dispel!_

All that magic I felt building up in Louise suddenly drained out of her in one moment but I didn't see anything happen.

"Dame Louise!" Red suddenly exclaimed and I saw my master slump against the knight exhausted. Was it a failed spell? I was wondering that when I suddenly saw a glint of light coming from the point where Louise was aiming at. A moment later, I saw a massive rainbow colored explosion blast out and quickly consume the mass of death as it groaned and started to dissolve. The wave of magic swept over us and I felt the magic in the wind-comm, as well as my plants suddenly die out. It was dispel…but it was used as an explosion…and Louise combined them using another spell. I resisted the urge to laugh right there.

Louise Triple-Casted…for real this time.

…

"Why the long face?" Monmon asked my master as we rode a carriage provided by Princess Henrietta back to the Tristain Magic Academy. Louise and I were riding with Monmon and Guiche while Tabitha, Kirche, and Ruukoto opted to fly instead.

"Hurm…" Louise grumbled in response, still tired from her last spell. The battle ended soon after Death Wardes' sudden…and somewhat anti-climactic end. What remained of the Albion Armada quickly surrendered and were escorted somewhere else. The Sixty-Sixth were part of the force that ensured that the Albion ships didn't do anything stupid in the meantime.

Prince Wales went back to the capital with Princess Henrietta. Apparently, they were going to form a coalition against the despot Cromwell on the grounds of the monstrosity it made in the form of Death Wardes and the threat it poses to Tristain and the other countries of Halkeginia as well.

"I have never seen anyone look so depressed after achieving such a victory before." Guiche commented with a small chuckle. Indeed, both Princess Henrietta and Prince Wales offered to give Louise a much grander title after what happened since she effectively won the battle in the end for us. My master, true to form, embarrassedly turned down their offer and stated that she was more than happy to simply save Tarbes and protect her friends. There was some bad news though. We lost Derflinger during the battle when Louise dropped the sword. Ruukoto, Tabitha, and I managed to search the ground where the sword likely fell to but found nothing. Louise was determined to find the sword since it saved her life during the battle and refused to leave the sword missing. I agreed with her but reminded her that she needed to rest first. We can take care of everything one at a time. Speaking of which…

"Louise seems to be less than enthused at the thought of going home for a bit, I guess." I said while giving my master a small smirk. She returned the gesture with a tired scowl but did not give anything more. Yes, after the battle, Karin practically ordered her daughter to return to their home so she and her parents could have a long talk about a few things. Louise was less than enthused at the notion and tried to wriggle her way out of by telling Karin that she still has classes at the academy.

Karin shot down that argument by pointing out that Tristain was still in a state of emergency and that school was suspended until further notice from the capital. The former manticore knight commander gave her daughter a week to prepare before someone from their estate was to escort her back to their manor. She also told me to take a bath because I was apparently starting to smell like rotting flesh. I agreed with her and went back to Mugenkan to freshen myself up at the first opportunity…much to the confusion of the others when I suddenly returned without a speck of dirt or blood on me.

I looked out the window of the carriage and smiled. We've been through a lot, Louise and I…and I can only guess as to what else could be in store for me and my little master. Although, I was rather certain that there wasn't anything else in this realm that could surprise me anymore.

…

A few days later…

…

Matilda was running through the forests of Southern Saxe Gotha. She had come there to check up on her sister and their orphanage when she heard a rumor that someone was actively looking for Tiffania Westwood. The former thief immediately decided to investigate even if it meant leaving behind Louise and Yuka. As much as she wanted to stay with her pupil and her familiar, she was worried about her sister.

However, when she reached the location of their orphanage…all she found were wreckage and ashes. It took all of Matilda's concentration to remain focused to be able to investigate what happened. She found no bodies or blood, which meant that Tiffania and the orphans were not killed or harmed…here anyway.

"Hooo~! What have we here?" Matilda turned around when she heard a woman's voice. She turned around and saw a pale skinned woman with purple hair. She was wearing a black robe and was wielding what looked like a chained staff with a crescent at the tip.

"I come here to find a half-elf and I see a traitor instead. It seems that Vittorio got to the elf before we did…a shame." The woman's words immediately made Matilda think and her mind paid the price as she was attacked with another migraine.

"And it looks like the enchantment still works too. How does it feel, Fouquet?" The woman sneered at her. She knew who Matilda was so that meant that she was working with the people that did this to her. The train of logic gave the former thief a new headache but she pushed through it and pointed her wand at the woman. Her earth golem started to form up to attack the intruder but her eyes widened in shock when a blast of yellow light destroyed it in but a moment. She then saw that it came from the staff that the woman was wielding.

"You like? This is a magic staff that was left behind by an evil spirit before it passed on. It has incredible power if one knew how to use it properly. It was never really used for centuries since no one could ever figure out how it was supposed to work. Of course, such a thing was easy to figure out for the Mind of God." The woman stated confidently as it raised the staff in the air and Matilda could feel the magic building up at the crescent. It was incredible. The amount of magic being gathered was far more than anything she could gather with her own wand and the staff was doing it at an insane speed.

"I am Sheffield, Myoznitnirn the Mind of God." The woman calling herself Sheffield said and Matilda knew that she had to get out of there. She pulled herself to her feet and started to run. Sheffield simply smiled and said one thing that gave Matilda a headache worse than any before it.

_Reconquista_

Matilda screamed at the pain she was experiencing at the moment and felt her consciousness fading before her.

"Louise…Yuka…Tiffa…" Matilda called out in an effort to block out then pain but it di not work"Oh, stop crawling around like a worm~" Sheffield said and the former thief before casually walking up to her and kicking her side. Matilda coughed out violently as a result and curled up in pain.

"Well, master Joseph did say not to come back empty handed. I guess I can settle with you instead of the elf. I'm sure you can assist us in your own way little earthworm~" Sheffield sneered with contempt as she knelt down in front on Matilda. Just in time for the green-haired woman to pull out her spare wand and cast a desperation spell. A pillar of earth launched Sheffield into the air, letting Matilda struggle back to her feet and try to escape.

"Feisty worm!" Matilda's blood froze when she heard Sheffield's voice from directly above her. Matilda looked up in horror as she saw the Myoznitnirn looking at her with a rather annoyed expression. Sheffield's cloak was open and looked like a pair of wings.

_Is it a spell? An artifact? How is she doing this?_ Matilda thought just as her headache finally became too much to bare and her vision blacked out.

"Hmph! Foolish whore!" Sheffield angrily said to the woman before landing and giving her another kick.

"Oh I will so enjoy breaking you~" The Mind of God said with a smile as she pulled out a black collar from a bag on her waist that looked far to small to carry such a thing but still did. Her forehead started to glow as she drew closer to the unconscious woman...

…

There! That was the original ending of Season One I had planned out! I'm sorry!

I regret nothing…NOTHING!

Please R&R!


	22. Interlude 3: A Day in the Life

Author's Notes:Okay! This is another Interlude born from a question of a friend. Said question was 'What does Ruukoto think about and do since she's quiet most of the time.'

Well, here's my answer. A day in the life of Ruukoto and the start of S2.

Also, there has been some issues about the endings I made for S1. Some people liked the inclusion of Touhou Rider Reimu as a more light-hearted approach to the next season. Some people did not like it because it didn't really make much sense (even though it does if you're familiar with Kamen Rider Decade). So, I decided to do both. Yeah...

The ending of S1 posted in the previous chapter is stay and will be the 'True Route'. I will post another version of the ending along with the 2nd part of 'Immateriality of Ibuki Suika' as an AU 'What If Route'. Yes, this means that I will post the story that included Touhou Rider Reimu in this story on Touhou Rider Reimu...which means that story will finally come back to life.

The Be Careful What You Wish for arc of Touhou Rider Reimu will only be part of her journey and story, so it will be written in her perspective.

Because of this, chapters for both stories will update slower since I will be writing two versions of the same story. However, the one that will REALLY get hit is my My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover with Familiar of Zero 'Guided by the Light of the Moon.' I originally started that story on a whim and, while I have a general idea on how I want the story to go, I have no solid story map for it yet.

I'll try...I really will, but this and Touhou Rider Reimu will be my main priorities.

Also, chapters will slow down in general because of Skyrim so I can only write at work now.

Whew! Anyway, please enjoy as always.

Disclaimer: F*cking Skyrim!

...

**Running Systems Check...**

**Energy Levels...Nominal...**

**Erde Kaiser Sigma Type-Seven Efficiency...Nominal...**

**Processing Systems...Nominal...**

**Memory Systems...Nominal...**

**Sensors...Nominal...**

**Frame Integrity...Physical Damage to Frame Nintey-Nine Percent Repaired...Continuing with Self-Repair Protocols...**

**Communications...Nominal...**

**Weapons Systems...Those available are nominal...**

**Special Abilities...Those available are nominal...**

...

I finish my daily self system check within the esitimated time of completion. I refer back to my internal clock for the relative time on this world. Four Twenty-Six in the morning. I open my eyes and begin an automatic scan of my surroundings. My location had not changed nor did I expect it to. I gaze upon the sleeping form of my current employer, Mistress Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. After a quick check on the internal nanomachines that my mistress had, I quickly concluded that she was of excellent physical health.

I stood from the chair I was using for the night and silently took a closer look at my mistress. She was a small child by the standards of all the realms I have been on. Mistress Louise was already well within adolescence in terms of age but her body had not seemed to develop like a normal young woman would. I had originally inferred that it was due to poor health or malnutrition. However, I had since concluded that the cause was because of a hormonal imbalance in her body. Because of the rate of her development through puberty, I concluded that she was to expect a significant growth spurt on all accounts of her physical development within the next three to five years. Her often abrupt change in mood could also be attributed to her hormonal imbalance as well.

I left the room after confirming my mistress' safety, health and comfort. Based on past experiences and the fact that Yuka Kazami was still absent from the bedroom, I concluded that they were both still in the dream realm of Mugenkan. As such, the expected time of Mistress Louise's awakening was between Seven to Eight in the morning, local time.

I walked through the halls of the main dormitory tower of the Tristain Magic Academy in relative silence. It was still dark out and the students were not expected to awaken until Five in the morning, local time, with Miss Tabitha of Gallia being the usual one to awaken first.

I step outside and detected a slow but constant decrease in the early morning temperature in relation to previous mornings. I concluded that the seasons were starting to change. I detected movement from outside one of the main buildings and inferred that it was one of the servants preparing for the day's duties. A small bit of curiosity and the general sense of having nothing to do for the next few hours fueled my impulse to investigate the movement I detected.

"Good morning to you Ruukoto, early as always I see." The source of the detected movement said to me. It was Siesta, the Great Grand Daughter of the man who first found me in this realm. Her bloodline could somehow be traced back to Gensokyo, through the specifics on how a human from the Eastern Wonderland ended up here was kept secret even from me by a certain entity.

"Fuga." I returned the greeting with a bow. There were only two beings that I know of in this realm that could understand me without the use of Professor Uzuki's translation software, Siesta is one of them.

"Fuga?" I offered after noticing the bundle of laundry in her arms. Despite the young woman's polite and unassuming appearance, she had physical strength and endurance that one would usually attribute more with a professional athlete.

"That's okay, this isn't anything I can't take care of on my own. Though, I would enjoy some company while I take care of these." Siesta turned down my offer while providing a counter-offer with an acceptable compromise. The young woman was a consummate professional in her craft whether anyone realizes this or not...even Siesta herself. I nodded in acceptance and we walked together to her usual spot when doing the laundry.

Despite my prowess and accomplishments in combat and the like, I was still a maid at the core. Seeing Siesta perform duties that I usually do evoked a strange strange sense of nostaliga. I still remember the days when Mistress Reimu made me perform all the chores at the shrine. It had already been a little over five hundred years since she passed away.

I never did manage to bring back the groceries she asked for...

"I would like to thank you again..." I heard Siesta say just as she started the initial soaking process of her laundry bundle. She said in softly but I was still able to pick it up thanks to my audio sensors.

"Fuga?" I asked her with a tilt of my head for clarification. I could not recall any instance that would prompt such thanks in my memory banks aside from our usual professional courtesies.

"For saving Tarbes, silly." Siesta answered with a small laugh as she begun her work. I remained silent as I inferred that she still had something she wanted to say.

"If it wasn't for you, Yuka, and Louise, my family wouldn't have a home anymore." Siesta clarified after noticing my silence.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga." I immediately stated with a shake of my head. I did not believe that I deserve thanks or praise for my actions at the village of Tarbes. While I was known as the Steel Goddess of Tarbes, it was through the initiative and volition of Mistress Louise that I was even given the opportunity to protect it. If anyone deserved thanks, it would be Mistress Louise. Siesta gave me another one of those small laughs before looking at me with a wry smile.

"Even so, you fought and protected our village. For that, you have my heartfelt thanks." The young woman told me with a geniunely grateful smile.

"...Fuga." And all I could do was acknowledge that and tell her that she was welcome.

...

I made my way back to Mistress Louise's room as soon as I noticed her vital signs start to pick up, indicative of someone rising from sleep.

I entered the room and closed the door, just as my mistress started to wake up. I immediately want to the wardrobe and picked out some clothes for my mistress.

"Haaaaahhh~! Good Morning Ruukoto~" Louise greeted before going beginning her morning ritual of scratching her chest while making 'Munya~!' noises and looking around lazily. It usually takes Mistress Louise an average of ten to fifteen minutes for her to fully wake up, by which time I would already have all her clothes ready and waiting for her.

As per our standard routine, my mistress blinked away the last specks of sleepiness before standing up and taking off her night gown. I had heard from her and Yuka that she had originally tried to get the flower youkai to dress her when they first encountered each other. The notion that the Sleeping Terror of Gensokyo would do such a thing was rather absurd, even moreso the fact that someone had the courage to try to ask.

However, my mistress had grown to learn the value of self-reliance as she has been actively changing her clothes by herself. The most I really had to do was prepare her clothes beforehand and assist her whenever needed.

"Yuka won't be back until later this afternoon," Mistress Louise suddenly started a conversation.

"Fuga?" I asked while tilting my head to the side and got an 'urk' in response. She then sighed before looking at me intently while humming to herself as she continued to change her clothes. While she did not explicitly understand my words when I was using my standard operating parameters, Mistress Louise had somehow started developing a means approximating what my words mean based of my reactions to her own words as well as my gestures. Yuka was correct when he once told me that my mistress has become far more skilled than even she herself realized. Although he also said that he would never admit it to her face as it may end up 'inflating her ego' as the genderbent youkai put it.

"If your asking why Yuka's staying behind, it's because he need to talk to someone named Nitori about the rest of your abilities and such. He said that he wanted to know more about what you can do and if we can unlock some new things for you to do as well." Mistress Louise provided and I nodded in acknowledgement. While I appreciate Yuka's thoroughness when it came to knowing more about my capabilites and his willingness to help in removing some of the Level Five Locks on my systems, I had hoped that he could have told me beforehand first. I may need to speak to him about that later.

I turned my attention back to Mistress Louise just as she placed the Founder's Prayer Book on her head before putting her hat on to cover it. From what I could sense, there was an enchantment placed on the hat that would prevent anything from removing it short of Mistress Louise herself doing so or if the spell was removed somehow.

I have also tried to scan the Founder's Prayer Book on request from Yuka and my mistress after it was revealed that it had imparted two new Void Element spells for my mistress' use. However, I was not able to effectively decipher anything useful from the book that hasn't already been revealed. The system of magic being used for it was already a mystery to the very civilization where it originated from, much more for an outsider who was used to completely different magic systems. Without a proper reference guide or software to be able to unlock its secrets, I was not able to find out anything new about the book.

"Since there won't be any school until further notice, I'll be doing some independent training for the rest of the day." My mistress informed me as she placed her spare wand in her clothes while putting her normal wand in her skirt pocket. I looked at her as inquisitively as possible. She either immediately picked it up or was anticipating anticipating my confusion as Mistress Louise continued.

"It's not like there's anything else to do with everyone else gone." She somewhat bitterly said with a shrug. The main cause of her distress was because all her friends had left the academy for various reasons. Miss Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst was called back by her family in the country of Germania due to the events at Tarbes.

Miss Kirche said that she never told her family about her involvement in the battle and simply concluded that her family was simply worried about her. She had also made it a point to bring Miss Tabitha of Gallia with her since she wanted to introduce her best friend to her family. Miss Tabitha did not seem opposed to the idea and simply made sure that she had an ample supply of books with her.

Miss Kirche also extended the same offer to my mistress and Yuka, to which they automatically declined.

Miss Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency also went back to her family home but for a different reason. She had told my mistress that she wanted to formally introduce Sir Guiche de Gramont to her family as her lover and potential husband.

Sir Guiche pointedly ignored my mistress' question if she was really sure that she wanted to introduce Sir Guiche to her family in that way.

Miss Montmorency assured Mistress Louise that she was sure and she hoped that my mistress found someone whom she could think of the same way.

Mistress Louise pointedly ignored Miss Kirche waving to her when Miss Montmorency said those words.

"Fuga?" I inquired from my mistress. She looked at me for a few moments, probably trying to figure out what my question was and how to respond to it. She hummed thoughtfully while rubbing her chin with her right hand. In all honestly, it would have been more efficient if she had called Siesta here or she could have told me to use 'White Noise' so she could understand me.

"If you're still asking me something even after I already told you what I was doing, that means..." Mistress Louise muttered while seemingly thinking about the possible questions I could have made based on the circumstances.

"There is a clearing in the woods to the southwest of the academy. I'll be training there. If you're planning on bringing me anything for lunch, please bring something light but tasty and would give me energy. Oh, and bring water if you can instead of wine. Cirno-nee said that water beats wine any day when it comes to quenching your thirst. Anything else?" She laid out most of the things I wanted to ask her with her specific requests for each. Although she was still missing some thing so I slowly nodded. Louise narrowed her eyes at me before humming in contemplation.

"Bring a change of clothes for me and a bucket of water and something I can use to wash with. If I'll be out there as long as I expect, I will probably work up quite the sweat. Did I get everything now?" Mistress Louise asked me with a slightly irritated expression...which softened the moment I nodded in response.

"Fuga." I stated before pulling out a 'Hey-Listen' and offering it to her. She smiled and nodded before taking it and putting it in her ear.

"Oh, and you can do whatever you want until you have to bring me all those things. See you later Ruukoto." My mistress said before opening the door to leave.

"Fuga." I acknowledge with a low bow before standing back up straight when I heard the door close behind her.

Mistress Louise just gave me the morning off...and I wasn't sure what I should do with it.

...

I tried to pass the extra time my mistress gave me by preparing what she requested earlier. However, I found that I was able to accomplish all the tasks in an hour and a half.

I looked at the basket filled with bread, cooked ham, cheese, and two bottles of water. I was not sure what would constitute as light but tasty and would provide her energy as far as my mistress' personal taste was concerned. That was why I decided to go with a favorite midnight snack of Professor Uzuki whenever she had projects she needed to finish...Ham and Cheese Sandwiches...or the main components of it.

I quietly lamented the lack of sliced bread in this realm.

The water bottles were harder to come by, relatively speaking. The relative time era that Halkeginia was in lacked the proper means to properly distill water into something remotely safe to drink, which was part of the reason why wine became a staple drink in the realm for nobility aside from their aristocratic origins.

Due to the inability to properly distill the drinking water using normal means, the only other way to be able to do remove any dangerous microorganisms would be through boiling the water enought to eliminate all threats. Normally, one would need to boil water multiple times to be able to get the full effect of a pure distillation...however, I cheated. I borrowed a large unused iron pot, used by the kitchen staff to make the amounts of stew that would satisfy the student body, and filled it with water before using my R-Blade to superheat the water. The reaction produced an incredible amount of steam and reduced the amount of water in the pot to ten percent of the original amount. It was horribly inefficient but it produced the desired effect, enough pure clean water to fill two wine bottles.

I then turned to the bucket of water and rag I set aside for my mistress' washing purposes. That was a more straightforward objective, though finding a clean enough piece of cloth for Mistress Louise to wash herself with took a bit of time as well.

Finally, I turned to the folded set of clothes for my mistress to change in should she need them...that was the easiest objective to accomplish.

I blinked before checking my internal clock. It was just past nine in the morning. Much too early to go to my mistress' training ground. I idly noted that her vitals were going up at a steady rate...it seemed that she was stepping up her training there.

I covered the food basket with a clean piece of cloth before exiting my mistress' room. I stared at the door handle as I wondered what I could for the duration of my free time. I usually spent my days here helping the servants of the academy with their chores until either Mistress Louise or Yuka called for me or until I needed to find either of them. However, with most of the students gone because of the suspension of classes, the only ones left were a few students, staff, and servants. As such, the amount of active chores to do lessened significantly so the remaining servants were more than enough to take care of them.

I closed my eyes and checked for known human life forms within the academy premises.

A moment later I walked off to find a place to pass the time.

...

After I wandered around for a while...or specifically, set a route in which I would eventually end up at my destination after a certain amount of time...I found myself standing in front of the workshop of one Professor Jean Colbert. Based of the words of my mistress, Yuka, as well as my own experience with the professor, I found him to be a rare breed of magician in this realm. He was one who was open to new avenues of thought and concepts when it came to the applications of magic.

Upon further observation, he was one who did not care for the boundaries between science and magic and strived to be able to utilize both as much as possible. An innovator in a world that was culturally and technologically stagnant for six thousand years. A very dangerous and difficult road to take for one person alone.

"Miss Ruukoto?" As predicted, the professor returned from the academy library moments after I arrived in front of his shop.

"Fuga." I greeted the man with a low bow. The professor blinked at me before giving a good natured smile.

"Good morning to you too. You are not with Miss Valliere or Mister Yuka today?" He returned my greeting, likely deducting context of my bow despite his inability to understand my words, before asking his question.

"Fuga." I responded with a shake of my head. The man stared at me for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. I tilted my head to the side in silent query at his abrupt change in demeanor.

"Sometimes I forget that you aren't human. It will be a very long time before we can even hope to create something like you." The man responded after a while. That was what he was worrying about? That I was so far more advanced than any machine they had or would likely have in centuries. The closest approximation that I knew of to an android in this realm would be mechanical magic powered dolls. However, they were not sentient and required a dedicated mage to be able to control them dynamically outside of a very specific control spell that will only make them do a few things.

"Would you like to come inside? Since you are here, I wanted your insight on something." Professor Colbert offered before opening the door to his workshop. Having nothing else to do, I followed him in. I scanned the surroundings and noted that he had the same cleaning habits that Professor Uzuki had, which was none. I inferred that this was a traditional trademark of innovators regardless of specified field. Senors also picked up traces of magical energy, experiments most likely.

"I apologize for the mess, I will get this room clean someday. Please have a seat." The professor said while gesturing to a nearby chair. I complied and waited for him to prepare whatever it was he wanted my opinion on. Normally I would offer to clean the room if possible, but I have learned through my experience with Professor Uzuki that these kinds of rooms were untidy for a reason...and the owners of these kinds of rooms don't appreciate someone cleaning it without their supervision.

"Here it is." Professor Colbert said from within an adjacent room. He emerged after a moment with a metal doll, which had small gears fitted in specific places inside. After a quick scan, I found that it was made completely out of copper. It was an inadvisable material to create exposed machinery with due to issues with durability, conductivity to heat and electricity, as well as a low melting point relative to other available metals. However, it was also cheap and readily available. So, as a work-in-progress prototype, it was an acceptable temporary work material.

"This was sent to me by a friend in Germania. He works as an alchemist and specializes in metallurgy. He is currently working on a new series of mechanical dolls that will be able to move on their own without the specific need for an Earth Mage to be present to create, maintain, and move them. He hopes to be able to one day move dolls such as this using any kind of magical energy." The professor gave a background of the origin of the doll as he placed it on a table for me to examine. An interesting idea. The current magic system dictates that the only ones most suited to using golems and other mechanical constructs were Earth Mages. The possibility of being able to move those kinds of constructs or those of similar make using other sources of energy would be revolutionary to say the least. However, as with all innovative concepts, the actual probability of success will only increase through constant experimentation, learning and experience.

Unfortunately, such concepts would likely have significant challenges outside the controlled environments of laboratories and work shops. The current system of Magocratic Monarchy that Halkeginia has will likely frown upon the general use of this invention as it goes against the status quo that has been maintained for the past six-millennia. Likely, the first actual application for such an invention was destined in the battlefield instead of a classroom.

More on the invention itself. I found little differences between it and the magically controlled dolls that Earth Mages use. However, the most significant difference was the added weight due to additional internal components. Gears were places strategically throughout the body and at the joints to facilitate transfer of energy from the source before converting it into kinetic motion. However, the current setup of gears, as well as the complete reliance on them, will lower efficiency while increasing the chance of breakdown.

From what I could find, it seemed that the framework and components of the invention were based on the fundamental concepts found in the human skeletal system. However, a body working soley using a skeletal structure alone will quickly break down due to lack of additional support as well as from wear and tear. This invention did not take into account a body's need for muscles, tendons, and ligaments...or at least equivalents of them.

"Well, do you think it has promise? I know that this might seem like a poor attempt at a cheap toy compared to you, but I still wanted to know if we even had a chance to try." Professor Colbert asked me excitedly, his eyes glittering in anticipation. I considered the man's words and weighed the currently known factors that would help or hinder the development and production of such an invention.

I concluded that it was improbable in this era barring a massive technological upheaval or a radical, and likely dangerous, new innovation. It was too soon. The materials and technology required to make something that would quantify as a machine that would satisfy the goals set by Professor Colbert's friend simply did not exist.

I lifted the prototype in my hands and gave it one more scan before placing it back down. I turned to the professor and shook my head. The concept was sound and was definitely possible, otherwise I would not exist. However, there were too many constraints in this realm for such a thing to be accomplished.

"I...see..." Professor Colbert responded in disappointment. I noted that his saddened expression cleared up in but a moment before he returned to his usual demeanor.

"Well, I suppose that it was to be expected. Although I don't think my friend will be giving up so easily. I will also provide him any help that he needs as well." The man said with a smile. This was also a known cornerstone of true innovators, to persevere in despite possible obstacles that would hinder success.

Professor Colbert then showed me some other inventions that he and several people he was in contact with were developing. Some were more practical to develop and use than most but it did show that at the very least, he was not the only one who was trying to progress their society through technological innovation in addition to established magic.

...

I left the academy premises to meet with Mistress Louise just as my internal clock struck eleven-thirty in the morning. Based on the vitals scan I did before I left, I concluded that my mistress was tired, hungry, and thirsty. With that in mind, I set off with a basket of food and drink in one hand and a bucket of water with a towel in the other.

Here I was, saving the day.

I crossed a small copse of trees before arriving at the clearing my mistress specified as our rendezvous point. I realized that I was at the right place when I noticed several small craters as well as destroyed tress and boulders that show evidence of explosive detonation. I looked around and found my mistress sitting down while facing away from me. She had her legs spead out and was leaning back with her arms supporting her weight. Her head was tilted back and it looked like she had her eyes closed and had sweat all over her face.

All in all, it was not the kind of position one would expect from a young noble woman...or any young woman in general.

"Fuga." I called out to my mistress before approching her.

"What took you so loooong? I'm thirsty!" Mistress Louise complained out loud without moving from her position. I blinked at her complaint. Since she never asked for any drinking water aside from the water she will use for lunch and the rest of the afternoon, I had expected that she already had a means of rehydrating herself in the interim. It appears that I had overestimated my mistress' capacity for self-reliance.

I walked up to her and pulled out one of the wine bottles that was filled with clean water and handed it my mistress. She immediately grabbed it before sitting up straight and started drinking.

"Fuga..." I tried to caution her to drink slower, as drinking water or any other liquid too quickly while dehydrated tended to result in-

"Augh! Augh!" That. I rubbed her back at a steady rhythm as she struggled to catch her breath after a coughing fit. When she finally calmed down, she once again tried to down the bottle of water but I stopped her from repeating her mistake my grabbing the end of the bottle. She glared at me but I ignored it and simply gestured with my movement that she should drink slower. She finally understood my intention and safely managed to drink a little over half of the bottle's capacity.

"Gwaaaaahh! You could have just told me to drink slower." She stated in mild annoyance even though I did try to tell her and that she would not have understood my regardless.

"Fuga." I decided to move us forward and revealed the foodstuffs I had prepared for her lunch. She looked at the food before unconsciously swallowing, her rumbling stomach soon after indicated that she approved of my selection. It appeared that Mistress Louise did not bother to get breakfast before setting of to her training either. I will need to talk to Yuka about how our mistress handles herself without any supervision.

"Haaah...I just can't believe they were right..." My mistress spoke out before taking another bite from her cheese. I blinked at the sudden start of a conversation and tilted my head in response, my most effective sign that I had no idea what she was talking about. She glanced at me before looking at the field she was using for training.

"Cirno-nee and Yuka both commented last night that my broken spells were weaker from before. They said that my range, force, and area of effect went down even though my accuracy was improving a lot." She continued as if she was talking through me rather than at me. Her words were a bit concerning though. Spells don't normally become weaker, even the broken spells my mistress uses. A magician can run low on magical energy and not be able to cast a spell because of it, but the lowering of statistics of the spell itself was rather unusual. I inferred that it may have something to do with the triple-casted Void Element spell she used during the battle at Tarbes.

"They said that the Void Fusion spell I used that combined Dispel and Explosion caused it." And it seemed that Yuka and the ice fairy Cirno came to the same conclusion.

I thought about it for a moment before changing the scanning parameters of my nanomachines in order to measure my mistress' magical energy. I blinked when I found that her energy levels were only at fifteen percent of what the estimated capacity was. I sensed that her body was producing more energy to make up for it, but the rate of replenishment was rather low. It would take her an estimated eighty-six days to be able to fully replenish her reserves provided that she does not use any Void Element spells in the mean time.

"Cirno-nee thought that my body was just not used to actually casting proper spells, not even talking about what I did at Tarbes, which was why I'm having a harder time to recover." Again, they managed to get roughly the same conclusion. While I expect that Mistress Louise's efficiency at casting true Void spells will improve the more she uses them, she will need to deal with the aftermath of each major spell she casts until she gets better at it.

It was a very inefficient system. Even though the output could easily outclass any convensional spell this realm had if given the right opportunity, the requirements for casting and the energy cost made them impractical.

Mistress Louise continued her meal in silence after that, likely thinking about what to do about her situation and what to do about it in the future.

...

I stayed with Mistress Louise through her afternoon training to be able to confirm the phenomenon of the drop in her spells' range and output. The effective range of her broken spells fell by fifteen percent. The force of each explosion dropped by twenty-two percent. The area of effect of each spell dropped by forty percent. However, her accuracy had increased by thirty percent and the delay between casting to actual explosion decreased by twenty percent.

In conclusion, the effectiveness of her broken spells decreased but her efficiency at casting them and hitting a target increased.

Mistress Louise was visibly tired from her training and was almost unable to walk the entire distance back to her room. I had dropped off the bucket of water at the entrance of the dormitory tower to take care of it later. I planned on bringing the basket and the empty wine bottles back to the kitchen after attending to my mistress.

"Finally...I thought I wasn't going to make it..." She stated tiredly as she opened the door to her room, eager to get some rest.

"And where have you been? Hmmmm?" The voice of a woman, estimated to be at her mid to late twenties based on tone and inflection, startled my mistress. I did no have my sensors active at the time so I was not able to detect the presence of the woman beforehand.

She had long blonde wavy hair and was about as tall as Miss Matilda. She had sharp amber eyes and was wearing glasses, likely because of poor vision for one reason or another. She had a flat chest and a modest figure, but the way she stood before my mistress had a presence that dictated that she was not one to be trifled with. She also seemed very familiar for some reason.

"Big Sister Eleanor!" My master exclaimed, solving the mystery. The older woman, now designated as Eleanor, suddenly closed the distance between her and her sister and proceeded to pinch my mistress' cheeks.

"Don't you 'Big Sis Eleanor' me! Do you have any idea how long I waited here?" Miss Eleanor said with no small sense of annoyance.

"I'm showee~!" My mistress quickly apologized as she continued to be pinched by her elder sister. I was not certain how to deal with this sort of situation. While Miss Eleanor was obviously causing my mistress great distress, I do not think she would appreciate me 'removing' the threat. The blonde woman continued to pinch her sister's cheecks before finally noticing that I was there. She gave me a measured look before narrowing here eyes on the exposed parts of my armor.

"And who are you?" She asked me, while continuing her assault on my apparently helpless mistress.

"Fuga." I answered impassively, making the woman stop altogether.

"What did you say? Who is this, little runt?" She suddenly asked before escalating her attacks from cheek pinching to a headlock.

"She's my maid! Her name is Ruukoto! She's from a far away place!" My mistress yelled out while struggling from the hold. Her sister let her go before looking right into my eyes for a long while.

"You're...not alive...are you?" She suddenly asked, making my mistress gasp in surprise. I was impressed at her skill at observation and her intuition to be able to figure that out simply by looking at me. It wasn't like it was obvious or anything.

"Where did you find this? Is it a golem? Where did it come from? What are you using to move it? Amazing lifelike texture..." Miss Eleanore quickly asked a series of questions before commenting on the artificial skin on my face. It seemed that her attention was completely shifted from my mistress to me. From the preciseness and deductive order of her questions, I inferred that Miss Eleanor was an academic...or one who pursued an intelectual field at least.

"I can't tell you." Louise quietly said, painting her as the main target once more.

"What do you mean you don't know! It works for you right? How did you find it? How did you activate it? How. Does. It. Work?" Miss Eleanore resumed her assault on my master with a series of questions while digging her fists into the sides of my mistress' head. While I always appreciated a healthy sense of curiosity, I did not appreciate the way she was interrogating her sister. I decided to save my mistress further pain and insult by activating 'White-Noise' to speak with Miss Eleanore directly.

"Please cease your actions at once. Mistress Louise has a very good reason for refusing to answer your inquiries." I stated in fluent Halkeginian, making both sisters look at me in surprise, though likely for different reasons.

"It speaks!" Miss Eleanore suddenly exclaimed before releasing her sister and walking right up to me.

"What are you? A golem? Who made you? Where did you come from? Are there more of you? Why are you with my bratty little sister-" She started another series of questioning to which...

"Hey!" My mistress reacted with offense. She continued with the questions before waiting for me to respond, her expression serious and her eyes sharp.

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose any information. All I can provide is that I am Combat Maid Gynoid Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. While I cannot divulge any information about my origins or abilities, please know that I am in a lifelong contract of service under you younger sister." I clearly stated before shifting back to my normal operating parameters.

"What? You can't do that! I'm a noble! You have to answer my questions!" Miss Eleanor did not seem to appreciate my response and started to show her resemblence to my mistress my going into a fit.

"Fuga." I responded. Miss Eleanore froze with an incredulous expression while Mistress Louise snorted out a laugh. Her elder sister heard that and quickly glared at my mistress.

"You don't want to talk, fine! I'll have plenty of time for that once you and the little runt come back home! Mother and father summoned you back. I don't know what you did, but you better be ready." Miss Eleanor stated and explained the reason she was even here. My mistress' only response was to gulp audibly at what was in store for her back in her home.

I made sure to leave a note and a 'Hey-Listen' for Yuka since he was yet to return by the time we left. Mistress Louise made no mention of her familar as she packed her things and got on the carriage that her sister brought with her. Since I was a servant, a separate and more simple carriage was arranged for me. I looked at my mistress for her reaction and she simply shrugged and told me to get on. It seemed that she was apprehensive about letting her elder sister know about my capabilities and even the existence of Yuka. She seemed determined to delay the inevitable as much as possble even as we left the academy.

At the very least, this trip will give me a chance to further update my internal map of Tristain.

...

Please R&R!


	23. Chapter 20

...

"Blood Dragon Tooth and Overdrive System NT-D..." I muttered as I read through Nitori's report on the sealed systems that she managed to find a way to unlock. It turned out that Professor Uzuki was  
extraordinarily thorough when it came to making sure that the really dangerous things that Ruukoto had were secure.

Each of the sealed equipment and abilities had their own encrypted password as well as a unique a keycode to even be able to enter the password proper. Both password and keycode needed to be entered by Ruukoto's master through a special interface that the gynoid had just for that purpose. Nitori said that Ruukoto required a master to access the interface and enter the code and password for each system. The  
kappa postulated that this was to prevent the gynoid or anyone or anything else who wasn't Ruukoto's acknowledged master from trying to crack into its system instead.

Again, a very thorough woman...

I opened the door of Mugenkan that connected my realm to the Tristain Magic Academy before closing and dematerializing it. I looked up and saw the sky start to give out a soft orange glow. It appeared that my meeting took all day. It wasn't my fault that Nitori decided to give me a detailed lecture on the systems she was able to decrypt.

I continued to read the report on the two new things that would become available for Ruukoto as I walked back to the dormitory tower. Louise should have been doing her independent training while I was away, so she was probably in her room exhausted by now.

Ruukoto's Blood Dragon Tooth was apparently the next logical step in the development line of the R-Blade...according to Nitori anyway. According to the report, the weapon was a handheld device as opposed to the R-Blade, which requires Ruukoto to transform her entire arm into the weapon. Included with the report was a diagram of the device which had so much detailed information about each part, even though I will not bother to comprehend all of it, that one could probably manufacture it if they had the materials and methods to do so.

It was a sleek silver device that was basically comprised of a simple handle and an energy emitter. Of course, there were much more pieces and components involved, but I didn't really care to know about them because I was not the one who will use it. The only thing that mattered to me was what it can do. What it can do is create a four foot long energy blade, which could extend to twelve feet if needed. It can also be used as a ranged weapon by turning the energy utilized by the blade into projectiles, effectively making it a laser gun. In addition, Ruukoto should also be able to switch between those two  
modes at will.

It was an incredibly versatile weapon but the overall damage output of the Blood Dragon Tooth was lower than its closest equivalents, which would be R-Blade and G-Revolver. A trade-off for being able to do two things at once I supposed.

Ruukoto's Overdrive System 'NT-D' was an internal enhancement ability like 'White Noise'. While White Noise apparently enhances Ruukoto's communications systems, NT-D enhances the gynoid's defenses. According to the report, the system disperses a large amount of nanomachines which lines the gynoid's frame in a very specific manner. It seemed that the way it was set up was to allow Ruukoto to deflect non-physical attacks in addition to increasing its toughness to physical attacks.

However, it also said that NT-D was an unfinished technology. It seemed that, even though it was a usable system, it was rather inefficient compared to White Noise. It can only be deployed for a maximum of six-hundred seconds at a time because of how much it pushed the Erde Kaiser Sigma Type-Seven Engine. Nitori postulated that the version of the system that was put into Ruukoto was either a proof-of-concept prototype or an incomplete version that was put in anyway because of time constraints or desperation. Nitori also warned not to let Ruukoto use the system for the full six-hundred second limit as it may render the gynoid inoperable for a time because its engine needed time to cool down.

A powerful but impractical system to be relied on constantly. However, it would be a nice trump card for Ruukoto to keep around just in case. I walked up to Louise's room and rearranged the pages of the report. I wanted to discuss this with Louise and Ruukoto at length so my master would know what else her maid was capable of and so I can clarify a few things with Ruukoto in regards to her weapons and abilities. I knocked on the door twice and raised a brow when no one responded.

"Louise, Ruukoto, I'm back." I knocked again before opening the door. I looked inside and it was vacant save for a 'Hey-Listen' on Louise's desk and a small note underneath it.

"What now?" I asked irritably to no one in particular. I put Nitori's report inside Louise's dresser along with her previous report. I closed it immediately when I heard footsteps approaching.

"Mister Yuka, is that you?" I heard Siesta's voice from the hallway.

"In here." I responded and saw the maid enter the still open door with a worried expression.

"I assume that you know something of where Louise and Ruukoto are?" I asked Siesta, who nodded immediately.

"Miss Louise's older sister arrived earlier today and took her away along with Ruukoto!" Siesta stated with a mild sense of alarm. I gave a thoughtful hum before rubbing my chin with my left hand.

"Louise's sister..." I repeated the young woman's words while mulling over the information. My master did say that she had two other sisters. Perhaps Karin finally wanted to speak with my master at  
length along with Louise's father so she sent one of her other daughters to fetch her.

"Thank you for clarifying that for me." I thanked the still visibly worried Siesta.

"Is Miss Louise in trouble? Her sister looked really mad when they left." The maid asked me. I wondered about that myself. On all accounts, Louise should be in trouble when she returns to her home  
because of her involvement in the battle of Tarbes. On the other hand, we had practically saved that battle for Tristain.

"I'm not sure...but I can find out." I told her honestly before picking up the Hey-Listen and putting it in my ear as well as picking up the note and reading it.

...

_Escorting Mistress Louise to the Valliere Estate._

The mistress is being brought back by Miss Eleonore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere, the eldest sister.

Enclosed Hey-Listen is already connected to my communications system as well as the mistress' own ear piece.

Travelling by carriage. Estimated time of arrival is between five to seven days barring any significant delays.

Please contact me directly if you wish to know directions on how to reach our destination or if you wish to catch up to us.

...

"Is it from Ruukoto? I've never seen that kind of language before." Siesta asked as she peered at the letter from my side.

"Yes. This is the written form of a language from my realm known as English. I supposed that Ruukoto chose this to ensure that I would most likely be the only one who could read it." I explained before putting the note in my pocket.

"So, what did it say?" The maid continued her line of questioning. I nodded in response before picking up my parasol from the corner of the room and sitting down on one of the chairs.

"It seems that Louise and Ruukoto were escorted to the Valliere estate by her elder sister, one Eleonore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere. Ruukoto was nice enough to leave behind one of the  
'Hey-Listen' so I can contact them once I try to find them." I explained while pointing to the 'Hey-Listen' in my ear. Siesta shuffled a bit from where she stood as she looked at me a bit uncomfortably.

"So...why aren't you trying to contact them or go after them?" She finally asked after staring at my obviously lax way of dealing with this. It was an understandable question. I mean, the last time when  
Louise disappeared on me, it eventually ended up with the Albion invasion...whether or not Louise was the direct cause of that sequence of events or was merely part of it would be up for debate of course.  
However, my confidence stemmed from the fact that we now had something that we did not when Wardes abducted my master. We now had Ruukoto.

"Because Ruukoto is with her. After the events at Tarbes, Ruukoto has proven that it is far more than capable of protecting Louise barring giant, constantly mutating, tendriled monsters...of course, I doubt  
that they would encounter such a thing on their way to the Valliere estate." I explained before lazily cracking the kinks in my neck.

"Are you alright, Mister Yuka? You look...tired." The maid pointed out, though she slightly hesitated in the end considering how odd the questioned sounded when being directed at me. I hummed at her  
observation before giving out a tired sigh. So this is my limit? I'm a bit disappointed. Was it because I was away from my Garden of the Sun for so long?

"Your observation may not be...incorrect." I gave her before starting to feel a migraine start. It has been a long time since I had felt that sensation and it was reminded at how much I disliked it. Siesta stepped forward after I started rubbing my forehead with me left hand.

"Have...have you been sleeping well?" The maid worriedly asked before kneeling down and placing her right hand on my left cheek.

"I...have not slept since Louise and I returned from Albion..." I told her, much to the maid's shock. It was true. The only times when I could really go to sleep at night was when Louise did not show up in Mugenkan...times that were now few and far in between. I glanced at Siesta's fearful expression before shaking my head slowly.

"I hope that I do not need to remind you that I am not human..." I pointed out before removing the hand on my cheek with my own. I felt Siesta's hand squeeze my own for a moment before I let go. She glanced away as she held her right hand close to her chest with her left, her cheeks giving off a faint pink tinge.

"I am not human...I never was...I never will be...I have come to the point in my long and particularly violent life where sleep, food, and drink are no longer required for my continued existence. However...it  
seemed that I have overestimated myself this time." I reminded her before conceding the point that I was not feeling as well as I should.

"My dependence on my garden has finally let itself known...as much as I did not want to admit." I muttered before trying to stand up. The feeling of myself faltering and my legs suddenly giving out was  
something I have not felt...in a very long time. Imagine my surprise when Siesta had to catch me and guide me to Louise's bed.

"Maybe you should get some sleep. At least take a nap before you catch up with Miss Louise and Ruukoto." Siesta said to me before pushing me down on the bed.

"I can't believe that I'm being forced into something as...pedestrian...as taking a nap without my consent." I grumbled and  
raised a brow when the maid gave out a small giggle as she removed my footwear before lifting my legs onto the bed.

"Isn't this nice every once and a while though? You must at least miss being able to have a peaceful sleep every now and then, right?" Siesta asked me with a gentle smile. The way she worked with her words and actions, despite who she was saying them to...Sakuya would have liked to have had a maid like Siesta on her team.

"Yes, I suppose. Thank you..." I thanked the young woman before closing my eyes, the darkness of unconsciousness taking me a few moments later.

...

Siesta blinked at how quickly Yuka seemed to fall asleep. The steady rhythm of his breathing betrayed his current state. The young woman dared to reach out with her left hand and brush off some stray strands of hair that were on his face.

"Not...human..." Siesta repeated Yuka's words in a voice just above a whisper.

"Not..." She repeated even as she found herself being drawn closer and closer to the green-haired man's sleeping face.

"...human..." She managed to let out before lightly pressing her lips on his for all but a moment.

Siesta silently stepped out of the room a few moments later. She sighed as she leaned against the closed door which held a fifteen-hundred year old monster on the other side.

"Even so..." The young woman whispered to herself before lightly touching her lips with her right index finger.

It took her quite some time before she could cool down her blushing face before returning to the servant's wing of the academy.

...

"Well...this is different..." I commented as I found myself in what looked like a room that was completely dark save for the one spotlight that was illuminating the spot where I was standing. While it had been some time since I have experienced an actual Lucid Dream, I did not expect that this was all I would get.

_Hollow words from one who was bored out of their skull for decades_. I blinked at the sound of the voice. It was my voice, the voice of my other half...the voice I had when I was still female. Another spotlight turned on, which illuminated the spot a few feet in front of me. As expected the one in front of me was my female self. It was not my double for the one before me did not have the feel of barely contained madness. It also helped that her hairstyle was the one I had before I was sent to Halkeginia.

"I take a nap for the first time in weeks and this is what I get?" I pointed out with a raised brow before folding my arms and leaning back. My female self sneered at me as she placed her hands on her hips before leaning forward and giving me an evil grin.

_The Sleeping Terror not getting enough sleep? Do you have any idea how laughably ironic that is?_My other self asked me with before laughing at me.

"Quite ironic. What are you even supposed to be? I am certain that I was able to fall asleep on my master's bed, so this must be a dream." I acknowledge the observation for what it was before asking my female self my own question. The grin on her face disappeared and she stood back up straight before mirroring my own stance, folding her arms and leaning back.

_Master? You truly acknowledge a female human mageling as your master. It would be like making the thieving witch your master! Have you no pride as a youkai? Have you no pride as the most feared in Gensokyo? Have you no pride as the strongest in Gensokyo?_My female self asked me her questions, which were dripping with venom with each word uttered, as she walked around me, the spotlight she was under followed her movements.

"Pride? Of course I have pride. However, it is not so fragile as to be affected by something like having Louise as my master." I responded with my own sneer. My female self stopped walking just as she came up behind me. I need not see where she was. She was I and I was her. I could tell where she was just as accurately as I can tell where was hand is relative to open space.

_What happened to us?_She asked sullenly, the hate and the contempt in her voice changing to one of wonder and self-pity.

_We used to be the most feared monster in Gensokyo._My female self reminded me as she walked around me while tracing the width of my back with the fingers of one of her hands.

_We used to treat the silly humans like insects to be stomped on underfoot._She continued as she circled me, still tracing her fingers across my shoulder and chest before stopping right in front of me. She was slightly shorter than I was so she had to look up a bit to be able to meet my eyes.

_We only used to care about ourselves and our garden, about how to become stronger than we already were, about what we could do to the next idiot that wanders into the Garden of the Sun._ My female self  
said as she placed both of her hands on my cheeks before leaning closer and pressing her lips on mine. I did not react. I was not offended nor was I flattered by the action. This was a dream. She was me. There was no need for those kinds of reactions in this situation. I simply remained quiet to see if there was anything else that she was going to say or do.

_Hey, tell me. What has become of Yuka Kazami?_She asked me longingly as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself against me. I thought about her questions and what they represented. There must be a reason why this dream was happening...this strange self-introspection of my subconscious mind. I closed my eyes and thought about how I should answer. The starting point to which I could link each and every one of the questions to. The origin and catalyst of what has been happening to me.

"Louise happened to us." I finally answered while opening my eyes.

_She is nothing more than a failure of a magician that had no talent._She countered evenly.

"She is a magician that did not have the means to realize her true potential. She is a magician that managed to call us as her familiar." I responded just as evenly.

_We bowed down to her will and submitted to that binding contract. We let her bind us!_My female self continued her arguments.

"I was curious to see what kind of human was able to summon us and bind us to a familiar contract." I pointed out but she quickly countered.

_She is weak. She does not have any confidence in herself nor does she have anything to show for her efforts. She is a laughing stock._My female self responded to me.

"She reminded me of us when we were still a whelp. A few moments ago, you reminded me of her." I stated with a smile. The female me narrowed her eyes before finally letting go and taking a few steps back.

_Even so...why do we care about the other humans so much as well? The students. The teachers. The maid. The thief. Why?_She asked me, more as an honest question than something to be used to spite me. I opened my mouth to give my answer but I found myself lacking one.

_Why did we start caring about the silly little humans? What exactly are they to us? Something to pass the time with? Entertainment? Pets? What compels you to remain with them, care about them, and protect them if needed?_She asked the questions I found that I did not have an answer to.

_I don't know...that is your answer._My female self sadly stated with no small sense of certainty.

_Do you love them? Do you see them only as a responsibility? Do you see them as friends? Companions? Ask yourself Yuka Kazami. Just what exactly are those humans to you? What does each of them mean to you?_She asked me as she stepped forward again.

_Find the answers for those questions for yourself...while you still can._I heard her say just as the world around me faded into a bright white light.

...

I opened my eyes, feeling both lethargic and refreshed at the same time. I sat up and looked out the window. The sun was rising.

"How long..." I started before I shook my head. It was obvious that I was asleep for at least the duration of the night after Siesta forced me onto Louise's bed. How could I have let myself sleep for that long? I idly asked that to myself as I put on my boots before standing up. I checked to make sure that the 'Hey-Listen' was still in my ear before stepping outside. I managed to walk off the languid feeling I had when I first woke up around the time I exited the dormitory tower.

I took in a deep breath and savored the first few rays of the morning sun. I felt much better than I did before I went to sleep. It seemed that Siesta's council was not misplaced.

"Good morning Mister Yuka." I heard Siesta happily greet me from the side. I turned to her and saw the young woman carrying a bundle of laundry in her arms.

"Good morning to you too." I returned the greeting with a smile.

"It looks like you had a good night's sleep." The maid added in an upbeat tone, seemingly making the most of her small victory over my own judgment.

_What does each of them mean to you?_

"Indeed. Would you like some help with that?" I acknowledged before offering to help Siesta and ignoring that question my female self posed in my dream. It was the least I could do for the young woman.

"No need. I can take care of these myself, I always do." Siesta declined before heading off to her destination. Lacking anything else to do, I found myself walking with her. I looked at the girl with a  
raised brow when she suddenly started giggling to herself for no apparent reason.

"It's just that Ruukoto offered to help me carry the laundry just yesterday as well. I remembered the coincidence and it seemed funny to me." She explained, seemingly knowing the reaction I would have to her sudden emotional shift.

Siesta, a regular human girl. A servant of the Tristain Magic Academy and the first human that I got along with in this realm. Of course, I was originally only using her to take Louise's laundry off my hands  
and to get a better layout of where I was. Then the incident with Count Mott happened. It was odd...the moment I realized that she was taken away from the academy, I had the strange desire to bring her back no matter what. She had since become a member of Louise's circle of friends whether they realized it or not...practically becoming the group's personal maid even after Ruukoto joined us.

If one of us needed something or required help from the servants, the first name that pops up was always Siesta's.

_What exactly are they to us?_

I was still not sure that I could give an answer to that question that would satisfy me. All I was certain about was that I couldn't really imagine our afternoons without the young woman serving us tea and snacks.

"Mister Yuka, is everything alright?" I blinked at the sudden question. I glanced at Siesta, who was already unloading the laundry she was carrying into a set of basins. I looked back and saw that we were already quite a ways away from the entrance to the dormitory tower.

"Mister Yuka?" Siesta called out, the worry in her voice was obvious.

"I am alright, Siesta. I was simply thinking on a question that was posed to me..." I assured the young woman before giving her something of an explanation while shaking my head.

"What kind of question?" She pressed even as she started going about her work.

"The kind which I have yet to find an answer to." I vaguely answered with a shrug. Siesta nodded and I thought that she had already let the subject drop when she said nothing else and tended to the laundry.

"Is it a difficult question?" The maid asked without turning back to look at me.

_What compels you to remain with them, care about them, and protect them if needed?_

"In a way..." I answered after several moments of silence between us.

...

'Ruukoto? This is Yuka. Can you hear me?' I finally found time to try to contact Ruukoto after leaving Siesta to her duties. I was currently standing on the roof of one of the towers of the academy after I  
returned to Louise's room to retrieve my hat and parasol. As to how I managed to get there...I flew.

'Fuga. Fuga?' Ruukoto replied, making a dry comment on how it almost did not expect me to contact them at all before asking me if I was already on my way to where they were.

'I am still at the academy. I haven't been able to catch up yet because Siesta forced me to take a nap...that ended up as a full night's sleep.' I explained before wondering if Louise was with Ruukoto and was listening in.

'You were asleep? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You didn't contact either of us last night and you didn't even show up in Mugenkan!' The rather passionate hissing of Louise's voice answered that question for me.

'I apologize. I did not realize how much I slept until I had already awakened. Are you still in transit to your family's lands?' I asked Louise after explaining what happened to me, effectively changing the subject.

'We're not even halfway there. The carriages are really slow compared to flying. We'd probably be home by now if Ruukoto flew us there.' My master replied with a tired sigh. Although, the seemingly open way in which Louise was talking to me through her 'Hey-Listen' made me wonder about something.

'Are you not travelling with your elder sister? Is she not with you?' I asked the question that was bugging me with the situation.

'Fuga Fuga.' Ruukoto was the one who answered instead of Louise. It seemed that their group was currently resting for a while to let the horses recover. Louise and Ruukoto slipped away from her sister's  
supervision simply for the sake of getting away from her sister...that was when I contacted Ruukoto.

'Please tell me that Ruukoto already gave you the answer you were looking for.' Louise deadpanned even though she should already know the answer.

'She told me enough. I'll be flying to catch up to you now. Ruukoto, can you give me directions while I do so?' I replied before asking Ruukoto.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto responded and I was in the air in short order and on my way to where my master and her gynoid were.

The distance I had to cover was not all that far once I was already in flight. I decided to fly high to avoid anyone visually detecting me and for me to be able to have a better view of everything else. Ruukoto originally gave me directions that were far too accurate for me to actually use. So much so that it gave me the exact coordinates of where they were by using something called triangulation. The gynoid explained that it used signal coming from my 'Hey-Listen' and measuring how far it was relative to Ruukoto's location as well as the location of its hangar at Tarbes.

I quickly made sure to let it know that I did not need such specific information and that all I needed was for it to tell me if I was flying in the right direction or not. Thanks to that, I was able fly without much hassle aside from Ruukoto occasionally reminding me to adjust my flight path to the left or to the right.

'Fuga.' I heard Ruukoto notify me that I should be able to see their carriages soon. I looked down and saw the road that they were likely using before lowering my altitude while maintaining my speed. Just as the gynoid stated, I saw two small objects moving along the road just as I came below the cloud line.

'I see you. I'll stay up here until you stop again.' I stated as I moved right above their carriages.

'Why can't you show up now? No, it's nothing Big Sis Eleanor-augh! I'm sorry for moving away without your permission!' I blinked at my master's sudden interruption and apparent ongoing battle with her sister.

'I doubt suddenly dropping out of the air near a pair of moving carriages would be a good idea.' I answered her question anyway while I continued to wait for their little convoy to stop.

They eventually stopped late in the afternoon, just as the sun started to set. It was an open road with just rolling plains all around them so I assumed that they will be camping in for the night. I landed some  
distance away from them and simply walked to where they were. I had originally considered landing right in front of them, but doing it this would likely give me less fuss about the whole thing. I started  
hearing their voices as I walked closer and closer to their location, the voice of a woman seemingly giving out orders in particular.

"Don't you 'Fuga' me! Just hurry up and help set up the fire pit already! Louise, you litte runt, why are you looking around like that?" The woman's nagging filled the otherwise peaceful area. I would expect that such a voice would be an effective deterrent against wild animals during the night. I walked up into view to save my master any further headaches from the woman, who I was assuming was her sister.

"I would assume that she is looking for me." I spoke up, getting everyone's attention. I quickly saw Louise standing nervously in front of a taller woman with long flowing blonde hair and glasses. Other  
than those features, she looked like a bigger version of my master...including the small chest. Ruukoto was a short distance away working on what looked like a fire pit alongside two men, who I assumed were the coachmen. Unlike the surprised looks that the humans were giving me because of my sudden appearance, Ruukoto did not even acknowledge it. Since the gynoid was the one that led me here in the first place, its reaction...or lack thereof was to be expected.

"Yuka! What took you so long?" My master called out before weaving her way past her sister to get to me, an act that seemed to have surprised the older woman somewhat.

"I landed a bit of a ways away from here and walked in order to prevent a scene." I explained with a shrug before reaching out and adjusting Louise's hat.

"Well, you could have joined us earlier..." My master grumbled as adjusted her hat but otherwise did not resist.

"I'm here, aren't I?" I retorted with a soft chuckle. I glanced at the approaching figure that was my master's sister. Considering how she was looking at me and Louise, I already had an idea of what she was thinking.

"Little runt, who is this commoner?" Eleanore asked her sister suspiciously. My master suddenly stiffened up and started trembling like a small animal that was successfully stalked by its natural predator and was moments away from being devoured.

"And if you tell me that he's your secret lover, I will end you and just tell mother that some wild goblins got to you because of your stupidity." The blonde Valliere daughter deadpanned in an eerily similar manner that Louise does. The effect was immediate as my master blushed bright red before whirling around to face her elder sister and delivering her counter-argument in her trademark style.

"Lover? Lover? Yuka? Me and Yuka? Lovers? No way! There is no way that I would ever find myself romantically attracted to Yuka! Even if he has saved my life a few times! Even if he did everything he could to give me confidence in myself! Even if he did teach me how to make the most of the magic I did have and turn it into something I can completely abuse! Even though he was the first one to truly believe in me and my magic! Even though he...even...so..." Louise once again blabbered out a suspiciously specific denial before finally trailing off. I noticed her lower her head for a few moments before turning  
back to me. Her eyes widened when she looked at me, prompting a mandatory raised brow from me, before blushing harder than before and turning back to her sister.

"No! Absolutely not! Never going to happen! Did I mention that we're not lovers?" My master quickly stated in a state of near-panic, apparently picking up her second wind, and even flailing around her hands and making gestures with them to emphasize her point. Meanwhile, Eleanor was managing a rather well done impression of their mother with the way she was glaring between her younger sister and I.

"And you are still terrible at making intelligent arguments!" The blonde woman responded before proceeding to dig her knuckles into the sides of my master's head. She continued the direct assault on Louise for a few moments despite my master begging for mercy.

I was not sure if what her sister was doing to her really hurt my master, since Louise's pain threshold should be higher than an average human now because of everything she has been through and the fact that she had her hat on which was made of leather, or if she was simply humoring the blonde because this was the status quo they had as sisters. Regardless, I did not intervene because I was not convinced  
that Louise was really getting hurt by her sister's actions. Ruukoto's continued stance of ignoring what was happening, in favor of getting their camp set up for the night, seemed to support my theory.

"And you!" Eleanore suddenly yelled at me while continuing her attacks on Louise.

"I don't know who you are or what your relationship with this little runt is, but know that you will regret taking advantage of a Valliere...even if it is this runt!" She stated as menacingly as she could. It seemed that an emotional mean streak was a shared trait between Louise and her family if provoked enough. The only real variance between them was their control and the way they utilized their sudden burst of emotions...which were usually hostile. Even so, I suppose that I should clear up the misconception that the older sister seemed to have about the relationship between Louise and myself before it escalates pointlessly any further.

"I apologize for the confusion and subsequent misunderstanding that Louise's reaction caused. Allow me to introduce myself." I stated as I removed my straw hat with my left hand while using my parasol as a  
walking stick. I placed my hat over my chest and gave the blonde a curt bow.

"I am Yuka Kazami. This past spring, your younger sister summoned me as her familiar during the Tristain Magic Academy's Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual. It is a pleasure you meet you Miss Eleonore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere." I introduced myself to Eleanore. The blonde stared at me for several moments before her right eyebrow started twitching. Said twitching apparently spread to her right cheek right before she finally responded.

"Are you telling me...are you honestly trying to tell me...that this runt summoned you, a commoner, as her familiar?" The woman said in a seething voice as my master started flailing her arms around even more in protest.

"Owowowowowowow!" I could hear Louise voice out the discomfort she was experiencing while under her sister's mercy.

"Well, I'm not really..." I started to say when the older sister suddenly shoved the younger sister away and pulled out her wand from within her clothes. The motion she utilized in order to do so was efficient and left no room for wasted movement. A discipline acquired from their mother no doubt. I wondered why Louise did not seem to have possessed the same skill set before she started her training with me  
and Cirno, completely ignoring the implied threat of a drawn and pointed wand that Eleanore was trying to show, when the woman in question once again spoke out.

"You not only insult the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual by doing this farce, you also dare to try to deceive me into thinking that a human could even be summoned? I should have you imprisoned, tortured, and executed for this!" She declared with all her terrible self-righteous fury. I was about to argue on that point when a pink blur suddenly appeared between us. It was obviously my master, who was standing right in front of her sister and had her arms out wide in an unnecessary but sincere attempt to shield me from her sister's wrath.

"You can't do that to Yuka! He's-" Louise started to argue on my behalf when Eleanore cut her off while pointing her wand at her younger sister. I felt my master tense up at the gesture before tensing up even more with her sister's words.

"Don't you dare stand up for you fake familiar! I expected more from you Louise. You are a Valliere! Even if you are a failure as a mage, it does not mean that you can just commit a fraud like this! Do you  
have any idea how much shame this would bring to our family? Is this why you were being called back? Because mother and father found out about yo-" Eleanor's verbal onslaught was suddenly halted when I heard the familiar hum of Ruukoto's mode change and sure enough...

_R-Blade_

A fraction of a second after the declaration of the weapon, Ruukoto had already yanked away the blonde's wand with its left hand while standing in front of its mistress defensively and showing Eleanore its R-Blade as a warning. Everything happened so fast for the humans that the delay in their actions was enough for Ruukoto so speak uninterrupted after streams of light finished running across the gynoid's now blue eyes..

"Allow me to speak. While your earlier statements were correct in the conventional rectitude of this kind of situation, please know that Mistress Louise's situation is not conventional. Also, I apologize for my actions if you take them for disrespect. While I assume that you will never intentionally bring actual bodily harm to Mistress Louise, I am bound by my directives to protect her from any potential threats." The gynoid stated before relaxing its stance and continuing.

"This Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four hopes for your fair understanding and hopes that you would allow a more comprehensive explanation to be given to you before you pass your judgment. This is so you will be able to form an intelligent and rational conclusion based on facts provided." Ruukoto requested before dismissing the R-Blade, returning her right arm to normal, before offereing Eleanore's wand back with a respectful bow. The elder Valliere sister quickly snatched her wand back, prompting Ruukoto to stand back straight, before looking between all three of us in silence. I saw my master about to speak up when Eleanore finally spoke.

"You! Explain everything to me as comprehensively as you can!" She suddenly declared while pointing at Ruukoto with her wand before glaring at both Louise and I.

"And it better be convincing..." She added, much to my master's chagrin. I wasn't really bothered by it since she couldn't do anything to harm Ruukoto or myself and she can't harm Louise because of us and  
the fact that she is her little sister. I was sure that Ruukoto's logical thinking and attention to detail will satisfy the blonde.

What's the worse that could happen?

...

"That doesn't sound convincing at all!" Eleanore yelled out while shaking Ruukoto's shoulders. The gynoid had just given the elder Valliere sister an account of what had happened to Louise and I after  
my summoning to Halkeginia. Based on her reaction, she seemed less than convinced.

Of course, it omitted the parts where Louise is a Void Mage and I am a Gandalfr, where I have my own realm in the border of dreams, where Ruukoto and I were both powerful enough not to be threatened by  
anything in this realm as far as we knew, where we were both several lifetimes old, where Louise went on a dangerous secret mission to Albion, was kidnapped, and had to fight for her life and the life of an exiled prince, where we were all instrumental in beating back the recently attempted Albion invasion, where Louise's personal tutor in Halkeginian magic was once the infamous Fouquet 'The Crumbling Dirt', where Louise personally knows and has the favor of both Princess Henrietta de Tristain and Prince Wales Tudor.

You know, the little things.

Now that I thought about it, Ruukoto effectively had to omit most of the interesting things that happened since I came here. Add that to the fact that Ruukoto's explanation was technically second hand information and I was starting to understand why Eleanore wasn't really inclined to believe the story.

After all, without those aspects, the whole thing sounded like some predictable piece of fiction which would be likely riddled with bland characters, an absurd story, and things Kaguya terms as 'Fanservice'.

"Headmaster Osmond of the Tristain Magic Academy can vouch for the validity of Yuka Kazami's status as Mistress Louise's familiar." Ruukoto provided matter of factly. I placed a hand on Louise's shoulder when I noticed her starting to tremble again while her magic level began fluctuating as well.

"Neither Ruukoto nor I will allow any harm to befall you." I reminded her and was rewarded with Louise calming down. I looked back to her older sister, who was now looking right at me very intently.

"So the little runt really summoned you?" She asked me in all seriousness.

"Indeed she did." I replied with a smile before showing her the familiar contract runes branded into the back of my left hand. The blonde started grumbling in a similar manner that Louise does before shaking her head and walking up to me.

"You could have just told me you had summoning runes." She complained as she took my left hand to inspect it.

"I would, but you did not seem to be very open to reason earlier." I shot back with a raised brow, earning a narrowed glare from Eleanore. The woman scowled at me for a moment before turning her attention back to the runes on my hand.

"The little runt summoned a smart mouthed commoner as her familiar...unbelievable..." She muttered to herself even as she drew her face closer and closer to the back of my hand, even opting to raise her glasses off her eyes to look at the runes directly.

"...what are you doing Big Sis Eleanore?" Louise inquired as she looked between her sister and my hand. I glanced away for a moment and found that Ruukoto had opted to go back to setting up camp, particularly tonight's dinner, after confirming that the elder Valliere sister won't be trying anything really violent on her sister anymore.

"I can't understand what these runes are supposed to represent...but at the same time...I feel like I've seen them somewhere before." She muttered before turning back to Louise.

"Go get ready for the night, your maid is already preparing the meal. We still have a lot of road to cover before we make it home." Eleanore told her little sister, who immediately scowled at being told to go away. The blonde seemed to have picked up on that and sighed.

"I won't try to kill or take away your familiar, if that is what you are worried about little runt." She added and Louise gave out her trademark 'urk' in response.

"Go on. I won't be leaving you any time soon." I provided to my master when I saw her giving me a worried glance.

"Alright..." Was all she said before heading back in the direction where of the camp, where Ruukoto had already started cooking. Eleanore was intently staring at my hand for the duration of our exchange, but  
finally looked up to meet my eyes once Louise was out of earshot.

"Are you of any use to her?" The blonde suddenly asked me as looked intensely into my eyes, as if trying to divine an answer from them. The question itself and the seriousness of the way she asked it  
prompted a raised brow from me.

"Or are you nothing more than a responsibility to her?" Eleanore added in a darker tone of voice before letting go of my hand. I looked into the woman's eyes and saw the same fire I had seen in Louise and  
Karin's eyes. This was my master's older sister, the woman who constantly berates and generally bullies her, the woman who seemed to act like she really did not want anything to do with her...and she's basically asking me if I was a burden to Louise or not. And from the look in her eyes, depending on my answer, she may be more than willing to try to kick my ass.

How odd...

Well, I did recall Alice's sisters being rather mean spirited to the girl one moment, then be more than willing to protect her from harm the next. Was this the same kind of situation?

Was that kind of dynamic simply a 'sister' thing?

"Your silence does not inspire confidence, Yuka Kazami." The woman's voice snapped me from my thoughts, as well as inducting Eleanore as one of the handful of people than managed to pronounce my full name correctly on their first try. I supposed that I should say something to prevent her opinion of me to decline any further than it already seemed to have. However, I was not entirely sure what I should tell  
her.

I still had all the knowledge and raw physical prowess to wield a sword, a knife, and a lance with near-masterful efficiency thanks to the Gandalfr runes. Should I tell her that I was a warrior that would  
be more than capable of protecting her sister? No. Based on how she seems to see commoners in general, telling her that I was a weapon user would likely not impress her.

I sighed wistfully when I noticed that I was thinking about this too hard again. I smiled at Eleanore and gave her my response.

"I am extremely adept at making any kind of flower bloom under any condition or circumstance..." I stated with confidence before blinking for a moment and clearing my throat.

"...and I mean that literally. That is not some sort of euphemism for something entirely different and offensive." I quickly added, prompting a raised brow from the elder Valliere sister.

"And why would you imagine that your statement would be misunderstood as something else?" The woman asked me curiously while placing her hands on her hips.

"I've had an interesting life." I replied with a shrug. The woman gave out a thoughtful hum before looking up and down my frame.

"So you are some sort of...gardener?" Eleanore asked, shifting the conversation back to the main topic.

"I prefer to be known as a Botanist who mostly specializes in flowers." I answered with a warm smile and enthused voice. And why not? We were talking about flowers after all.

"Botanist? I'm afraid that I am not familiar with that term." The blonde admitted while rubbing her chin with her right hand, a gesture I had seen used by Louise in multiple occasions. I also found it interesting that Eleanor had enough of a curious mind to forego dismissing my claim altogether in favor of the prospect of learning something new.

"A Botanist is the title from the land I hail from. It is given to those who comprehensively study plant life professionally for academic purposes." I provided and saw the woman's eyes widen before narrowing them inquisitively.

"You...are a scholar?" Eleanore asked carefully, as if doubting her own words. I gave her another smile before giving out a small chuckle.

"I suppose you can say that I was born to do this." I responded lightheartedly. The blonde blinked at my response before giving another thoughtful hum.

"And you are not lying are you?" She asked me with only the barest hint of doubt.

"You may ask Louise of my prowess with plant life and you may ask anyone in the Tristain Magic Academy about my loyalty to your sister. Let me make this clear. I am Louise's familiar, partner, and friend. Very few can openly call me a friend and I take that seriously." I stated clearly and seriously to get the point across before putting my hat back on, folding my arms, and leaning back.

"Or do you doubt Louise's words from earlier?" I reminded her with a smirk. Eleanore stared at me for another few moments before sighing and rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"The things we have to deal with for that little..." I heard her mutter under her breath. Situation dealt with, I stepped forward to check on Louise and Ruukoto.

"You are a good woman and a good sister. Letting Louise know about that side of you would likely do wonders for your relationship as siblings." I whispered my observation to Eleanore as I passed by.

I continued on to where Louise was starting to eat the meal Ruukoto prepared for her and the other humans, completely ignoring the feeling of Eleanore's gaze on my back.

...

"Oh! Look who's back! We were wondering if you'll show up or not" Cirno stated as I approached her and Louise inside Mugenkan. My former student greeted me with a smile while my master was staring at me with a pout.

"I apologize if I took so long. I had to make sure that everyone was already asleep before I could make a new door." I explained as I hefted my parasol on my right shoulder. I had originally considered on leaving my parasol and my hat with Louise or Ruukoto before coming to the border of dreams, but I remembered all those times I had wished that I had brought along my parasol here and decided to play it safe for now.

"Makes sense. Louise already told me why you weren't here last night. I was wondering when you go to sleep considering what you do during the day out there and during the night in here. I guess the answer is that you don't." Cirno said with a nod before shaking her head. I smirked at her observation before glancing at Louise, who was still giving me a rather displeased expression.

"Is something wrong Louise?" I asked my master. Cirno blinked at me before looking at her junior as well.

"What did you and Big Sis Eleanore talk about after I left?" Louise stated evenly. I raised a brow at the way she asked her question.

"She spoke to me before we went to sleep...she asked me if it was true that you were really good at making flowers bloom and if that was what you did for a living." She elaborated on the reasoning behind her question. Louise's words had a completely different effect on my former student though. I briefly saw Cirno cover her mouth and suppress a laugh after hearing what Louise said before she turned around to make her amusement in the matter less obvious.

"I see. And what did you tell her?" I inquired while folding my arms and leaning back.

"I told her that you were the best at what you do." Louise responded and her face scrunched up into a sour looking scowl.

"What's the problem then?" Cirno finally got over her previous bout of laughter and asked. Louise glanced at her senior before looking at me and shaking her head.

"Big Sis Eleanore said 'not bad for a little runt' before she turned away from me and went to sleep." My master answered before giving out a sigh. I heard Cirno give out a thoughtful hum and saw her scratching the back of her head.

"Could someone help me out with this? I mean...was that a compliment or not?" My former student voiced her apparent confusion, earning an 'urk' from Louise.

"Well?" I asked my master when she simply remained silent without answering Cirno's question.

"About as close a compliment you will ever get from Big Sis Eleanore in my experience...but that isn't what bothered me..." Louise finally answered. Cirno and I raised a brow each before looking at each other for a moment then turning back to Louise. My master's expression turned sour again before looking at us with an uncomfortable expression.

"She said that while smiling at me...a grin really...Big Sis Eleanore never grins without something horrible happening to someone else! That's just what is supposed to happen! Seeing her smile like that  
like a normal person would...it disturbs me...a lot..." Louise explained the reason for her emotional discomfort. I blinked a few times in honest confusion because of my master's reaction to what her  
sister apparently did. I glanced at Cirno and saw that she was scratching the top of her head with a rather lost expression.

"Ooo~kaaay...I...what do you think?" Cirno attempted, and failed, in addressing the issue and quickly asked me about my thoughts on the matter.

"Considering the effects this subject matter has on Louise, I suggest that we step away from that topic for now. No use thinking about it right now, especially since you have a few things you need to cover with Louise." I responded while nodding to myself.

"What things?" Louise immediately asked, apparently snapping out of her previous funk.

"After you left last night, Cirno and I talked about where to take you training. Since we observed that your aim has been improving greatly but your overall firepower in your broken spells is weaker, Cirno thought that the best way to get around that limitation is by adjusting the way you use them." I provided and Louise nodded along with my explanation.

"So what will be the lesson about?" My master inquired while looking between me and my former student.

"Cirno, please explain." I said to the ice fairy, who was more than happy to do so.

"Remember when we talked about shaped charges?" Cirno asked my master, who nodded repeatedly in response.

"That is what I want to start on with you now. Since your aim is good enough now, we can start working on how we focus your explosions." Cirno stated, quickly going into her Lecture Mode.

"Focus my explosions? Like making them smaller?" Louise asked inquisitively.

"Not quite. You see, even if we make your explosions smaller, it still behaves like any other explosion. By that I mean, a sudden release of a large amount of force in all directions." Cirno explained while gesturing with her hands to show the effect of a regular explosion, just an opening palm or a blossoming flower.

"We don't want that for shape charges. Instead, we need to be able to direct the entire force of the blast in one direction or at one point." The ice fairy followed up while emphasizing her point by hitting her left palm with her right fist.

"Directing all the force in one direction…is that even possible? How can I do something like that?" My master inquired, intrigued and skeptical about such a concept. I saw Cirno give her a mischievous grin before glancing at me then back at Louise.

I knew that look…

"Well, it's actually pretty easy~! Focus you magic in the way you want to shape it. Mutter the spell tenderly. Point your wand at someone you dislike. Then Unleash Your Annihilation of Lo-" Cirno started enthusiastically before I cut her off with a loud cough.

"Please don't...just...don't..." I flatly stated while shaking my head.

"What? What are you two talking about?" Louise asked in honest confusion. I gave out a sigh and decided to just get it over with and tell her.

"What Cirno was trying to say was the…official…explanation of one Marisa Kirisame on how one can cast Master Spark." I stated bitterly when I was reminded of what Marisa wrote on her version of Master Spark in her famous 'Grimoire of Marisa', which was now part of the Voile Magic Library's archives. Louise seemed deep in thought about my explanation as she closed her eyes and rubbed her chin with her left hand.

"Focus your magic…mutter the spell…aim…and unleash your…what was the last part again?" Louise asked with a raised brow after opening her eyes.

"Love…" I stated simply.

"Excuse me?" My master asked after thinking that she may have misheard me.

"Just as I said. Marisa's spark spells are all powered by love as opposed to my own which just uses raw magic." I clarified and Louise looked at me with a very perplexed expression before turning to Cirno.

"Love?" She asked her senior.

"Love." The ice fairy responded.

"How is that even possible? No, how can you even gather that much love to fuel that kind of spell?" Louise exclaimed in confirmation of the rather absurd ways Marisa developed her most famous spells.

"That was just the way Marisa was. She was an innovator and being one means going on paths no one has gone through before. She was also one of the first and the few that combined both magic and science into one, effectively making her spells much more powerful and efficient than before." I explained with a shrug.

"No…no…no…using the power of love as energy to cast her spells…that's just crazy!" Louise protested while clutching the head with both her hands while trying to make sense of Marisa's personal spell casting system.

"Maybe we should just move on to the lesson…" I suggested to Cirno.

"Agreed…" My former student replied before walking up to Louise to try and calm her down.

...

Please R&R!


	24. Chapter 21

Happy Holidays Guys~!

...

"So..." I muttered as I stepped out of the designated 'Servant's Carriage' along with Ruukoto.

"Fuga..." The robot-maid responded as I looked upward to take in where we now were. I recalled when Matilda told me back in the Charming Fairy Inn that the Valliere family, Louise's family, were one of the more prominent noble families in the country of Tristain.

"Hurm..." I mutter as I looked back in the direction we came from. We had already arrived at the Valliere estate proper...after travelling roughly several miles into the lands that the family owned. Additionally, if Ruukoto's geographic mapping was accurate, they apparently had a mountain in their back yard as well. It seemed that 'prominent' was a tad bit of an understatement in that regard.

"Finally home..." Louise muttered tiredly as she exited the carriage that she and her sister were using. We arrived here mid-afternoon, around a little past two o'clock local time according to Ruukoto, due to Eleanore 'insisting' that we reach our destination as soon as possible. So it came to pass that we rode the carriages non-stop since we first set off this morning.

"Stop complaining, little runt." The equally tired voice of the elder Valliere sister came from within the carriage as she pushed her sister out of the way. Why both of them seem so tired even though they just sat inside the carriage all morning was something I had no answer to.

"Agwah!" My master yelped out, almost tripping over herself. Thankfully, her sense of balance was far superior now than it was when she first summoned me so she was able to recover without much effort. Eleanore snorted before glaring at me an Ruukoto.

"Well what are you two waiting for? Help the coachmen get our luggages off the carriages!" The blonde demanded, her tone of voice reflecting the irritated expression she had. I gave a thoughtful hum before turning to Ruukoto.

"Fuga." Ruukoto stated without looking at me before walking off to unload the sisters' things. The gynoid assured me that it will take care of the luggage so long as I made sure Louise was kept safe. Ruukoto did not wait for my reply since it should already know that I would do what it asked with or without its request.

"I thought it was odd to hear carriages arriving at this time of day. I expected the two of you to arrive later today, not that I'm complaining of course." A warm feminine voice stated from atop the stairs that led to the estate's main entrance. I turned to the source, just in time to see a pink blur flash past my peripheral vision.

"Chii-nee-sama~!" Louise called out to the source of the voice as she ran up the stairs two steps at a time before embracing the person on top of the stairs, the action nearly sending them both backwards from the way Louise practically glomped the woman from the front.

"Oh...my...please settle down my little Louise." The woman my master referred to as 'Chii-nee-sama' said with a small pained smile as she seemed to struggle to be able to get her breath back after my master's sudden embrace. Upon closer inspection, the resemblance between her and Louise was striking. The woman looked like Louise with with Yuyuko's body...the wierd thing was, her presence reminded me of the ghost princess' as well.

A certain gentle kindess, a tinge of sadness and regret, and a small amount of acceptance and resignation.

That woman was dying and she knew it...I blinked at the realization and looked between her and my master. Does Louise know about this? I turned to Eleanore and saw that she had a distant and melancholic expression as she watched her sisters. I gave another thoughtful hum before walking up to the blonde Valliere sister.

"What do you want now?" Eleanore asked me, her voice and expression showing annoyance rather than what it previously did.

"Does Louise know?" I asked her as I gave a glace at Ruukoto, who was almost done unloading the luggage.

"What in the Founder's name are you talking about now?" The elder sister hissed at me with a narrowed glare.

"About the status of your other sister's illness. Does Louise know about her deteriorating health?" I asked and suddenly felt Eleanore's magic spike to a level I had never sensed in any human other than Louise herself. I noticed Ruukoto turn to us, likely sensing what I did as well. I gave the gynoid a short shake of my head to indicate that it was nothing to worry about.

"How do you know of Cattleya's illness? Are you a healer now too?" Eleanore asked curtly through gritted teeth. I glanced back at Louise and her other sister, who's proper name is Cattleya apparently, and saw that they were too busy embracing each other to notice us yet.

"No. I figured it out since she feels like someone who has resigned to their fate. As if she has...accepted what is to come." I stated simply while continuing to look at the young human woman who seemed like she was trying to make the most of what time she had left.

"And how, pray tell, could you notice such a thing?" The blonde asked me, obviously uncomfortable with the current subject matter.

"I have...experience...in dealing with such people." I said solemnly before looking back at Eleanore. I was reminded of the days when Marisa's old age was finally getting to her. When the Ordinary Witch of Gensokyo challenged me to one last Danmaku battle. When she thanked me for that and for Master Spark before saying that she was going to return all the books she took before catching up with Reimu on the other side of the Sanzu. The same resignation I saw in that old woman's face was similiar to what I was seeing in Cattleya.

She was going to die soon...and she knew that there was nothing that could stop it.

"Whatever you do, don't tell Louise..." Eleanore responded seriously while looking deep into my eyes.

"Why? Doesn't she deserve to know? Louise seems to be rather fond of her." I asked and pointed out while tilting my head to the two sisters.

"And that is exactly why you can't tell her! Do you have any idea what that news will do to that little runt? It would destroy her!" Eleanore hissed at me with as much contempt as she could muster. I looked up at the open sky when I understood what she meant by that. Considering just how happy Louise was about seeing her sister again, I assumed that she was one of the few...and likely one of the strongest emotional anchors that my master had in the past. If Cattleya were to die...

"I...see. I apologize if I angered you with my presumptions." I said, lowering my gaze back to the blonde. Eleanore was still glaring at me but it was with somewhat less intensity than before.

"Oh my! Big Sister Eleanore, I'm so glad that you finally have a new lover! I was worried that you were still hung up on the Earl of Burgandi. I am happy that you are able to find another man who would love you." Cattleya suddenly exclaimed, making the two of us turn to the young woman. Since she called Eleanore 'Big Sister', it would seem that she was the eldest, Cattleya was the middle, and Louise was the youngest. The thought was quickly shelved back into my mind because of what said woman had just stated.

There was a long and mildly uncomfortable silence that permeated the immediate area. Louise, Eleanore, and myself looked at Cattleya like faries staring straight at a Master Spark. Cattleya was smiling at us seemingly without a care in the world...and I was almost certain that I had just heard Ruukoto give out a snort of amusement.

"What?" All three of us said in unison to the middle sister.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" Cattleya asked with a completely innocent smile. Definitely getting Yuyuko vibes from this woman...

...

"So...the two of you are not lovers then?" Cattleya asked once more as we walked into the main entrance hall of the estate. Several servants who were going about their work all froze and turned to us when they heard the woman's words.

"No. We. Are. Most. Definitely. Not. Dear. Sister." Eleanore stated as attempted to glare at each servant that looked our way with each word she spoke. The servants took the hint very quickly and continued their work, seemingly ignoring us. Although I saw a few maids whispering among themselves when they thought we were no longer looking.

"Well you always do try your best to deny your true feelings until it was too late sister..." Cattleya mused before turning to me, completely ignoring the embarrassed glare that the eldest sister was giving her.

"Are you sure that you and my elder sister do not have a romantic relationship?" The middle sister asked me with pleading eyes, as if the action would make her apparent wish for me and Eleanore to be lovers come true.

"Quite certain. I apologize if our proximity earlier led you to that misunderstanding. Please know that your older sister and I have no such relationship and that she was merely clarifying something for me at the time." I stated diplomatically. Eleanore seemed to approve of my explanation and gave me a curt nod in response.

I glanced back to where Louise was being led by the shoulders by Ruukoto as my master trembled while muttering to herself about a possible relationship between me and Eleanore developing and what such a relationship would entail. I turned back to Cattleya and saw that she was staring at me intently right in the eyes. Is that supposed to be a way to check if someone was telling the truth which their family developed? All three sisters have done so to me at some point. Cattleya sighed before she started to look a little depressed.

"Huu~...and I was certain that the way you and Eleanore were looking at each other was a sign. My maidenly senses were wrong?" The pink-haired woman sulked while pouting at the floor. I was about to tell her that such a thing was not something to be depressed about when Eleanore beat me to the proverbial punch.

"When were they ever right in the first place? You've been reading too many of those trashy romance novels again, havent you?" The eldest sister accused while pinching her younger sister's right ear. The action made Cattleya grimace before she started helplessly flailing her in arms about in a display of pure slapstick idiocy that I would normally expect from Cirno's friends. Really, what was with these sisters?

I looked at my master and saw that she was sporting a small smile. Nothing like the triumphant smile she would show whenever she accomplished something great during her training nor was it the radiant smile she showed back when she first flew with me or whenever she talks about her beloved princess. It was a different smile, but I found it hard to dislike it all the same.

"Please let Chii-nee-sama go, Big Sis Eleanore. She and Yuka haven't even been properly introduced yet." Louise pointed out, making her sisters stop their silliness and regard the youngest sister. Both Eleanore and Cattleya looked between their younger sister and myself.

"Well...it's only proper for a noble. Since we already know each other, Cattleya should be the only one who should introduce herself." Eleanore begrudgingly admitted while maneuvering her younger sister in front of me before finally letting go of her hear. Cattleya pouted at her sister while rubbing the affected auditory organ before turning to me and giving me a perfect curtsy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere. I am the second daughter of the Duke and Duchess Valliere and I am...an Earth mage." Cattleya introduced herself but I raised a brow when she hesitated and glanced away from me for a second when she mentioned her elemental affinity. I paid the odd gesture no mind and took off my hat and placed it over my chest before giving the woman a nod and a warm smile.

"Salutations to you Lady Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere. I am Yuka Kazami. As I have already explained to Lady Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere, I am the summoned familiar if your younger sister, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. I may seem inexperienced, but please rest assured that I will do all I can to take care of your sister." I introduced myself with the same smile as before...but it faltered somewhat when I saw a glint in Cattleya's eyes.

"Eleanore?" She asked me, referencing the last part of my introduction.

"No...I meant Louise, my master." I clarified and saw Cattleya nod at my words, the glint in her eyes not diminishing one bit.

"So, you plan on courting Louise instead...hmmm..." The middle sister muttered while seemingly deep in thought.

"That's not what I-" I started but was once again interrupted by Eleanore.

"Ca~tt~le~ya!" The eldest sister called out to her younger sister in an annoyed and sinister manner. Cattleya sensed the impending danger and immediately deemed it wise to use me as a makeshift shield.

"I was only thinking about your futures, I swear!" The middle sister exclaimed from behind me.

"Ahem!" A very loud and very deliberate cough caught all of our attentions which thankfully ended the silliness that was transpiring once again. We all turned to the source of the cough and saw Karin in full regal attire befitting her status as Duchess. It was the very first time I had seen the woman without her armor and it became very obvious where Louise and her sisters got their looks from. Even though she was supposed to be a middle-aged woman and was a veteran of several battles, she had no markings on her that would imply either assumption. Beside her was an equally well-dressed middle aged man who had blonde hair and a rather striking mustache. His eyes were as hard as steel and were as sharp as Youmu's swords despite one of them being behind a rather stylish monocle. He gave out a low hum as he looked at the scene unfolding before him. I was assuming that this was Duke Valliere. Husband to Karin and father to Louise and her sisters.

Both of them regarded their children and myself with cold eyes, as if trying to think of the best way to punish us all for what we were doing in the middle of the entrance hall of the estate. I glanced around and the servants who were working nearby were all gone. I blinked when I realized that Ruukoto had disappeared as well. So much for staying beside its mistress no matter what. The pregnant silence stayed that way until someone finally broke it to try to explain what was happening in the most reasonable way possible. That person was Louise...

"It's not what it looks like!" And true to form, she broke the silence with one of her trademark denials. I couldn't help but sigh and rub my forehead with my left hand after putting my hat back on. Louise alone was enough for me to deal with. Add her sisters to the mix along with her parents...and it was quickly looking like this trip to my master's home was going to be quite memorable indeed.

...

"And where were you when Louise's parents arrived?" I asked Ruukoto as we walked the halls of the estate with Louise leading us to her room. After the Duke and the Duchess dismissed us, saying that they will deal with their daughters at a later time, Louise suggested that we head to her room first for some rest and a chance for her to brace herself before having to face her parents again. Cattleya went off to check on her apparent collection of animals while Eleanore left for her room stating that she needed some rest after all the stress she had to put up with.

"Fuga." The gynoid responded simply as it effortlessly carried all three large suitcases that Louise brought with her. I wondered why my master had to pack so many things since she was only headed back home. One would expect that she would have more than ample supplies in her own home which meant that she needn't bring so much stuff in the first place. I shook my head as I dismissed the thought since it wasn't really my problem anyway. It wasn't like I was the one carrying all of it.

"Quite..." I responded to Ruukoto. Apparently, the gynoid made a logical judgement call to avoid any unnecessary confrontations between itself and Louise's family considering the reaction that Karin apparently had to it. It reasoned that there was no need for it to remain present at the time since I was already with Louise and was more than capable of dealing with any and all threats that came her way. It also pointed out that said threats were almost nonexistent considering our location. That and the fact that one of the other servants beckoned it to get out of sight lest the Duke and-or the Duchess direct their attention to it instead and getting a lecture on the importance of privacy when it came to listening in on family matters.

"Do I even want to know?" Louise piped up with a question after hearing my exchange with her gynoid. I considered the question before shaking my head.

"No need to worry about it. Ruukoto was just making excuses as to why it conveniently went out of sight when your parents made their presence known." I stated, making the gynoid in question look at me with what very nearly looked like a flat glare.

"Fuga." It said curtly, reasoning out that its explanations were not excuses.

"Regardless, we have more important things to worry about. Is this your room?" I dismissed the subject matter before asking Louise after we stopped in front of a particular set of double doors.

"Yes...it has been so long..." Louise muttered while tentatively stroking the fine wooden finish on the door, as if she was scared of opening it for whatever reason.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto asked. It was wondering if Louise was going to enter the room or if she had stopped at the wrong door or something.

"Just...give me a moment." My master answered, apparently understanding to a degree what her gynoid was trying to say. Ruukoto had told me that Louise had somehow managed to develop her own personal means to be able to derive whatever message it was trying to convey up to a point. She managed to do it simply based on the context of what they were doing or talking about at the time and drawing rough conclusions from that. Not bad considering Ruukoto only speaks one word as far as she could understand and there was next to no intonation or inflection to that word either.

"Are you scared? Don't be." I asked Louise before reassuring her by placing my hand on her shoulder. My master let out a sigh before putting the hand she was using to touch the door over the hand on her shoulder.

"I know..." She whispered before letting go and putting both her hands on the two door handles. I let go of her shoulder just as she pushed the doors open. I blinked to adjust to the sudden change in lighting because of the afternoon sun shining through the windows.

"Well...it is certainly larger than your room in the academy." I commented as I took in my master's bedroom. Her bed alone was nearly three times larger than the one at the academy. She could practically fit everyone in her little circle of friends on it and would still have room left over. The rest of the furniture was rather standard but were of much higher quality befitting the whole mansion motif. I did try to ignore that her room was actually larger than my own room in Mugenkan. Then again, I did not need so much room anyway and I could instantly remodel the mansion in an instant if I wished it.

I was most certainly not feeling inferior in any way to Louise simply because of the size difference between our bedrooms. To imply such a thing would be ridiculous. Really.

"Fuga." Ruukoto commented as it put down Louise's luggage on the floor. Yes, it did look like a room that a little princess might use. I heard my master gasp before running up to a certain part of the room that had a single chair. On said chair was what looked like some sort of cartoonishly made plush of a lion. The way that the lion's face and mane were made, the head looked like some sort of strange looking sunflower. Wait, do they even have lions in this realm?

"Oh~! How I've missed you Emilio~" Louise gushed as she picked up the stuffed animal and gave it a most generous embrace. Wait...

"Emilio? Why would you name a toy Emilio?" I asked my master with a raised brow. I was immediately met with a glare from Louise while trying to hide her toy from my gaze.

"Emilio is not a toy! Emilio is my dearest friend and my closest confidant when I was young! Isn't that right Emilio? My dear sweet Emi~lio~" Louise defended the honor of her toy before looking at it longingly.

"Fuga." I had to physically stop myself from snorting when Ruukoto suddenly deadpanned 'Cara Mia' in reference to how Louise was seemingly treating 'Emilio' like some sort of long lost lover. Further public displays of affection between Louise and Emilio were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, Young Mistress Louise? The Master and the Mistress requests your presence in the main lounge." The muffled voice of an old man called out from the other side of the door. I heard Louise take in a few deep breaths before finally responding, her grip on Emilio tightening as she spoke.

"Please tell them that I will be there after a change of clothes. Thank you Gerard." My master stated with as much conviction as she could.

"If I may, young mistress. It warms my heart to see you once again in good health and spirit. I wish you luck in your discussion with the Master and Mistress and know that I for one am very happy that you are home." The old man called Gerard said before all was silent once more.

"Gerard was my parents' first servant. He watched me and my big sisters grow up. He's like the grandfather we never met...one of the few commoners that I can honestly say that I love." Louise mused as she stared at Emilio and stroked the toy's head. She quietly walked over to the seat where she found the lion and gently placed it back on its chair.

"I'll be right back. Guard the room for me, alright?" She asked the lion before patting it on the head and turning to us.

"Are you ready?" I asked Louise as she gave a few more deep breaths before taking off her hat, along with the Founder's Prayer Book, as well as the rest of her clothes.

"Probably not..." Louise said with an uncertain smile as she took off her shirt. I made a thoughtful hum while looking down on the floor.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto asked Louise as it gestured toward the luggage she had placed on the floor. The gynoid was asking if it should bring out some clothes for Louise to use.

"No. If mother and father are asking for me, I need to wear something from that wardrobe. Keep it simple but tasteful please." Louise responded, once again getting the gist of what her gynoid was trying to say, before pointing to one of the three wardrobes around her room. Why there were three, I had no clue but there were more immediate concerns to worry about.

"Louise, look at me." I said as I walked up to my master and put my hands on her bare shoulders, not caring about her current state of undress. My master looked up at me with a worried expression. I can feel her body trembling under my touch.

"Yuka...I'm scared...nothing good ever happens when mother and father call me for a talk." Louise stated in a subdued voice. She flinched and I felt her tense up when I tightened my grip on her shoulders.

"Don't forget." I said to her in a serious tone. She blinked at me a few times, apparently not understanding my words.

"You have been through much, master. You have summoned the strongest youkai in Gensokyo. You have thwarted the most infamous thief in Tristain. You have saved a prince from certain death. You discovered and took into your service a machine that was created to save an entire world. You prevented a monster from killing countless people and saved an entire village. You are the inheritor of the magic that was wielded by the founder of your civilization" I reminded her of everything she had accomplished since she had summoned me. My expression softened as I reminded her of other things.

"You have made many friends, true ones at that. You have learned the value of the magic that you possess instead of treating it as your failure. You have been trained and even befriended my former student. You have taken the interest of the Border Youkai as well as the Shield of the Eastern Wonderland. You have gained many allies from various walks of life." I told her with a warm smile. Louise looked at me for another moment before giving out a smile of her own.

"Never forget what you have accomplished and those who are more than willing to help you along your way. You are strong Louise...and you are most certainly not alone." I concluded just as Louise's shoulders start to hitch up, tears starting to form in my master's eyes.

"Thank you..." Was all she said as she wiped the tears before placing her hands over mine.

"Louise, mother and father are looking for you." Cattleya's voice suddenly called out from the hallway. Before we could properly react, the door swung open as Eleanore started speaking as well.

"Come on little runt. It is a bad idea to keep mother and father waiting so-" Eleanore was not able to say what she was planning on saying because she and Cattleya were staring at us with glazed eyes.

"Ummm..." Louise started to say, her face getting redder and redder by the second.

"What the nine hells are you doing to my sister?" Eleanore suddenly screamed out at us.

Yes...definitely going to be a long visit...

...

"Hmmm..." I hummed as I leaned on the wall in front of the door that lead to Louise's bedroom. I stared at the door as I listened to the muffled sounds of Louise and her sisters as they assisted my master in getting dressed. After her sisters saw me and Louise in a rather...compromising position...Eleanore and Cattleya deemed it sound to kick me out of the room for the duration of Louise's preparations.

Because of how quickly the events transpired, I had left my parasol and my hat inside Louise's room. I just hoped that Louise or Ruukoto were able to put them out of the way. Eleanore was more than happy to be able to kick me out of her sister's room without much discussion. However, Cattleya continued to inexplicably channel Yuyuko by chastising me in a way that somewhat missed the point that her older sister was trying to make.

'None of that until you two are married or until you learn to properly lock the door.' Were Cattleya's exact words, much to the continued chagrin of her sisters and myself. Ruukoto was more than content in merely observing the proceedings...in fact, I had the sneaking suspicion that the gynoid was actually recording the whole affair. The doors finally opened and I was immediately greeted with a scowling Eleanore.

"You know as well as I do that there was nothing inappropriate going on between Louise and myself when you and Cattleya barged into the room." I immediately stated as I folded my arms and leaned back. Eleanore's brow and lips twitched a few times as she continued to glare right at me.

"And what kind of conclusion do you think I could even make after seeing the two of you in that state?" She asked the rhetorical question...to which I decided to give an answer to anyway for some reason.

"That a grown man was in the verge of taking advantage of your youngest sister in the middle of her own bedroom." I stated with a curt nod. The blonde Valliere sister was about to make another retort but the middle sister managed to save me the headache...by creating a brand new one.

"Louise is already late as it is, you two can continue your not-flirting later. The growing sexual tension between the two of you will still be there after Louise talks to mother and father." Cattleya pointed out as she exited the room and finally giving me a good view of what Louise chose to wear.

My master was wearing a light green short sleeved one piece dress that had slightly puffed up shoulders. I raised a brow when I noticed that it even had an emerald brooch in the middle of her chest that resembled a Forget-Me-Not...which was ironic since that flower is supposed to be blue instead of red. The whole thing actually reminded me of a Victorian era dress in a way.

Simple yet tasteful indeed...

My musings on how my master looked wearing something other than her uniform was interrupted by her sisters.

"All that talk you keep doing is starting to make me think that you're the one interested in the little runt's familiar instead." The eldest sister accused her younger sister with a pointed finger. Said younger sister blinked a few times before looking up and down my frame. Oh, please no...

"Well I can't say that I dislike him. Yuka seems to take good care of Louise and she seems to trust him implicitly as well." Cattleya commented which caused her sister to gape at her response.

"Can we please just...go." Louise cut through the growing sense of tension in the hallway. Her older sisters looked at her worried expression before clearing their throats.

"Thank you...for coming to fetch me." Louise muttered as she glanced between her sisters.

"Of course Louise." Cattleya immediately responded before leaning down and kissing Louise on her cheek.

"Well we have to make sure that you don't make things any worse than they already are." Eleanore stated after a few moments before putting her hand on top of Louise's head and giving it a light rub.

I observed the three Valliere sisters and had an epiphany. Both Cattleya and Eleanore had qualities that Louise already possessed, though much more pronounced. It seemed that her two sisters displayed two different extremes as to how Louise could develop as she gets older. Another way of looking at it was that Louise's current self was partly an amalgamation of her older sisters' personalities.

I noticed Ruukoto walk out of the room before closing the door behind it and decided it was time to get this started.

"That dress suits you well, Louise. Are you ready?" I complimented her attire before asking her that question again. Louise blushed at my comment before looking at the four of us surrounding her and smiling.

"I am now..." My master stated before we all went off to the main lounge of the estate where Karin and here husband were waiting for us. We entered the lounge which was a large European-esque sitting room with several fine couches and chairs laid out in addition to carpets, paintings, a fire place. Basically everything one would expect to find in this kind of place.

"And? What is your excuse for taking this long to answer our summons?" Karin immediately went out on the offensive as soon as we stepped into the room. I saw the Duke and Duchess sitting on two separate chairs that were in front of the fire place but were facing away from it. Karin was practically glaring swords at her youngest daughter while her husband was more than content in simply sipping whatever drink he had in the cup in his hand whilst keeping a keen eye on me.

I sensed all three of the sisters tense up at the words of their mother, even Cattleya who seemed to be the most unflappable among them. Seeing my master cower in front of her mother's glare, I maneuvered myself to get between Louise and Karin's line of sight. The former manticore knight commander changed her target from her youngest daughter to me when she realized what I was doing. I simply gave her a warm smile before speaking.

"Considering that it has been quite some time since my master had last come home, she wished to be as presentable as she could before her parents. Her older sisters were assisting her in that regard and it seems that it took longer than they had anticipated. I apologize in Louise's behalf." I stated before glancing back to the three sisters who were giving me varied looks of surprise. Cattleya looked very worried, Eleanore had a full-on 'what the hell are you doing?' look, and Louise just had an embarrassed but still surprised expression.

"I was not asking you 'familiar'." Karin responded to my words in pretty much the way I expected her to, with potent hostility. I was anticipating her to tell me to get out of her sight or something but it was her husband who spoke next instead.

"And who exactly are you? My wife told me that Louise had summoned a most unusual familiar. I was not expecting this kind of 'unusual' though." The Duke stated nonchalantly with a raised brow before putting his cup down and steepling his fingers in front of him with his elbows propped up on the arms of his chair. I rasied a brow at how casually the Duke was speaking to me, though I assumed that he was merely sizing me up. I let out a sigh and decided to introduce myself to Louise's father with a smile.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yuka Kazami. I was summoned by your youngest daughter during the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual at the Tristain Magic Academy. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Duke Valliere." I stated with a smile and a curt bow. I heard and saw the man chuckle softly while Karin merely narrowed her eyes at me.

"That is Duke Eugene Francois De Lacroix De La Valliere to you, Yuka Kazami. I have indeed heard that you were quite the familiar and I would appreciate it if you would tell me 'who exactly' are you. Or should the question be 'what exactly' are you?" The man stated in the same casual voice but his words carried much more weight than it did before. It seems that Louise's father was just as interesting as her mother is.

"I see...I am starting to see where exactly Louise gets her insightful mind." I responded before giving out a soft chuckle. I had expected Eugene to be insulted by my words and actions but he still looked at me with a keen but almost amused expression. I glanced at Karin and saw that her expression had not budged an inch. I looked back to the three sisters and saw that Eleanore and Cattleya were staring at me with confused expressions while Louise just looked at me with a sheepish smile. I glanced at Ruukoto, our eyes met, and it simply shrugged at me. I shook my head and turned back to Eugene.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself then." I stated with more confidence while folding my arms and leaning back before giving Eugene a sinister grin.

"My name is Yuka Kazami. I am from a realm known as Gensokyo. Don't be surprised if you have never heard of it before, I have it in good authority that I am very far away from home. I am what is known as a youkai, the general term for fantastical creatures that have mostly humanoid features. My trademark ability is the unmatched ability to be able to manipulate flowers." I stated with confidence. My statement was met with varying degrees of wonder and confusion by those who still did not know me.

"The ability to manipulate flowers?" Eugene repeated the last part of my statement in question form as he stroked his mustache with his right hand.

"Indeed. I am capable of making flowers bloom and controlling them without any restrictions to size, number, or species." I clarified and allowed the idea to sink in. As I partially anticipated, the first one to react was Eleanore.

"Wait...was that what you ment when you said that you can make any flower bloom?" The blonde woman asked me with an uncertain accusatory tone of voice.

"Quite." Was all I said as I showed her my right palm. She gasped in shock when a small glowing scarlet flower suddenly bloomed out of nowhere.

"What flower is that?" Louise asked me in wonder since this was the very first time that I showed this flower to humans outside of Gensokyo.

"This is called a Fire Flower. Imbuned by the world with properties that can grant one a temporary ability of creating and controlling fire if they know how to use it." I explained right before the flower wilted back into my hand before disappearing as I closed the hand into a fist.

"You're...not...human..." Eleanore finally let out while staring right at me.

"Yes. As I said, I am a youkai. I am the only youkai that can manipulate flowers as far as I know. Although, I have branched out to other fields of power during my long life as Madame Valliere should already know." I said as I turned back to Karin who was still looking at me intently. I was expecting Eugene or Eleanore to follow up with more questions or for Cattleya to start asking questions of her own.

"How old are you and what is the extent of your true power?" I supposed that I really should have expected Karin to be the one to speak instead.

"Last I checked, I've been around for a little over a millennia-and-a-half." I admitted with a shrug, eliciting a narrowed gaze from Karin, a raised brow from Eugene, a gasp from Cattleya...

"That's impossible! You're lying! He's lying isn't he?" And that response from Eleanore before the woman asked Louise about it.

"It's true..." My master simply stated with conscious effort. I was not sure if she was embarrassed or frightened that the truth about me was being revealed to her family. She was certainly did not look like she was used to this kind of attention from them though. I decided to save my master further questioning from her elder sister by giving my own answer.

"Nothing is impossible. Nothing is certain. That is one of the few constant things in my life that I can be sure of." I told the blonde woman who shook her head before walking up to me and poking her finger at my chest.

"That can't be right! How can you live for so long?" She exclaimed the rather obvious question...which should already have an equally obvious answer.

"I am not human, remember?" I pointed out, making Eleanore flinch and back away.

"You are a monster then? A beast in human form? Hm?" Eugene picked up the discussion before raising a brow at something.

"Yes daughter? You look like you have something you want to say." Eugene asked as he tilted his head a bit to the side to take a better look at Louise. My master flinched and looked at her father before glancing at me. She opened her mouth a few times, trying to say something, but she would always just close it again with a grimace.

"Speak up Louise! If you have something to add then say it! Where did all that conviction from that time go? Was it all just foolhardy courage born from fear? Are you truly that weak?" Karin suddenly raised her voice at her daughter. Louise visibly started trembling at each accusation that her mother shot at her while shaking her head as if trying to deny them. The last question was the straw that broke the oni's back though as my master suddenly stepped forward past her sisters and myself to look right at her mother.

"No! I...Yuka is..." Louise started but immediately started to stall as soon as she realized what she was doing. She gulped before slowly backing away from the serious gazes that both of her parents were giving her. She suddenly flinched when her back bumped into me. I prevented any further panic by placing my hands on her shoulders like I have done many times before and whispered the words that she should already know.

_You are not weak. You are not alone._

"Yuka...Yuka is not a monster...not anymore." Louise stated to her parents, no longer trying to back away. Karin did not give away any sort of reaction, though Eugene raised one of his brows at the sudden change in her daughter's behavior.

"Allow me to elaborate in my master's behalf...if you wish, I can tell you as much as I can. Although, I would suggest all of you to sit down for it will be quite the tale to tell..." I said with a smile before gesturing to the available seats to Louise and her sisters.

"I am certain that it will be..." The Duke mused before calling to Gerard for more tea.

...

"Let me get this straight..." Eleanore muttered before putting down the cup of tea she was nursing on the table. I had been telling Louise's family about myself for the past while now, mostly about my life in Gensokyo during the time when Reimu and Marisa were young and the incidents I was involved in at the time. I had since moved on to the days after Louise had summoned me and some of the things we've gotten into.

"Fouquet 'The Crumbling Dirt', the infamous thief touted to be one of the best current generation Earth Mages in Halkeginia is the tutor that Louise wrote home about?" The blonde Valliere sister asked from my side. For some odd reason, Eleanore and I were sitting together in one of the couches while Louise and Cattleya were sitting across us on another couch. Karin was to our side while Eugene was to side of the other couch. This...arrangement...was due to Cattleya 'insisting' that she sit beside Louise because she missed her younger sister so much.

"Yes, originally our plan was simply to take back the Staff of Destruction, expose the identity of Fouquet, catch the thief, return to the academy, return the Staff of Destruction, and call it a day. Of course, things did not go to plan...especially after we found out the motive behind her actions." I explained before taking a sip of my tea. I had to admit, their butler Gerard makes rather potent Earl Grey Tea. Dare I say that he even surpasses Siesta in preparing this particular blend of tea. I approve.

"Motive? What kind of motive?" The middle sister was the one who asked the question for a change. Unlike Eleanore and myself, Cattleya was not drinking tea. Instead, she had her arms around Louise and was cuddling my master like she was a doll or some sort of small animal. Louise on her part, did not seem to mind the attention at all. Which made sense since Cattleya seemed to be her favorite family member. Cattleya looked down at her younger sister when she started fidgeting under her grasp.

"Matilda is not a bad person...she was just forced to try to steal the Staff of Destruction." Louise piped up, getting everyone's attention.

"Matilda?" Cattleya asked her sister.

"Matilda is the augmented version of Fouquet's real name, which is Mathilda. We did that to hide her identity from the ones who had her try to steal the Staff of Destruction." I provided but it seems that my response was only met with more questions.

"And? Why would you try to protect a thief anyway? And who were the ones that hired the thief?" Eleanore picked up the questioning once more. I sighed before taking another sip from my tea. During the entire discussion, neither Karin nor Eugene asked any questions at all. Almost all the questions asked were from Eleanore with Cattleya asking a scant few every now and then. It almost felt like an interview between me and the eldest sister.

"That...is actually a bit more complicated. After we heard the whole story from Matilda, we managed to stumble into something much larger than a high-profile heist of an ancient artifact." I vaguely provided with a dismissive wave. I held up a hand before Eleanore could start complaining about how my statement did not answer any of the questions she asked me.

"As much as I would like to provide more...specific information about all this, nearly all incidents we became involved in after that attempted heist were in face connected to each other in some way. And unfortunately, Princess Henrietta de Tristain and Prince Wales Tudor asked us nicely not to disclose too much information...at least until the conference at Romalia has been completed. Especially after what happened at Tarbes..." I explained before taking another sip of my tea while looking right at Karin to see if she would react in any way or not. However, I noticed something odd about how Louise's sisters were looking at me...with Cattleya confirming my observation.

"Tarbes? That's a village near the boarder right? What does that have to do with anything?" Cattleya asked with a tilted head. Louise flinched in her grasp before my master and I looked at each other then at Karin, who had her eyes closed. I glanced at Eugene who gave a slight shake of his head, his eyes were also closed. It seems that the Duke knew about the Tarbes incident but...

"You never told your other daughters." I muttered, which made Louise gape at her mother in surprise.

"But...mother...you didn't tell Big Sis Eleanore and Chii-nee-sama?" Louise asked Karin before looking back to me and shaking her head slowly in disbelief. Karin lowered her cup of tea in a very deliberately slow manner before opening her eyes and looking right at her youngest daughter.

"Because they did not need to know." She said simply but I was curious as to the reasoning behind that. Was it simply a bother to tell Eleanore and Cattleya about the incident? Was she somehow trying to protect her daughters in her own odd way? Or was it something else entirely? I hummed and glanced at my master. Louise looked unsure as to how to respond to her mother's words. After all, the way Karin spoke held a sense of finality that did not really leave room for further discussion.

I saw Cattleya look worriedly between her mother and her younger sister before tightening her embrace on Louise a bit. Our eyes met and I almost felt Cattleya silently ask me what was going on. I answered by shrugging my shoulders. I had asked everyone that we knew, who were there at that time of course, to keep quiet about our involvement in the battle for Tarbes for Louise's sake. I knew that there will be rumors and the like flying around all over the place because of all the soldiers in the field, but I wanted to at least prevent any accurate accounts of our involvement from getting out.

Although I did kind of thought that Karin would at least tell her family about it though.

"What do you mean by that mother? What happened at Tarbes?" Eleanore, apparently quite the curious one, could not help but ask Karin about it.

"Because you did not need to know." Karin repeated her earlier statement but directed it to Eleanore this time. The eldest sister recoiled at the bluntness of her mother's words as if struck by something. She looked at her two younger sisters, then to their father, then to me. She was still unconsciously trying to find an answer even though she might not realize it herself.

There were no further discussions about that topic for the rest of the afternoon.

...

It was already late in the evening when I stepped out the double-doors that led out to the estate's vast garden. It was a very intricate and well maintained garden to say the least. I even expected a hedge maze to be there. Louise said that there used to be one when she was young, but it was...removed by Karin during one incident where she had gotten herself lost there. Apparently, the servants tried to look for her but were unable to get to her in a timely manner. Karin simply blew away the maze when Cattleya fainted from worry for her younger sister and developed a fever because of it.

That incident apparently happened years ago, long before Louise was admitted to the Tristain Magic Academy, so no trace of the hedge maze remained. That made me think about something though...

Cattleya was already ill enough to faint and contract a fever simply from worry even back then. Just how long has she been that physically weak?

Speaking of...Louise had decided to sleep in Cattleya's room for the evening, making sure to bring along Emilio with her. Ruukoto requested to stay with Louise and Cattleya to make sure that its mistress would be safe. Louise had accepted the gynoid's request with a suspicious eye but accepted it all the same. I had been the one to ask Ruukoto to stay with those two after I heard about my master's desire to spend the night with her favorite sibling. I asked Ruukoto to try to perform whatever biological scans that it could on the middle sister as discreetly as possible. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered with such a thing but Eleanore's words earlier that day made me cautious.

If Cattleya was already ill since childhood, then that means that she had been living with that for years. If the Valliere family had not been able to cure her yet even after all this time then...

_Do you have any idea what that news will do to that little runt? It would destroy her!_

"How troublesome..." I mutter to no one in particular as I savored the cool night air. I had left my hat and my parasol in Louise's room for the night so I merely put my hands in my pockets as I gazed up at the two moons of this realm.

"Considering what seems to have been going on in the little runt's life since you arrived, troublesome doesn't seem to begin to describe it." I heard Eleanore's trademark snarking voice from behind me. I raised a brow at her distance from me. She was only a few feet away from me yet I did not even sense her approach me.

"I am impressed Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere. Not many beings can sneak up on me." I stated honestly to the blonde woman. It was true though. Short of Nitori deliberately sneaking up on me using her Optical Camouflage thingies in the middle of the Youkai Mountain, I can usually sense that something is approaching me so long as I was not focused on someone else.

"I learned the value of anonymity and stealth from an early age." Eleanore said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she walked up to stand by my side. She was wearing a light blue robe that covered most of her body as well as a purple shawl on her shoulders. She was even still wearing her glasses too.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked her the obvious question.

"Look who's talking." She shot back while keeping her gaze at the gardens.

"I just did not want to be asked silly questions again..." I muttered as I recalled the 'conversation' I had with my subconscious during my little nap.

"What?" Eleanore looked at me with a confused expression after having been caught off guard by my words.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll get a headache." I commented with a shrug of my shoulders. Eleanore scoffed at me before turning back to the garden.

"You wish to know what your sister has really been up to lately." I said as a statement since we both knew that it was true.

"I want to know what that little runt has been getting herself caught up in." Eleanore rephrased the statement but it was still pretty much meant the same thing.

"You are worried about your little sister." I gave another clear statement, though this time I had a small smirk on my lips. I was not sure if she could see my expression in the darkness or if it was just her general annoyance at me but Eleanore scowled at me all the same. Unlike humans, I was clearly able to see her expression even in the dark.

"Considering what your tales seem to suggest, if they are true, then the little runt has more things to be worried about than anyone else!" Eleanore hissed at me with much impotent anger as she could manage. Of course, I noted that she never denied being worried about her sister despite her harsh words to me. I decided that it would be less of an annoyance if I did not point that out to her. Although...

"Is it so important for you to be able to find out the truth?" I asked the eldest sister in honest curiosity. I heard her huff at me before she folded her arms over her modest chest.

"The Pursuit of Truth is something any scholar should have the desire for." Eleanore answered confidently as if quoting a passage in a book or something.

"And? Will anything change even if you find out? What will you do if you do find out? What is the truth even worth to you Eleanore?" I questioned and saw that she was about to speak but hesitated. I would imagine that if Derf were here, the sword would likely go on and give the blonde a lecture about what it means to pursue the truth and the consequences of what you may find out.

"You are a very irritating person you know that?" Eleanore finally settled with simply complaining. I chuckled and was about to respond when I heard a crackling sound in my ear. I had forgotten that the 'Hey-Listen' was still there.

'Fuga!' Ruukoto's sudden report made me stiffen and my eyes go wide. The eldest sister seemed to have noticed and gave me a questioning look.

"What is-" She was about to ask when I beat her to the punch.

"Cattleya just collapsed in her room and is coughing up blood." I answered but Eleanore was already running back into the building before I even finished my sentence.

_Just what exactly are those humans to you?_

I shook off the question my subconscious asked me and followed Eleanore to Cattleya's room.

…

Author's Notes: Yes, it's in the bottom this time. As most if not all of you should already know, Duke Valliere's full name was never revealed. The most that I was able to get was in the Karin SS Novels wherein her partner 'Centurion' was most likely the Duke himself. Since that is the case, I decided to give him a name instead. His name is based on French Painter Eugene Delacroix.

LouisexEmilio OTP!

Please R&R~


	25. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Vlad is most definitely not a vampire!

...

"Mother please!" I heard my master's pleading just as I rounded the corner into the hallway that led to Cattleya's room. I did not run here like Eleanore did so I arrived a bit later than the elder sister did. I saw Louise being held back my Eleanore as my master desperately tried to pry away from the blonde woman's grasp.

"Settle down little runt! There's nothing you can do even if you go in there! You'll just be in the way!" Eleanore pointed out to Louise but my master wasn't going to hear any of it.

"I don't care if I can't do anything to help her! I just need to be by her side! I have to do something! If I don't! If I don't! Chii-nee-sama will! Chii-nee-sama will..." Louise all but screamed out. The hope of using logical arguments to be able to get her point across was long gone and was replaced with a single-minded determination to be with her older sister no matter what. Eleanore grunted as Louise nearly escaped her grasp. The eldest sister forcefully pulled Louise back into an embrace and refused to let her go.

"There's nothing we can do right now but hope and pray...hope and pray...Cattleya isn't weak. All we can do is believe in her and the healers..." Eleanore said to her sister with gritted teeth and tears in he eyes as Louise started openly bawling. I clenched my jaw at the scene and saw Ruukoto standing a distance away from the sisters and were staring at them intently. The two of us made eye contact and I touched the 'Hey-Listen' in my ear.

'How is Cattleya?' I asked Ruukoto.

'Fuga. Fuga.' The gynoid immediately replied. It did not seem to be good but Ruukoto did not want to disclose any information until Louise can calmly know about it.

"Cease this prattling at once!" I heard Karin forcefully yell out as she exited Cattleya's room. The former manticore knight commander narrowed her eyes at her two daughters before speaking. Even when wearing nothing more than a robe, she still had enough presence to immediately silence both of her daughters.

"Your screaming and whining will not cure Cattleya of her illness and will simply be a waste of time and effort. Go back to your room and sleep." Karin stated before ordering my master and her sister back to their rooms.

"But..." Louise was about to argue when she was stopped by Eleanore who pulled her back forcefully.

"We understand. Good night, mother." The blonde stated before pulling Louise, who was still in her embrace, along with her. Further protest from my master were interrupted when Eleanore covered her mouth with her hand. The blonde looked at me in the eye and jerked her head in a gesture for me to follow her. I nodded before noting that Ruukoto was already walking alongside her. The direction where Eleanore pulled Louise away was in the opposite side of where I was at the time. That meant that I had to pass Cattleya's room in order to catch up with them. I sighed and followed them anyway. Karin was still in front of the door to the middle sister's room when I walked by and heard her say something...

"Make sure that Louise doesn't do anything stupid." Was what the woman said before going back into the room without as much as a parting glance to me. I stared at the now closed door for a moment before continuing to follow my master and the rest to wherever Eleanore was taking her.

The place we ended up in was, surprisingly enough, the eldest sister's room. I closed the door to the blonde's room and took stock of the situation.

Louise was sitting on the bed and had her head down. Her hands were on her lap and were gripping her nightgown so tightly the fabric was wrinkling beyond all recognition. I couldn't see her face from this angle but I could clearly see her tears falling from her face.

Eleanore was standing in front of the large window that adorned her room. She had her arms folded around her and she had her back to me so I couldn't see more than that. Although she was almost as visibly tense as her younger sister.

Ruukoto was standing completely still in a corner of the room like some piece of furniture. The gynoid's eyes and expression did not betray any hint of emotion but I knew that it had more comprehensive information abou the situation than anyone else.

"Ruukoto..." I called out to the gynoid and finally ending the silence in the room. The gynoid looked at me when I called out but neither Louise not Eleanore acknowledged that anything happened.

"Activate White Noise and explain what happened and what you think the cause was." I said to Ruukoto, who nodded before closing its eyes. My mention of White Noise made Louise look up to me questioningly while Eleanore merely glanced at me before looking back out the window.

"Done. This unit is now able to give a report on my scans of Lady Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere." Ruukoto stated in Halkeginian as it opened its eyes to reveal the soft blue that replaced the cold red whenever it uses this mode. Those words were more than enough to give a rise out of the sisters as Eleanore stared at the gynoid with a glare while Louise stood up from the bed before turning to Ruukoto. I clearly saw the hurt on Louise's face and decided that I most definitely hated that expression coming from her. The ever unflappable Ruukoto did not even blink when the tension in the room rose with its words and simply began its report.

"Lady Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere is suffering from chronic cell degeneration that is affecting most of the critical internal organs in her body. The advance of the degeneration seems to be slow but the length of time in which she has been suffering from it has caused her body to weaken significantly." Ruukoto stated in a cold clinical tone of voice. A far cry from the usual warmth that came with White Noise.

"I don't understand...what are you talking about Ruukoto? What is happening to Chii-nee-sama?" Louise asked her gynoid in a subdued and very frightened voice. I folded my arms and clenched my hands tightly into fists. Someone like my master should never have to use such a voice. I barely even registered that Eleanore had taken a few steps closer to Ruukoto.

"Cattleya's body is breaking down little by little. Do you know the cause?" I simplified for Louise and Eleanore before asking Ruukoto if it knew what was doing this to the middle sister. I saw Eleanore and Louise's expressions turn to horror before I heard the gynoid respond to my query.

"Exact cause is unknown. No recorded pathogens or diseases are known to cause this kind of effect in a human body. However, this unit has observed that the internal cells in Lady Cattleya's body seem to have an unfavorable reaction to the ambient prana present in the air." Ruukoto's words made my eyes go wide in surprise. This was...different.

"Yuka...what did Ruukoto mean by that...what is causing this to happen to Chii-nee-sama?" Louise voice was cracking. I looked at her and she looked like she was about to break down emotionally as she looked at me. Eleanore had a similiar expression but was not as extreme as my master's. I grit my teeth and flexed my fists as I took a few deep breaths in order to subdue the sick feeling I was starting to have. After all, such a fate that Cattleya had was something even I did not expect.

"Your sister...Cattleya...her body does not react well to the magic in the air." I stated and gave out another sigh when I saw that neither sister did not seem to understand me...or refused to believe what they were apparently hearing.

"The ambient amount of magic that circulates throughout Halkeginia is not compatible with Cattleya's body. Because of this, her health has been very slowly deteriorating since she was small. The magic around her has been slowly poisoning her for years...it likely gets even worse when she tries to cast spells." I explained before glancing at Ruukoto for verification. It was ridiculous. The notion that a magician could be poisoned by magic itself. It was absurd...and it was happening to Louise's sister.

"Correct. It is likely that the use of magic while in this condition would accelerate the rate of cell degeneration." Ruukoto confirmed and Louise fell to her knees in shock. I see...was that the reason why Cattleya seemed so hesitant when she stated that she was an Earth mage? Did she know that even finding out her primary element was already shortening her life even further?

"...is there a cure?" I barely heard Eleanore say something for the first time since the start of Ruukoto's report.

"I don't care how you know this or what you did to find out. If your information is as accurate as it seems...then you should know the cure for it." Eleanore reasoned with a trembling voice. The usual hard-edged snarking from the blonde was completely absent as she spoke to Ruukoto. There was a very tense moment when streams of light flashed across her eyes before it finally responded.

"This unit does not know of any form of cure or treatment for this kind of condition. Please be advised that Lady Cattleya will die in approximately three weeks if her condition does not change." Ruukoto stated and my master was on me in a matter of seconds.

"Do something! You have to save Chii-nee-sama!" Louise all but screamed as she grabbed onto my shirt. I was able to unfold my arms just as Louise launched herself at me but the look of absolute fear and desperation in her face prevented me from doing anything else. I had...never seen her look this scared about something before...even after everything she had already experienced up to this point.

"YUKA!" Louise screamed at me and snapped me from my momentary trance. I thought about her request and wondered if anything can be done about it. Ruukoto had no idea what exactly was causing Cattleya's illness nor did it know how to treat it. All it knew was the effect, that Cattleya's body was dying because of the magic that was all around her. It was like the whole world was slowly trying to end her life. It was unlikely that the healers in this realm could provide any better aid either. If they could, Karin and Eugene would have likely already moved the heavens themselves if it would have saved her daughter. The cure cannot be found in Halkeginia as far as we know and Ruukoto's technology cannot fix it either.

"Can your nanomachines cure Cattleya's condition?" I asked the gynoid when the thought crossed my mind as I held on to Louise's shaking shoulders in a poor attempt to calm her down.

"Negative. The nanomachines I posses do not have such a function. They can only mend physical damage to internal wounds." Ruukoto shot down that idea immediately. I narrowed my eyes at the ceiling as the situation looked more impossible with every passing conversation. I suddenly had a thought...if the situation was impossible then something that can overcome that impossibility can help Cattleya.

"Yukari Yakumo...Kaguya Houraisan...Yamame Kurodani..." I muttered absentmindedly.

"What are you talking about?" Louise asked me. I glanced back down and saw her and Eleanore looking at me intently.

"Yukari can manipulate the border of sickness and health. Kaguya is currently the best physician in Gensokyo, taking over for Eirin after the woman went back to the moon to help stabilize the Lunarian Empire. Yamame's special ability is the manipulation of illnesses. Any one of them could likely help but..." But I was hesitant in bringing anyone from Gensokyo to this realm and vice versa. Even brining Cattleya into Mugenkan left a bad taste in my mouth because of how long I have banned nearly all humans from entering my border of dreams. Unfortunately, Louise seems to have picked up on what I was about to say.

"You can bring them here to help Chii-nee-sama! No...you can bring Chii-nee-sama into Mugenkan and have her treated there! You can control anything inside there right? You can cure her yourself in there!" My master frantically threw out her desperate reasoning as she tried to shake me with her feeble strength. I was disliking this situation more and more.

"I cannot cure her even inside Mugenkan. I can keep her from dying but she will just become sick again once she leaves. I don't even want to bring any humans in there because of what Reimu and Marisa did back when-" My reasoning was cut off by Louise's words.

"That was over five-hundred years ago! Get over it and save my sister!" My master screamed at me. She was asking me...telling me to discard a rule I had enforced for half a millennia. Even for Louise...

"I...cannot do that so easily..." I stated with less conviction than I had originally intended.

"Then accept if I win." I blinked at Louise's sudden words. My master backed away from me and glared at me with focused intensity.

"I challenge you...if I win, you will help Chii-nee-sama." She declared while pointing at me.

"And if you lose?" I asked but already knew the answer. If Louise loses...Cattleya will die. I shook my head when I realized that I was letting emotions, of all things, get the better of me and my judgement.

"You cannot defeat me in a Danmaku Battle alone. You can't even come close to matching Cirno in your current state." I calmly pointed out while folding my arms and leaning back. Louise shirked back as if struck by my words. She knew I was right. There was no way she could possibly defeat me. Even hitting me was next to impossible for her.

"Then I challenge you alongside her." Eleanore suddenly made herself heard as she stepped beside her sister. I looked at the eldest sister and saw that her eyes had the same fire my master did. It did not seem like either of them were going to back down from this. I glanced at Ruukoto, who hasn't said a thing for a while now, and saw that the gynoid had already reverted back to its regular mode and simply shugged when our eyes met. I sighed and thought about the whole situation.

Louise and Eleanore were basically taking a gamble on something that may not even pay off. There was no guarantee that any of the beings I had mentioned could fully cure Cattleya or even be willing to try. Then again...giving up for them would be the same as letting their beloved sister die. I shook my head when I recalled the most important lesson I had taught Cirno.

Don't stop trying.

"Even with both of you, I still will not be defeated." I stated and held up my right hand to prevent any premature retorts.

"If you can get a clean hit on me before you lose to your own exhaustion...then I will accept that as your victory and open Mugenkan's doors to you sisters so long as it exists." I posed and saw Louise's expression visibly brighten up. I sighed when I wondered what exactly I was getting all of us into just as my master started embracing me and thanking me for agreeing to duel them.

That was also a first for me...

...

"So...what happened to your Golden Rule of Mugenkan? I thought humans were banned from stepping foot here?" Cirno asked me with a raised brow as I walked up to her with Louise and Eleanore behind me. My master was slowly guiding her wide eyed sister as the blonde Valliere continued to mutter various words that this whole situation was impossibility after impossibility. I should have expected as such when she very nearly screamed when I created a door to Mugenkan right there in her room.

"The situation has changed somewhat. Louise will not be having her usual lessons with you tonight." I explained before turning back to the sisters and saw that Eleanore was rubbing her eyes with her right hand.

"This...this...this is absurd. It goes beyond all logic and magical theory for someone to have their own pocket realm..." Eleanore said out loud while shaking her head in an attempt to deny the reality that was right before her eyes. Whoever said that seeing was believing obviously had not seen anything particularly absurd in their life. I noticed Cirno float up next to Eleanore and gave the woman a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Don't sweat the small stuff. Anything is possible if it happens after all." Cirno stated with a big smile that was directed at Louise. My master smiled back but Eleanore had a different reaction when she opened her eyes and saw my former student.

"What...who are...you?" Eleanore barely managed to ask as she slowly comprehended the fact that Cirno was floating in the air next to her and that she had icicle wings.

"The name is Cirno! I'm the strongest fairy in Gensokyo! Nice to meet you!" The ice fairy introduced herself in a friendly manner while backing off from Eleanore and putting her hands on her hips, which was a throwback to her old pose when she was young and silly.

"A fairy...you're a fairy...?" Eleanore asked my former student as she stared at her dumbfounded.

"Ice fairy to be specific. Now while it is understandable for you to be...surprised...about the current situation, please remember that we are on a schedule. The faster you can get over your shock, the better." I stated, finally snapping Eleanore out of her trance. The blonde Valliere sister set her jaw and took a few deep breaths before looking at me.

"You're right. If this whole absurd situation is what it takes to save Cattleya...then so be it." She finally said before turning back to Cirno.

"Greetings Ice Fairy Cirno. I am Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere." Eleanore introduced herself to Cirno in a far more graceful manner than she did to me. Cirno blinked a few times before looking between Eleanore, Louise and myself.

"Okay, no offense but, that's an even longer name that Louise's. And Valliere? What's the relation?" Cirno commented before asking me her question with folded arms.

"Eleanore is Louise's eldest sister. We're here in regards to a dillema that concerns the middle sister, Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere." I explained to her.

"Another incident, and this time with Louise's family. So, what's the deal? It should be something big and urgent if you're foregoing your ban on humans in Mugenkan and even bringing Louise and her sister in while in their physical bodies. By the way, why are they wearing nightgowns?" Cirno postulated while asking the question when she pointed at the two sisters.

"We were in a bit of a hurry at the time..." I provided and wondered why I didn't ask them to change into something more practical before going here. We had left Ruukoto behind to continue monitoring Cattleya's condition and I thought I had heard the gynoid call out to me about something. I guess it noticed that both Louise and Eleanore jumped right in without being properly dressed for the situation.

"Okay...care to elaborate on that? I'd like to be on the same page too if you don't mind." Cirno asked while gesturing with her hands to move the conversation forward.

"My older sister, Chii-nee-sama...Big Sis Cattleya, is very ill right now. She started coughing up blood a while ago and..." Louise trailed off, unable to finish recalling what happened to her dear sister. I turned to Cirno, who now had a much more serious expression and decided to continue the exposition on my master's behalf.

"I had Ruukoto stay with Louise and Cattleya for it to check her health. I did so after learning that she has been suffering from a weak body for years now. I was...concerned...that the continued trend in her health would end up in a most unfavorable conclusion if left alone, especially since no one in this realm seems to have been able to cure her yet." I started and got a thoughtful hum from Cirno.

"Wait...that's why Ruukoto insisted to be in the same room as us?" Louise asked me with a surprised expression.

"You knew that this would happen?" Eleanore followed up with another question and a similar expression.

"Yes, I asked Ruukoto to check if it could find out what was causing Cattleya's illness as discreetly as possible. I wanted to know what we were dealing with first before taking any sort of action. Unfortunately, I did not expect that Cattleya's condition was as far along as it is." I admitted shamelessly. I was no hero. I did not see any reason to hide that fact or feel any sort of shame from trying to descreetly confirm the situation. If it turned out to be nothing then no one would have to worry about anything...sad that Louise's life never seems to be that simple.

"So? Does she have Tuberculosis or some other lung based nasty that's making her cough up blood like that?" Cirno asked me as she floated down on the ground.

"From what Ruukoto said, Cattleya is suffering from long-term cel degeneration because her body is reacting like the ambient magic in the air is poison. A weak poison, but the length of time she has been exposed to it has left her body in dire straits. She will die in less than a month if nothing is done." I laid out the current incident that Louise has gotten herself caught up in.

"A magician being poisoned by the very magic she relies on...that's just bad. Should I ask Yukari to call up Princess Loony or Yamame?" My former student asked me with a stern expression.

"Both are viable options...however, there is no guarantee that Kaguya knows any kind of treatment that can cure this illness, she's still not up to par with Eirin when it comes to being a doctor. Also, a small part of me has a strange foreboding feeling that she'd likely just jam a Hourai Elixir down Cattleya's throat to cure her." I stated with a shake of my head. The former princess of the Lunarian Emipre has come far after taking over the clinic in Eientei thess past five-hundred years but she did not have the brilliant mind of her former guardian and teacher.

"Heh...yeah, I can see her doing something like that if she gets frustrated enough." Cirno mused while scratching the back of her head.

"Hourai Elixir...I've heard that from Yukari's stories from before..." Louise piped up after hearing our exchange.

"Yes, the Hourai Elixir could cure Cattleya...by turning her into an Immortal instead." Cirno curtly explained with a dry chuckle. I shook my head when I recalled the early days when Kaguya started studying medicine in earnest after Eirin went back to the Moon to help the Watatsuki sisters quell the civil war up there. She used to just say 'Eirin still has that stock of Hourai Elixirs in case any of the patients die. It'll be fine.' Suffice to say, everyone stayed away from Eientei for a while after Aya got the word out on the former princess' health coverage. In fact...the Hidea no Akyu of that era was very close to accidentally becoming immortal because of that policy. I couldn't even imagine the blowback that Shikieiki would have caused if the Yama found out that the chronicler managed to find a way around their original arrangement of continuous reincarnation.

Then there was that thing with Tenshi and those silly Celestials...I don't want to think about that incident right now.

"I-I-I-Immortal?" Eleanore suddenly exclaimed.

"It's a long story and that option isn't really a sound one since it would doom Cattleya to an immortality where she would be forced to watch everyone and everything she cares about wither and die eventually." I handwaved the kind of immortality that the Hourai Elixir provided.

"Wait...aren't you immortal?" The blonde Valliere sister followed up with another question.

"No. I may have been around for a long time but I am not immortal. In fact, I have the amusingly odd feeling that I may be closing in on the end of my life as well." I quickly dismissed that claim with a combination of a handwave and a shrug.

"Holy crap...that was what you were talking about last fall?" Cirno suddenly brought up a conversation we had before I went through my winter sleeping cycle.

"Wait! Everyone slow down first!" Louise suddenly yelled out and was glaring right at me. All of us paused because of her sudden outburst and my master took full advantage of it by walking right up to me and poking my chest with her finger.

"What did you mean when you said that you are closing in on the end of your life?" Louise bit out at me, her eyes trying to sear holes into mine. I grumbled a bit but I'll never admit that I got rather uncomfortable at how my master was glaring at me. I was not afraid of her in any sense, her glares were about as impotent on me as they have always been. However, her eyes showed much more than simply anger at me for not telling her about that little thing. She was also worried and scared. Understandable since her sister was apparently already terminally ill. Adding someone else to the list of people she could potentially lose would not help her emotional stability.

"That is something I assure you I will explain later on now that it is has been made public." I told Louise while holding the hand she used to poke my chest with before lowering it. I then gave a sidelong glance to Cirno who was covering her face with her hand. She saw me glance at her and she quickly cleared her throat rather deliberately.

"I thought that you already told her about that..." Cirno mumbled before scratching the back of her head. I shook my head slowly before looking back to my master.

"Believe me when I say that I'm not about to keel over and pass away any time soon. Right now, we have more pressing matters to address. I promise that I will explain everything to you once the opportunity arises." I told Louise and almost sighed when she didn't look anywhere near convinced with my words.

"Louise, do you trust me?" I asked her, making my master flinch. I saw her lower her head and wondered if she was going to say otherwise. That worry proved unnecessary as I felt the hand I was holding adjust itself until Louise's fingers intertwined with mine before my master stepped forward and rested her head on my chest.

"Don't you dare think that I don't trust you after everything we've been through." Louise stated with a small hint of annoyance before I felt her take a deep breath.

"Huhuhu...you smell like sunflowers." My little master pointed out and I couldn't help but smile at her.

"I'd be worried if I smelled like something else here. I apologize for my previous assumption." I said while rubbing the top of her head with my free hand. I saw and felt her give a nod before Eleanore coughed rather loudly.

"Do you two mind not doing that kind of thing?" The eldest sister said rather irritably, making us conscious of our proximity and our actions. Louise quickly went red and pushed herself away from me before going into another bout of denials with her older sister. I rubbed the back of my neck at the scene and saw Cirno float nearby.

"Never thought you'd be that heartwarming with anyone. So, you and Louise huh?" The ice fairy pointed out before asking me with a very sly grin.

"Before you take that thought anywhere else...no, Louise and I don't have that kind of relationship. We are simply partners and friends. You know how well I treat my friends, yes?" I explained before asking her with a warm smile. I saw Cirno gulp before giving me some distance and glancing away.

"Hehehe...yeah, I guess you're right." My former student said while nodding to herself and rubbing the back of her head. I assumed that her recollection of the time when I told her that I considered her as a friend and not just as annoying student was the reason why she seemed to be blushing. I most certainly hope that this was the case.

"Back to the matter at hand..." I stated after getting everyone's attention with a clap of my hands.

"Now that Cirno is up to speed about Cattleya's condition, I would like to discuss the little arrangement that we've agreed upon in regards on getting her aid." I pointed out, finally getting back to the heart of the matter. Louise and Eleanore visibly tensed at my words as they recalled our conversation before heading to my realm. I saw Cirno rub her chin with her hand before glancing at me with a sharp expression.

"You don't want anyone from Gensokyo to go to their realm and you certainly don't want any humans stepping foot in Mugenkan either. Is that arrangement the reason why you brought Louise and her sister here in their physical bodies?" My former student's ever sharp mind deduced the reasoning behind my words before asking me for verification. I smiled at how well she was able to reason that out. Cirno never had the kind of intuition that the Hakurei clan has nor the luck that Sanae Kochiya's descendants now enjoy. Instead, she took on Marisa's mantra of hard work and experience. The sharp mind that she wields now is the result of a lot of work on her part. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am proud in the way Cirno has matured these past few centuries.

"Indeed. However, Louise was rather insistent on getting help for her sister since no one in their realm could cure her. Understandable as it is, I simply cannot disregard a rule that I have enforced for five-hundred years." I validated Cirno's theory before expounding on it. The ice fairy seemed to have picked up on what I meant by that and suddenly looked between me and Louise and Eleanore.

"You're not going to make them do a Danmaku battle against you for the right to travel here are you?" Cirno asked me in mild shock and worry. I saw Louise tense up at her senior's question while Eleanore simply narrowed her eyes at me. The eldest sister did not likely know what a Danmaku battle was but she was more than perceptive enough to realize that it was something serious based on Cirno's question to me.

"Not exactly. Even together, they will nowhere be a match against me in an actual Danmaku battle. You yourself would probably be victorious against them without even trying." I pointed out and predictably earning glares from both sisters. I raised my right hand to prevent any protests so I could explain how I intend for them to be able to have a chance at besting me.

"Instead, I decided to let them go all out against me while I simply dodge everything. I will not make a move against them and will simply focus on avoiding their attacks. Additionally, it will be their victory if either of them can land a clean hit on my person. However, if they become too tired to continue then it shall be my victory instead." I explained the ground rules of this little match of ours. Louise and Eleanore looked at each other with uncertainty before looking back to me and nodding.

"Those seem to be acceptable conditions." Eleanore stated.

"I also accept those terms." Louise also agreed.

"So that means it will be an unlimited spell card survival run for you teach?" Cirno asked me while tilting her head to the side.

"Not exactly unlimited but they can try and try all they want until they either hit me or simply give up. I would also like you be the judge since you can freely fly to accurately assess the match as it happens." I clarified before asking Cirno to be the judge. She made a thoughtful hum before nodding.

"I can do that. But I'd like to talk to these two before you start. Would that be okay?" The ice fairy asked me while gesturing to the two Valliere sisters.

"That's fine. We will begin once you are all ready." I stated before folding my arms and leaning back.

...

"That's fine. We will begin once you are all ready." My partner stated before he folded his arms and leaned back. I gulped at the prospect at actually having to challenge Yuka head on for the first time. I mean, I've gone through a lot of training in here and even saw some Danmaku battles between Yuka and other residents fo Gensokyo. But the thought of going against Yuka myself...?

"Okay, both of you listen up." Cirno-nee snapped me from my thoughts as she floated in front of us with her back to Yuka.

"While I'm going to try my best to be an impartial judge here, I don't really want you two to lose especially considering what's on the line here. With that in mind I'll give you the kind of help that I can only give in this situation: advice." My senior stated while holding up her right index finger in front of us.

"Advice?" Big Sis Eleanore asked dubiously while placing both of her hand on her hips and raising a brow at Cirno-nee.

"Advice. The first thing is to throw away any assumptions that this will be any easier just because teach won't fight back and you can go all out until you can't cast any magic anymore." Cirno-nee confirmed before warning us not to take thing lightly.

"The thing you have to understand is that teach is used to these kinds of matches. Why? Because sh-he's the one who trained me to be as good as I am today and there were times back then when some of my friends and I would try to see if we can take teach if we worked together." Cirno-nee elaborated on that with a very serious tone.

"Even when it was four on one, teach looked like he was just toying with us. Granted that we were still pretty young back then, it still means that teach can take on multiple opponents at once. Even though he won't be fighting back, that just means that he can focus on simply not getting hit. Never. Ever. Ever. Forget this fact." She concluded while leaning in closer to us to emphasize each word at the end. She breathed out before leaning away from us again and nodding.

"With that in mind, my advice on even having a chance of being able to hit teach is to be as unpredicatble as you can. Mix things up. Be unorthodox in the way you cast your spells. Go crazy if you have to! This is an anything goes match where the only objective it to get a clean hit on teach. Always keep than in mind during the match. You're not trying to impress him, you're not trying to dazzle him, you're not trying to get his apporval or admiration. You're here to hit him so do whatever it takes for you to be able to." Cirno-nee concluded before giving us both a big smile.

"Good luck you two. Remember, when the going gets too tough, just remember why you're doing this in the first place." She gave us her parting worde before floating off to where Yuka was. The unease I was feeling before was just compounded by Cirno-nee's words.

"Hey runt." I turne to Big Sis Eleanore when she called out to me.

"Can you even cast any sort of magic competently or will you just be dead weight?" My older sister asked me with narrowed eyes. I unconsciously flinched back at her words before nodding and straightening my posture.

"I can make explosions with my spells." I clearly stated.

"Explosions?" Big Sis Eleanore asked me with a raised brow. I nodded to her in response as I recalled all the training I've gone through here as well as my own experience outside Mugenkan.

"I'm very good at making things explode." I stated in confirmation. I saw my sister grimace before she reached out to me with blinding speed and gave me a headlock.

"That's it? You can make things explode? What good will that do us here huh?" Big Sis Eleanore started hissing at me as she maintained the hold. It wasn't really painful or anything. I can honestly say that I have endured worse...much worse than this. I instinctively grabbed on to the arm that was wrapped around my neck with both my hands. I wasn't trying to get her to let me go, even though it was what I wanted her to do. I was just making sure that she knew that I acknowledged why she was upset at me.

"I promise that my magic will be useful! Yuka has been training me here for months so I can use my explosions effectively! I won't be a burden to you! I want to save Chii-nee-sama as much as you do!" I exclaimed back to her and suddenly felt her hold on me loosen up.

"That's right, runt. This is for Cattleya. If you love her as much as you always say you do then don't you dare let me down!" She suddenly exclaimed before completely letting me go.

"I know that. Please trust me Big Sis Eleanore." I solemnly stated with a determined nod while looking right into my sister's eyes. She huffed before turning away from me.

"You're my sister. Of course I trust you...stupid little runt." I heard her mutter before walking up toward Yuka and Cirno-nee. I smiled at her words as it gave me renewed confidence. When the Valliere sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, not even Yuka would stand a chance against us.

...

I saw my former student fly up to me after apparently giving Louise and Eleanore some last minute advice on how to face me. Figures that she would try to help them in any capacity she could especially after finding out the circumstances behind the match.

"Conjure them up some clothes before the match starts. Wouldn't be much of a fair fight if they have to deal with you in their nighties now would it?" Cirno suddenly pointed out while pointing at the sisters with her left thumb.

"I know. That will be the first thing I will do before we begin." I agreed with a nod before glancing at my master and Eleanore.

"We've never trained Louise in tandem battles..." Cirno pointed out with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I know. Until now, there was no reason to and she didn't really have a partner who could help her train in that in here." I agreed before remembering that I had originally wanted Matilda to help Louise in that manner of combat. Unfortunately, our resident Treasure Hunter and former Master Thief disappeared on us right before that whole mess at Tarbes started. I silently hoped for her safe return to us as I raised a brow at how Eleanore seemed to have Louise in some sort of weak headlock.

"Yeah...they're gonna have a hard time if Eleanore can't coordinate their attacks on you properly." Cirno noted with a grim nod. I knew that she wanted to help the sisters greatly since she practically considered Louise as her own little sister as well. However, she respected my decision and knew the reasoning behind this challenge. If Louise and Eleanore can get past this hurdle, there will be very little in Halkeginia that can threaten them when they work together.

"Please tell me that you'll go easy on them..." Cirno nearly pleaded to me after my lack of a response to her previous statement.I noted that her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and were trembling. I was not able to give her any sort of response as I noticed Eleanore walk up to me with Louise close behind.

"We're ready." Eleanore simply stated as she stood with full confidence and determination before me, a common trait in their family it seems. I glanced at Louise who stood right next to her sister and saw her nod to me and Cirno in turn.

"Excellent." I simply stated before holding up my right hand and snapping my fingers. Both sisters yelped in surprise when their clothing suddenly flashed white before fading to reveal their new clothing for the match. Both of them looked between what they were now wearing, what the other was wearing, and me in turn while sporting confused expressions.

"You two didn't really expect to try to take me on in your evening wear, now did you?" I asked them with an amused smirk and a raised brow. Cirno chuckled when both of them started blushing after realizing what I meant. I did not give them any weird clothing or anything like that. Eleanore was wearing what she had on when she fetched Louise while my master was wearing her usual school uniform including her mantle.

"Now then. Cirno I would like you to stay up in the air so you can properly view the match. I will not fly and remain here on the ground. Again, you have free rein on how you will come at me so long as you can hit me." I reviewed the rules with everyone just to make sure that they all understand the conditions for this match.

"Are you sure? We won't be holding back you know. This is for our sister's sake after all." Eleanore pointed out with a raised brow. I gave a soft smile at her concern before responding.

"Worry not. I am much tougher than I look. I appreciate that you are worried about my safety but rest assured that my body is ready." I answered before giving Eleanore a polite nod. The eldest sister suddenly tensed up before blushing at my words.

"Wo-wo-worried? Don't be ridiculous! Who would be worried about someone like you? I'm just making sure that you don't end up dead before you keep your end of the bargain!" She suddenly exclaimed much in the same way Louise does when she's embarrassed about something emotional.

"You say that as if it is a foregone conclusion that you will emerge triumphant." I couldn't help but point out with a smirk while folding my arms and leaning back again.

"Of course! You face two scions of the Valliere family! There is nothing we cannot accomplish together!" Eleanore declared with as much, if not more, fire in her eyes as Louise does whenever she's absolutely determined in accomplishing something.

I could do nothing but nod respectfully in the face of such determination.

...

"Of course! You face two scions of the Valliere family! There is nothing we cannot accomplish together!" I felt a tinge of electricity pass across my skin after hearing Big Sis Eleanore say those words. She was right. We are daughters of the Valliere family, the best noble family in Tristain!

I gripped the wand in my hand that I pulled out of my skirt pocket earlier. Yuka had managed to recreate my uniform perfectly aside from my hat and the Founder's Prayer Book. I grimaced at the fact that I wouldn't have access to my Void spells in this match and hoped that my explosions would be enough. I was thankful that Yuka was able to conjure up my hidden wand along with my clothes. However, that meant that he knows about it and will be expecting me to use it at some point.

"Alright! Walk twenty paces away from them please!" I heard Cirno-nee say to Yuka as she floated up higher into the air. My partner complied and started walking away from us. I saw Big Sis Eleanore walk up to my side before facing back in the direction where Yuka is.

"How effective are your explosions and how do you cast them?" My sister curtly asked as she fished around her dress for her wand. I glanced at her for another moment before turning back to where Yuka was.

"Yuka and Cirno-nee trained me to be able to cast an explosive spell using just one word, my 'magic word' as it were. I simply point at something with my wand, say my magic word, and whatever I'm pointing at blows up. My effective range right now is around fifty feet or so but my accuracy is near pinpoint as far as explosions go. Any further than that and I can't aim it accurately anymore. The delay between casting and explosion is almost instantaneous within that fifty feet range and can bypass solid objects as well as long as I know precisely where my actual target is." I gave Big Sis Eleanore a summary of the current state of my explosive spells. I looked back at her when she did not say anything and saw that she was looking at me with an almost surprised expression.

"Big Sis Eleanore?" I called out to her in wonder if she was okay. I saw her blink before pulling her wand out of her dress and clearing her throat.

"Yes...well I can imagine that the applications of such a spell would be quite...extensive." I heard her say without looking at me and I could swear that I saw her blush.

"That's right! I thought they were crazy at first when they said that I should try to develop this kind of casting style but now I realize how useful it can be if applied in the right way! Cirno-nee and Yuka even taught me how to effectively move around and dodge while casting on the fly so I can chase Yuka around when the match starts!" I exclaimed excitedly after hearing such rare words from my sister. I was happy! I was so very happy that my sister acknowledged the fruits of my hard work and did not simply see my magic as just as failed spell.

"Calm down runt! And what did you mean by 'casting on the fly'?" My sister said in annoyance while roughly rubbing my head with her free hand. I waited for her to finish and fixed up my hair before answering. I didn't really mind it since it was very rare for me to be able to make my sister embarrassed about anything that did not involve insults.

"It's an expression Cirno-nee taught me. Apparently it means to be able to do one action while in the middle of doing something else, like casting magic while moving." I explained and Big Sis Eleanore hummed at my words before nodding.

"Okay. Here's the plan. As soon as the match starts, go after your familiar and start pelting him with explosions. I'll stay here and use my spells to try to catch him off guard. Before you say anything else, yes, I will be using 'that' so keep your wits about you and keep moving lest you want to get caught in one of my traps." My sister instructed to me. I nodded at her every word but gulped as soon as she mentioned using her special kind of casting spells. I've only ever seen it once during a sparring match between her and mother and I still find it very impressive. I still find it hard to believe that Big Sis Eleanore was still a Triangle Class Earth Mage even with the kind of talent she has when working her spells after she gains enough momentum. I gulped at that thought...

Big Sis Eleanore was going to use 'The Hymn of the Juggernaut' and I have to run through it all and keep pressure on Yuka. I took a deep breath to steady myself just when I saw Cirno-nee raise her hand to start the match.

...

Author's Notes: Yep, back down here again. If any of you are wondering why I'm going multi-chapter for this arc, it is because I rewatched S2 of FoZ and re-read the events it covers in the books and I come to the conclusion that nothing really big happens in S2 aside from the introduction of Julio, the introduction of Louise's family, the whole underground library thing, and the war against Albion. If I just ran through everything in that way then S2 would finish in half the length it took me to write S1.

Because of this, I will be changing up and fleshing out those incidents and maybe even adding one or two new ones.

And yes, I intended for Cattleya's illness to be that way. It was the only way for me to make her sick enough to threaten her life and being incurable in Halkeginian standards while giving the guys in Gensokyo a chance to be able to deal with it.

Also, this is the very first time we get a chapter that has Louise's perspective instead of a third person. I just put that in there because I wanted readers to see what it was in her head while this was happening.

If any of you are wondering if Louise End is True End after reading Epilogue, all I can say is that it is a possibility. I'm trying to balance out the 'Flag Trigger Scenes' and the fluff to give each potential girl a chance at the limelight. Technically, Louise and Siesta are in the lead whether anyone realizes it or not but Yuka is still open game. As a poster from Spacebattles said, and I pointed out in a previous chapter, the only way for any girl to even have a CHANCE with Yuka is if they come forward and honest about it and work at making Yuka fall for her. In that sense, Matilda went from the top to the bottom of the pile in S2 because of Sheffield. Whether or not she manages to make up for it later on is still a secret.

And in case you haven't already read it, please read Making Magick which finally realizes my dream of a Magicka crossover with Familiar of Zero. If you're a fan of either of these, please read it with an open mind and a light heart.

I ship Cattleya x Vlad in that fic because Vlad is a fine upstanding man of class and education. He is also most definitely NOT a vamipre.

Now that Viscount Wards fellow seems might suspicious and Vampire-like though...

Please R&R~


	26. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: Hey, it's up here again. First and foremost, Katawa Shoujo was a fun read. Download it if you can since it's free and its nice way to pass the weekend.

Anyway, here's the entire match between Yuka against Louise and Eleanore. I'm assuming that people are still reading this fic since I can see the hits and people are still adding this to their Story Alerts or Favorite Stories or whatnot. However, it would be nice to get some feedback from you readers on how I'm doing with the story pacing, scene flow, characterizations, and whatever else you can think of.

One of the biggest complaints I've had in the story was the disturbingly large amount of references I jam into the chapters and I've been trying to take that part down as much as possible in recent chapters. Seriously, some reviews and feedback would be great because otherwise I have no idea what you guys think about this story.

Otherwise, please enjoy~

In case no one noticed yet...Three-hundred thousand words! Holy Balls!

Disclaimer: Pooltable Hanako is the sexiest!

...

"Hmm?" I raised a brow when I saw Eleanore raise both of her hands in the air, her right one holding her wand, with her eyes closed. Cirno just started the match but neither sister had made any move to attack and I was wondering of they were still having any doubts. I then saw the eldest sister take a deep breath before opening her mouth and swinging her hands downward. I tensed up and prepared to begin the fun when I stalled for a second when I noticed what Eleanore was doing.

She was singing.

That second was more than enough for them as a pair of jaws made of stone suddenly sprang from under my feet and tried to clamp down on me. The jaws were as tall as I was and it seemed that Eleanore intended to end this in one turn. I jumped backwards just in time to avoid getting clamped down by the stone jaws. I felt the telltale sign of Louise's magic spiking up and I quickly dashed to the right side just as an explosion detonated on the very spot I jumped back to.

Louise was the least of my problems in this match. I was here through most of her training sessions so I know very well how she moves and casts and what to watch out for when she's about to use one of her broken spells.

I jumped up high into the air when I felt the ground around me vibrate. My timing allowed me to be able to cleanly jump away from several stone spikes that burst out of the ground at an angle, making the whole thing look like a stone cage. I managed to admire the spellwork for another second before I heard the sound of the ground rumbling. I glanced around and saw Louise being launched up in the air after me using a stone pillar as a springboard.

"Zero!" Louise yelled out as soon as she was able to get a bead on me. I twisted mid-air to avoid the explosion and drop back down to the ground. I was a bit worried that Louise might not be able to land safely since we were pretty high up but I found that worry to be unnecessary. Just as my master was starting to fall a stone pillar suddenly burst out from the ground under her to catch her before lowering her down at a reasonable speed. That was enough for me to confirm one thing though.

Louise was just a persistent distraction, the real threat will come from Eleanore.

I was assuming that Eleanore was a pure Earth mage just like how Karin was apparently a pure Wind mage. Instead of making a hybrid effect by adding a new element to their original element, they just stack their original element again to make it stronger.

The style of the eldest sister was a new one to me in regards to Earth mages. My experience with that element were confined to Matilda and Guiche and their preferred means of combat involved making golems and using them to smash things. However, this was the first time I was facing one who could cast spells that allows the caster to seemingly manipulate the earth at will. I understood that each action required a new spell to be cast, which was why Guiche and Matilda chose to create and maintain golems instead since that was more energy efficient. Eleanore on the other hand was casting spell after spell with little to no delays between them. Wait...

The singing!

"Zero!" My master's declaration snapped me from my thoughts as I instinctively dashed laterally in relation to where she was. Moving forward or backward against Louise's broken spells was a bad idea. Even if you change the distance between you and her, she still has you in her line of sight and therefore within the range of her explosions unless you get beyond her maximum range. Moving to the side negates that advantage since Louise needs to re-aim her wand to be able to cast again instead of simply recasting the spell over and over again.

"Hm!" I let out before spinning away from a large stone fist that suddenly burst out of the ground at an angle to my right side. It seems that Eleanore has the same idea. Suddenly casting a spell to hit someone in the side adds the advantage of having the possibility of blindsiding your target. However, you needed an advanced sense of timing to be able to make such a casting style effective or else you'd just keep missing as your opponent passes by. In that sense, Eleanore was quite impressive. Then again, she was the eldest daughter of Karin and Louise's older sister.

I hopped, skipped, and jumped to avoid a series of stone fists that came in different angles while I could faintly hear the eldest sister's singing voice in the background. I even had to somersault over three fists that came at me all at once from three different points. Really, Eleanore's casting speed was quite impressive.

I avoided another entrapment of stone spikes and I finally noted the reason why she seems to cast her spells so quickly. It all went back to why she seemed to be singing. Eleanore was performing her incantations to a melody, allowing her to cast spells one after the other in a steady rhythm. It a rather creative way of casting spells but I wondered how she can cast so many so quickly without tiring out.

I spun away from another set of stone jaws and noticed Louise jump off one of the stone fists that I avoided. She aimed her wand at me but I was cleanly able to dash to the side as usual. That was when a large stone hand sprang up from directly behind me. The hand was close, very close to grabbing onto me and ending the match. However, an unexpected assitance came in the form of an explosion moments before the stone hand was able to wrap its fingers around me. I looked back in surprise and saw Louise standing on the now closed stone jaw and was aiming at me with her hidden wand in her left hand. Louise started to turn pale before she started trembling once she realized what she did.

"Oops..." Was the only thing she could say. That awkward moment only lasted for a little over a second before I had to resume my evasive tactics against Eleanore's spells. Louise also managed to snap out of her daze and resumed her chase on me, now wielding both her regular wand and her hidden wand in both hands. That little unintended accident confirmed me and Cirno's previous concern on how Louise did not have any real experience in fighting in tandem with another mage.

"I could use that..." I muttered as I continued to dodge Eleanore's spells, which now included stone mallets.

...

"Guh!" I grunted as I watched Yuka move around and weave through Big Sis Eleanore's traps like he was dancing. Even with my sister's 'Hymn of the Juggernaut' it still felt like trying to gather rainwater with an open palm!

"Zero!" I took another shot at hitting my partner with the wand in my left hand. I was only able to do so after I got a clear view of him between the rock formations that have been building up thanks to my sister. I saw Yuka glance at me before giving a small smile. I wondered why until my explosion was blocked by one of Big Sis Eleanore's stone fists. Guuuu! This was so frustrating!

It was easy to try to aim at him when we started but I could barely see him anymore. The best I can do now is to follow the Earth spells my sister uses to keep track of where he was. Cirno-nee was right, just attacking him normally won't work. I jumped up the rock formations and tried to aim at him again-

"Whaaaaah!" I suddenly screamed out when the stone fist I hopped on suddenly launched up into the sky with me still on it. The momentum caused me to continue moving up even after the stone fist already stopped ascending. I immediately tucked in my legs under me and spread out my arms sideward. Cirno-nee trained me to do this whenever I either jump from up high or if I was launched up in the air to stabilize myself and to prevent my legs from getting caught by anything from below.

I was high enough to see Yuka still dodging my sister's spells with a small smile on his face. This was nothing more than a game to him, wasn't it? The thought made my head hot with anger. I'll show him!

"Zero!" I cast another broken spell using my main wand. As expected, Yuka was able to avoid it by moving to the side.

The main problem you have when it comes to your Keyword Casting is that it can only be effective at a straight line. Moving laterally will completely negate any advantage you have with it being untrackable within your fifty-foot range. You can't curve or re-aim your explosions mid-cast, as far as we know, so keep that in mind whenever you plan on using them.

I grit my teeth after I recalled Cirno-nee's assessment of my casting style after we continued to refine my use of broken spells. I was already at the peak of my ascent and was about to start coming down but I decided to take one more shot at Yuka with my spare wand.

"Zero!" I cast my spell. Unfortunately, Yuka simply ducked behind one of the stone constructs that my sister made and used it to mess with my judgement of distance. Predictably, without a clear estimate on where exactly Yuka was, my explosion just defaulted to hitting the rock instead.

"Augh!" I grunted after landing on a stone pillar that Big Sis Eleanore made and waited for it to lower me enough for me to jump off and resume my chase on Yuka. I was able to get a good view of my partner before I landed on the ground and I immediately set off after him. I paced by breathing while I mentally reminded myself on how I was taught to do pursuits.

"Run and jump." I muttered as I started to go through the increasing number of stone constructs that my sister has littered everywhere.

"Why doesn't she just get rid of them after Yuka dodges them? It just makes it harder to move around!" I hissed irritably as I hopped over another stone fist. I'm not sure if Big Sis Eleanore had a plan...no...Big Sis Eleanore always had a plan. I just hoped that it was worth me running myself ragged like this!

...

"That won't be enough you guys..." Cirno muttered as she continued to observe the ongoing match. The ice fairy was mildly impressed at the way her junior's elder sister was casting her spells.

Cirno had read books in the Scarlet Devil Mansion's Voile Magic Library about using songs to cast magic spells. She had once asked Patchouli about how one would even be able to do so since you'd need both a melody and an incantation in order to pull it off. Last time Cirno checked, it's not really that easy to be able to tie a spell to a melody unless the caster specifically wrote each spell incantation themself as a song.

That was when The Unmoving Great Library hit Cirno on the face with the side of the book she was reading at the time. After a few minutes of scolding - for disturbing Patchouli's reading-, being called an idiot -for not trying to figure it out for herself-, and Cirno rubbing her face for a while -because Patchouli was reading a new large wild youkai beastiary she compiled thanks to Koutaro Hakurei.

After that sequence of events, and some first aid for Cirno's nose, Patchouli called up Koakuma to bring her certain books from the many many shelves of the famous library. The succubus assistant returned with a half-dozen books. Koakuma was always deceptively strong but preferred to keep that fact a secret. Cirno still didn't know if that was just how the Little Devil was or if was under Patchouli's orders.

Patchouli then proceeded to show the ice fairy the contents of those books, all of which turned out to be grimoires. They all detailed several means of being able to covert a spell into song or use song as a feasible means of creating and casting a magic spell. Cirno then found out to her amazement that these books were one of the oldest books in the library and the only kinds of grimoires that Marisa never dared to take. When Cirno asked why, Patchouli merely gave her a very flat stare and asked:

'Have you ever heard Marisa sing?'

Regardless, Cirno understood the reasoning behind making a spell casting system using song. Even without the use of words, one could create spells simply by using melodies since casting magic is still basically the manipulation and shaping of magical energy into an intended effect. Incantations are just a way for one to be able to categorize and utilize spells using a medium that one could understand and distinguish. Similarly, songs can also be used for the same purpose. It was just that the medium used was a bit different. It was like comparing a manuscript or a book that was made of printed words to one that was done in braille. Both can be used in order for one to be able to read something, it was just the means of getting the information was different.

Cirno was so caught up in keeping an eye on the match, as well as her own thoughts, that she did not notice the distinct sound of something tearing right next to her.

"Oooohh~! What did I miss?" Cirno flinched when she suddenly heard Yukari's voice from her right side. The ice fairy looked in the direction where the voice came from and blinked a few times.

Yukari was leaning out of one of her gaps...upside down.

"Something wrong?" The border youkai asked, seeming not bothered by her odd orientation. Cirno furrowed her brows when she noticed something else about Yukari. She was obviously upside down but her hat, hair, and clothes weren't even disturbed at all and looked like she was standing completely normally.

"I'm...no, it's nothing to worry about." Cirno started but shrugged off asking Yukari how she was doing what she was doing. Yukari gave out her own shrug but turned back when she heard the distinct voice of Yuka's tiny pink-haired human.

"Zero!" Cirno couldn't help but grimace when Louise's explosion was rendered ineffective once more by Yuka's clever use of cover. By now, the clearing where the match was being held at was all but covered by various stone constructs of varying types and sizes. The only place that was left relatively clear was the spot where Eleanore was casting her spells from.

"So, what's transpiring here?" Yukari asked with a tilted head to the side. Obviously, the border youkai would have realized that this was some sort of match between Yuka and Louise along with one other. However, even someone as clever as Yukari Yakumo needed some help with the context.

"It's a match that will decide whether or not teach will end up lifting the ban on humans in Mugenkan for Louise and her sisters." Cirno explained, this time without taking her eyes away from Yuka. These kinds of matches tend to either drag on close to forever or would decisively end in a second, Cirno didn't want to be caught with her proverbial pants down if it ended up becoming the latter. Even without looking though, Cirno could tell that Yukari immediately perked up at what she said. Yukari suddenly disappeared into her gap before reappearing out the other end, effectively making her right side up from Cirno's perspective.

"Ooohhh~! Tell me more~!" Yukari asked with nearly as much intense curiosity as Aya or Hatate whenever those two found something interesting to write about. Cirno considered not telling Yukari but knew that she would find out anyway by her own means. Might as well deal with it now instead of having to take care of it later.

"The long and short of it is that Louise's older sister, Cattleya, is suffering from acute prana poisoning. The bad news is that she's had it since she was apparently a kid and she's at the point where the ambient magic in their realm is very very close to killing her. You can imagine how Louise took the news when she found out about it." Cirno summarized the story behind the current situation. She glanced at Yukari and saw that the border youkai no longer had a playful air around her and was now observing the events with a critical eye after she folded her arms under her breasts.

"And little Louise wanted Yuka to fix it?" Yukari postulated before pulling out her fan from within her gap and opening it in order to cover the lower half of her face. Cirno never liked it when Yukari did that. She only did that if she was either scowling or grinning, her eyes betrayed nothing about what the border youkai's expression was.

"Not exactly. Louise wanted to bring her sister into Mugenkan so teach could at least stabilize her condition until either you, Kaguya, or Yamame could cure her." Cirno clarified, earning a visible scoff from Yukari.

"Please. To assume that Kaguya could handle something as delicate as that condition is laughable. Although I admit that either I or the Earth Spider could probably do something about it. So, who's the blonde woman? She looks a bit like Louise." Yukari confidently stated before asking about Eleanore while pointing at where the blonde was with her now closed fan.

"Louise's eldest sister, Eleanore. Cattleya is the middle sister while Louise is the youngest. Louise challenged Yuka to a match with the condition that Cattleya be allowed in Mugenkan if she won. Teach told her that there was no way that she could win against him so Eleanore challenged him too." The ice fairy answered with a shake of her head when she recalled the sheer absurdity of a pair of humans openly challenging Yuka Kazami to a match.

"And I take it that Yuka couldn't help but take the bait?" Yukari asked the rhetorical question, this time no longer taking her eyes off the ongoing match.

"Pretty much. Teach is going for a one hit pacifist run. They either hit him or he outlasts them. If they win, all three sisters get a free pass to Mugenkan until teach says otherwise. If they lose...well teach will have to deal with Louise after her sister dies." Cirno responded with a nod before slightly shivering at the thought of dying because of a condition like Cattleya's. She turned to Yukari when she heard the border youkai start giggling. Yukari noticed Cirno's raised brow and gave the ice fairy one of her 'fooling around again' smiles.

"Oh, they'll win all right." Yukari clearly stated with no hint of doubt or hesitation. Cirno narrowed her eyes at the sheer certainty and confidence that the border youkai was showing.

"You don't think that teach would actually throw the match, do you? Or are you going to give Louise and Eleanore some 'help'?" Cirno asked with a bit of an edge in her voice. She didn't really like the idea of either possibility since it would be an insult to both sisters after all the work and pride they've already invested in this match.

"No no, nothing like that. I wouldn't want Yuka to get mad at me after all. No, I really think that those two will be able to pull it off." Yukari said with another of those smiles of hers. Cirno remained quiet and tried to think of how Yukari could possibly come to that kind of conclusion.

"The song of victory will ring out once silence consumes the unexpecting beast." Yukari said cryptically. Cirno turned to Yukari to try to clarify that but the border youkai already disappeared into her now closed gap.

...

It was starting to get tricky to be able to move around on the ground. I idly thought of this as I continued to avoid the ever increasing barrage of stone constructs that Eleanore created to try to hit me with. I also made sure to keep one eye out for the telltale pink hair of my master. I was far from dismissing Louise as an actual threat in this match. She may me clumsy and second guesses herself on occasion, but she gets lucky at some critical times and was rather very stubborn. I'd rather not admit that I lost to the Valliere sisters simply because of a lucky shot.

I spun away from a stone needle that was shot out from one of the stone fists that I've already evaded. I was wondering why Eleanore refused to dispel the constructs she created and why she didn't utilize them for anything else. Someone as creative as Matilda would have abused the spell casting system that Eleanore uses by creating a veritable Danmaku Field using earth and stone. Why Eleanore was only utilizing her constructs in such a way so sparingly was something I still couldn't grasp but I chose to take note of it anyway just in case.

Having all these possible attack points all around me reminded me of dueling Sakuya back in the day. Too bad for Eleanore that I have a lot of experience in dealing with possible transient attacks from multiple directions.

I hopped over a series of slanted stone spikes that were trying to catch me off guard when I saw a flash of pink from the corner of my vision.

"Hm!" I immediately dashed to the right but had to sidestep a few obstructions that were in the way. Nevertheless, I was still able to avoid Louise's explosion by about a little over a foot. The disruptions caused by Eleanore's constructs worked both ways sadly. They help me prevent Louise from getting a clear shot at me with her broken spells but it also meant that spotting my already short master all the more difficult, not even taking into account the obvious trouble of simply moving around the field.

"Zero!" I instinctively dashed to the right after hearing Louise say her magic word. Unfortunately, a stone spike suddenly burst out of the ground from the direction I was running toward. I was able to jump over it but I glanced behind me and saw Louise aiming right at me with her spare wand.

"Zero!" I immediately dropped myself down onto the ground and rolled forward in order to avoid getting hit by the shockwave from Louise's explosion. I had to get back on my feet in short order because another set of stone jaws burst out from under me and tried to chomp on me.

"They're learning..." I mutter as once again try to lose Louise in the growing maze of stone constructs. Both Louise and Eleanore have been starting to work together more fluidly than when the match started...or at the very least they learned how to stay out of each other's way. Still, I was not about to be done in by such methods of attack. That was when the stone constructs around me started trembling. I had a bad feeling about that and quickly maneuvered myself away from the stone constructs that Eleanore had created so far. I glanced around and saw that Louise had the same feeling after she ran out of the artificial stone maze made by her sister.

My master nearly doubled over but managed to keep herself on her feet my supporting her weight by simply bending over and putting her hands on her knees. She was clearly very tired. This was probably the first time she had exerted so much effort on something with her physical body so it was understandable. Still, I assumed that she was the most physically fit among her little circle of friends save possibly for Tabitha. Louise saw me as she looked up and immediately pointed one of her wands at me, fully prepared to try to cast another explosion despite having a pained expression on her face. I prepared to break into another string of evasive maneuvers but both of us weren't able to do much of anything else when the ground started shaking along with Eleanore's stones.

The sheer amount of ambient magic that was concentrating on the direction where Eleanore was located was immense by human standards. It was like she was pouring everything she had into this. It seemed that the eldest sister was finally ready to make her move.

I could hear Eleanore's singing voice slowly get louder and louder, even so much as echoing, as the amount of magical energy she gathered continued to increase despite our relative distance away from her. I did not move from the spot I was standing on simply because I looked forward to the final result of the spell that Eleanore was putting so much of herself into...almost like a Last Word.

I turned to Louise and saw that she was staring wide eyed and slacked jawed at what her sister was doing. It seemed that my master was not expecting this sort of thing either. I turned back to the direction where Eleanore was after I noticed that there was a soft golden glow coming from there.

I could not hide my smile in anticipation for what the blonde was planning on doing.

...

"By the Yama's black panties!" Cirno yelled out after she saw, heard, and felt what Eleanore was doing. The ice fairy flew higher to get a better view of what was happening. She couldn't see Eleanore anymore because she was completely being engulfed by a shining golden light.

"What the..." Cirno muttered after she saw all the stone constructs littered all over the field suddenly move across the ground like it was made of water. The rocks all started to meld together to form a mass of stone that just kept getting larger and larger and larger. It was mostly still formless but Cirno couldn't help but gulp at the sheer amount of magical energy being poured into the mass. It wasn't just what Eleanore was drawing from within herself, she was also taking in and using the magical energy that was present all over Mugenkan.

_To think that a human magician would even dare to try to use Mugenkan's magic against its master._Cirno couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. She wasn't sure why...but the ice fairy was starting to believe what Yukari said.

...

_This is it!_Eleanore thought as she continued the closing part of her Hymn. It took her much longer to be able to figure out how to use the magic in Mugenkan for her finale than she had hoped. Thankfully her little sister was able keep her familiar busy enough to allow her to lay the groundwork for her spell.

_Mother said that such a casting style was too inefficient and risky to use in a conventionally shifting battlefield. Thanks to the runt's familiar though, this battle is nowhere near conventional!_Eleanore thought before raising her arms up one more time to be able to finish her work. This was it. Everything they have been working on led up to this moment. Their victory and Cattleya's salvation hinged on the next few minutes. The eldest daughter of The Heavy Wind opened her eyes and unleashed her most powerful spell, the final product of the overture that her hymn provided!

_Behold! Eleanore's Juggernaut!_

...

When I first saw Guiche's bronze golems, I was mildly amused at how he thought that such flimsy constructs would actually harm me.

When I first encountered Matilda's earth golem, I was impressed at how she was able to control and even convert parts of it to a different consistency at will despite its size.

The completed stone golem I was staring at right now was dwarfed by Matilda's hundred-foot golem by more than half. It looked to be only around thirty-five to forty feet tall. In addition, it was made completely out of stone instead of earth. I glanced around and saw several holes on the ground that Eleanore used to make up her golem. I gave the impressive construct a closer visual inspection.

Since the thing was composed of several stone pieces, the final product looked like it was covered with skin made out of jagged upward-pointing stone spikes. The body structure looked vaguely sapient with two legs, two arms, a central torso, and a head.

Its thick pillar-like legs and feet seemed to be necessary for the sake of stability in order for it to support the weight of the rest of the body. Its torso was thick and looked solid but was also covered by stone spikes but it vaguely looked like the torso that an overmuscled human male would have...like Scarron for example.

I ignored the sick feeling at recalling what that...man...looked like and looked at the construct's arms. As if to adhere with the overall theme of the golem, the arms were also rather thick and covered with stone spikes. Unlike Matilda's earth golem, which had four fingers made of malleable earth, Eleanore's stone golem did not seem to have the malleability to be able to have fingers. Instead, the construct was much more...direct in making its point. The entire forearm up to the part where the hand was supposed to be was made up entirely of a mass of stone spikes. Its hands were clearly intended to smash things.

The thing's head was a lump of spiked stone that was vaguely shaped into a human head with two horns on either side of its head. It had no mouth but it had two holes that resembled eyes which held bright red lights. All in all, it was a rather intimidating sight. The effect was compounded by the fact that the stone that made up said golem was darkened to near obsidian in color. I wasn't sure if that was intended or if it was just a side effect of the spell.

I didn't have much time to think about it any further after the golem suddenly took a single step forward before leaning toward me and giving me a low but loud growl.

A stone golem that growls...that was different.

"Eeep!" I heard Louise yelp out at the sudden show of agression from the stone golem. Said angered geological formation suddenly rushed at me with the speed that one would not normally associate with a giant moving hunk of stone. The ground shook with each step and it was rather clear that the construct was going after me. I did not have time to snap Louise out of her shock and tell her to get clear so I had to lead the golem away from her instead. Match or not, I was not about to risk the life of my master inside my own realm.

I quickly ran away from where Louise was in hopes of keeping her away from the imminent confrontation. I was a bit sad that I made the condition that I would not fight back during this match. I expected that facing this golem toe-to-toe would have been a fun experience.

Despite the construct's surprising speed, I was still much faster that it was. I knew that Eleanore somehow managed to syphon the ambient magic in Mugenkan to be able to complete the construct, but I also knew that she wasn't pulling in any more magic in order to move and maintain its form. That meant that the eldest sister was relying on her own magical reserves to be able to manipulate the construct. Because of this, all I had to do was to continue evading this new threat and it should eventually run out of magic to sustain its form.

I narrowed my eyes when the golem whipped both of its arms at me, resulting in them extending much far too much than they should have been able to. I raised a brow when the two oncoming stone clubs seemed to twist around each other in a way that resembled a sort of helix even as they hurtled toward me. Of course, I had more than enough common sense than to just stand there and take the attack like an idiot. I demonstrated said common sense by jumping away from the offending pair of stone appendages a few seconds before they impacted on the spot I was on moments ago.

Now, one would anticipate that the golem would pull its arms back into the main body to try another attack or something. However, it seemed that Eleanore had quite the creative daredevil in her. The golem most definitely reel in its arms...but it did it in the opposite way. Instead of freeing its arms from being buried under the earth, it opted to pull its entire body to where the club-like fists were instead. Of course, with the arms twisted around each other when the construct whipped its fists at me, it ended up rifling at me. I did not know how or where Eleanore had picked up such a concept. As far as I knew, Halkeginian firearms had yet to develop past the use of musketballs if Agnes' pistols were any indication.

I smiled at the fact that I was musing about such things while I backpedaled away from the incoming projectile. I had expected for the stone construct to slam into the ground with a significant amount of force, like a ground punch from one of those Devas, but would otherwise be intact. What I did not expect was for the golem to completely dig itself underground and only leaving behind a rather large hole.

"Well, that's rather-" I cut myself off from futher instances of talking to myself when I noticed the familiar flare of my master's magic.

"Zero!" I was only able to barely get out of the blast zone of her explosion in time by taking things just a tad bit more seriously. And Cirno wanted me to go easy on them. I should really keep in mind who I am facing and what they were capable of.

As if to punctuate my point, the stone golem that was still underground decided to remind me of its presence. It did so by smashing its club-like fists out of the ground a few feet in front of me. Noticing that it did not hit its target, the golem proceeded to whip its fists around wildly like flails to try to get me. Avoiding the improvised attack was easy enough, certainly easier than what Eleanore opened up with when the match started.

I managed to get out of the golem's reach and tried to pin where my master was by trying to sense for her magic. I could faintly tell that she was behind me somewhere but her signature was muddled nearly the entire field was laced with Eleanore's magical signature instead. I supposed that meant that I would only be able to accurately pinpoint where she was once she tries to attack. I was not sure if this was intentional or not on Eleanore's part but the result was quite amusing. I could have easily cleared the area of the eldest sister's magic by using a certain flower, but I was only relegated to evasion for this match so I will just need to deal with it.

Besides, it has been a while since I've had this much fun in a match without attacking anyone.

"Zero!" I instantly noted the origin point of Louise's spell before moving to the side in order to once again avoi-

"Zero!" I smiled when I was forced to change the direction of my movement again after-

"Zero!" I blinked at the third cast. Cirno and I have confirmed that Louise could rapid cast her magic word twice using her two wands in succession but she needed to rest for a few seconds afterward in order to stabilize herself for any further attempts at spell casting.

"Zero!" I forcefully turned my head to where Louise was after I heard yet another declaration of her magic word. I saw Louise charging at me with as much fervor as Tenshi whenever she challenged either me or Yukari once she gets the chance to get out of Bhava-Agra. My little master had both of her wands pointed right at me and had a very determined expression. I was wondering what could have possibly brought this sudden surge of aggression about-

"Zero!" Louise cast another one of her broken spells at me. She was casting them at a much higher rate than what she normally does but it was nowhere near enough to be able to catch me unawares. After all, I helped her develop it alongside me former student. Her endurance had improved significantly thanks to all her training but even Louise should be getting tired now. Wait...

Louise was getting tired!

"Hm!" I jumped away from the spot I was on when I heard the ground under me start to rumble again. Just in time for Eleanore's golem to break out into the surface from underneath me. The golem shot its fists out like whips again after I evaded the intended surprise but I successfully twisted away from the stone appendages. Before landing unscathed.

"Zero!" To which I had to start moving as soon as I touched the ground because of my master's stubbon attacks. Both sisters should be running low on their magical reserves considering the exertion that they have made over the course of the match. I knew that Louise was getting physically and magically fatigued which was why she was going on a desperation attack on me before she collapses from exhaustion. I wasn't sure if this sudden seemingly coordinated attack that Louise and Eleanore's golem are doing was intentional or if they were just taking cues from one another but it was effective nonetheless. Not effective enough to tag a clean hit on me, but I expect that they could likely give any other Halkeginian mage a big headache.

The stone golem launched its right fist at me but I was easily able to avoid it just like everything else. I noted that some of the stones that were holding the construct together were starting to fall off. The fist it launched at me was embedded into the ground so the golem used that anchor to pull itself toward me.

"Zero!" I twisted away from another one of my master's explosions and saw Louise starting to stagger and was barely even able to stay on her feet. She was breathing and sweating heavily as well, a testament to the amount of effort she had put in throughout this entire match. I doubt that she will be any more of a threat for the rest of the match , so long as I stayed out of her broken spell's range, that meant that the only threat left was the golem. Right on cue, the stone construct slammed into the earth and proceeded to run right at me. I noted that the entire golem was slowly but steadily shedding the rocks that it was composed of a few shards at a time.

"Just a little more..." I muttered as I prepared for the closing part of this match. I gave a wistful sigh as the golem lacklusterly swung its stone fists at me. I easily dodged the increasingly clumsy attacks that were being aimed at me. More and more pieces of the golem were starting to break apart. It became most obvious when it swung it right fist at me and it completely broke off from the rest of the arm. The chunk of rock smashed into the ground and stayed there this time. I gave it no more than a passing glance as the golem did not seem to have given up on trying to take me down yet.

The thing continued its desperate but futile final assault at me. I knew that Louise was no longer a threat and it was only a matter of time before the stone golem completely broke apart. I gave out a bitter smile when I thought about what the consequences of my victory would entail. Cattleya would not be granted access into Mugenkan no matter what Louise says. The middle sister will die and my master would be left without one of the people in Halkeginia that she loved the most. I would be victorious over the two sisters and prevent their ailing sibling from any possible chance at a cure for her accursed illness.

The slowly crumbling stone construct seemed like an accurate metaphor of what the situation looked like for Louise and Eleanore. I thought about this while smoothly dodging the last few attacks that the golem made, almost on autopilot. Yes, the refusal to surrender until the last moment...the golem was indeed a good metaphor to what was happening.

"And that's that." I stated as I sidestepped away from the golem as it finally fell over, not really liking the fact that I had won. I steadied my footing to finish my spin when I noticed a flash of yellow as I turned. At that singular moment, I remembered a few key things I should have given more serious thought on...

The area we were having the match in was saturated with Eleanore's magic signature.

Eleanore had proven that she could indeed sneak up on me when I was not actively looking for any hidden presence.

Eleanore had stopped singing after her golem finished forming.

"Ah..." Was all I was able to let out right before Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere connected her right fist to my face while sporting a rather angry expression.

I was amazed that she was still able to keep her glasses on.

...

Please R&R!


	27. Interlude 4: Retrospective

Author's Notes: Just a short one here to set something up on the next main chapter.

While I'm here I want to address a few things.

The one scene per-chapter thing was more of me trying to slow down and give more detail to each interaction between characters as opposed to just trying to move along to the next plot point. I already did it before with the Charming Fairy Inn chapters. I'm doing it again because I wanted this arc to be mostly chill, especially after the kill-fest that was the Tarbes Invasion. This arc was meant to be about Louise and Yuka's interactions with the Valliere family so expect more talking and such for the rest of the arc. Amusingly enough, people started to want me to ship Yuka and Eleanore even more because of the ending of the match. Admittedly, I love Eleanore as a character despite her obvious flaws...no...I love her because of her character flaws. Trying to reason out and justify her behavior, finding a way to show a warmer side of her, and trying to pull it off without making her seem out of character just makes her an irresistible character for me to write.

The next thing I wanted to address is something I found interesting that a reviewer pointed out. Yuka's personality and characterization over the past few chapters. A few readers seem to find the Yuka of this arc to be mildly disconnected from his portrayal in earlier chapters. I reviewed all chapters so far and found the observation odd. If you think that Yuka seems to be going soft, then please know that Yuka is going through something called character development...at least I hope that the intent obvious enough.

At first, Yuka was aloof and doing his own thing to satisfy his own expectations for a new life. After all, nothing is more novel for him than taking orders from a female human mage. Overall, despite him saying that he would change his outlook on humans, he was still looking down on them on a fundamental level as much as nobles look down upon commoners. He tolerates and even enjoys their company but in the end, he still believes that humans were beneath him. Over the course of the story, that changed as he continued to interact and be a part of the lives of the rest of the cast...instrumentally, because of Louise. Of course, his growing fondness and affection to Louise could partly be attributed with the complusion enchantment on the Gandalfr runes but he already did away with that during the Tarbes arc. Even then, he still cares about Louise a great deal and it shows on the later chapters. That was the main cause of his internal conflict when he took a nap during the start of the Valliere homecoming arc. Think of it as Yuka growing up emotionally as a person rather than just having a drastic change in his personality.

For the rest, I'm glad you all liked how I ended that fight. I thought hard on how I could possibly end something like that memorably. Amusingly enough, it ended up with Eleanore doing something no other human in my version of Gensokyo has ever been able to do. Defeat Yuka Kazami using an unarmed melee attack.

For my other story, Not as Planned, I'm glad that people like it so far. Again, that will be a VERY hard story to write. Don't expect me to be able to update it with the speed that I do for this story because I need to plan the story a lot more than this after the reveal to young!Karin about her situation and her relation to Louise.

The reason why Louise and her sisters did not know what Karin's maiden name was goes back to the Karin SS novels. Karin's family did not really like that she had the ambition to be a knight to serve her country and tried to marry her off or some such nonsense. Of course, she wasn't about to take that so she left and change her name outright to get a clean break from her past. Only a handful of people know what Karin's true maiden name is.

Disclaimer: This story is not Decade's fault. It's Cobray's.

...

There was once a girl named Cattleya who was born in the country of Tristain. The circumstances of her birth were auspicious to some while worrying for others. The reason why was because she was born in the middle of the night when the twin moons of their realm were not present in the night sky. Such a phenomenon was not unheard of but were only documented to occur between half-centuries. To be born under such an omen would certainly raise some eyebrows. However, most were wise enough to keep their opinion to themselves particularly because of the child's parents...especially the mother who brought her into the world.

"Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere..." Her mother declared after cradling her newborn in her arms in silence for several moments. And thus, Cattleya's life began.

...

Cattleya had a father. A man who was both strong and gentle. One who had hair that seemed to have been spun from gold and eyes that made her feel that everything was going to be alright.

"Yes? And what can I do for my little princess today?" Her father asked after noticing the six year old pinkette staring up at him. The man was relaxing in the middle of the garden and drinking tea when the girl found him. He had not noticed her approach or simply did not show that he did and preferred to enjoy his tea.

Her father glanced down at her to get a better look at his daughter after Cattleya did not respond to him. He raised a brow when he saw that the child had a jackrabbit snuggled in her arms.

"He followed me home..." The girl finally answered. The man blinked at her for a moment before smiling.

"I'm certain that he did but why are you carrying him?" The father asked her in good humor. He knew that the girl likely found the animal nearby and quickly became fond of it, his daughter was showing a love towards animals in general recently and thought that this was another example of it.

Cattleya considered the question for a while which was punctuated with a tilt of her head to the side.

"So he wouldn't get tired." The father couldn't help but smile wider at his daughter's answer.

"That is very kind of you then, Cattleya." The man said before lifting his daughter up, bunny and all, and letting her sit on his lap.

"Nobles should always set the example." The young girl said with a confident nod of her head, the action making the rabbit look up to her and try to sniff its captor. Her father simply gave a hearty laugh before idly wondering how many more animals his daughter will befriend until she was satisfied.

...

Cattleya had a mother. A woman who was the embodiment of her virtue and way of life. One who had hair likened to that of pink silk and eyes that never waver no matter what challenges she faced.

"Hold your arm straighter!" Cattleya heard her mother instruct her older sister. The young pink-haired girl exited the manor and found them in the open field behind the estate that her mother and father uses for training purposes. The girl went over a small hill and found her mother and older sister. Her sister was holding her wand in front of her with her right hand while her mother stood beside her.

She had always looked up to her mother even at a young age. The woman who gave birth to her never seemed to be scared or bothered about anything. Her mother did not even seem to be afraid of ghosts or thunderstorms, things that her and her sister have had to deal with on several occasions inside the manor.

Obviously, on an open field and with her pink hair, the young girl stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What are you doing here Cattleya?" Her mother asked after noticing her. The young girl approached her mother and sister after being found out. One thing both sisters quickly learned was that if their mother got their attention, it was usually best to give it.

"I heard you speaking with big sister. I was curious." Cattleya admitted sheepishly while glancing between the ground and her mother. The older woman narrowed her eyes at the child before turning back to the elder sister.

"Continue what you are doing." Her mother instructed and her older sister started waving her wand around in certain patterns. Cattleya couldn't understand why her sister was doing it and why she looked so serious. The young girl reasoned that it must be important if both her mother and her sister were so focused on it.

Karin raised a brow when she saw her Cattleya trying to imitate the casting forms that she was trying to teach her eldest daughter. The child's form was poor and honestly laughable, but even she could not help but admit that Cattleya's willingness was nothing to be laughed at.

"If you will be doing that, you might as well do it properly." Karin suddenly stated before pulling out another wand from her clothes and handing it to Cattleya. The young girl gazed at the wooden stick a moment before taking it into her hands.

The girl felt a slight pain in her head after touching the wand but she didn't mind it at all. After all, she was doing something important alongside her mother and older sister.

...

Cattleya had an older sister. A woman of creativity and tenacity. One with hair that shined like the sun and eyes that were always trying to look for ways to make things better.

"Then I need to cast it like this?" The pink-haired young woman asked as she consulted her sister on the intricacies of casting magic. It was of fortunate coincidence that she shared the same primary element as her older sister. That meant that she could get much needed assistance in casting magic from her.

"There is no reason for you to try to push yourself you know. I'll be home all week so you can take this one step at a time." Her older sister stated with a wave of her hand while adjusting her glasses with the other hand. The young woman frowned at her sister's words. She disliked being treated like she would suddenly shatter into a thousand pieces if she moved the wrong way.

The young woman was never able to attend the magic academy that her mother and older sister did because of certain reasons. Because of it, these are the only times she could get any real instructions on improving her magic.

"I'm fine sister. I won't suddenly collapse after just one spell." She stated with a mild bit of irritation. Her sister gave her a blank look before sighing and putting her hands on her hips.

"Cattleya, you're trying to create a ten-foot tall earth golem." Her older sister countered with a raised brow, thinking her point taken.

"It's still only one spell." The young woman displayed a surprising example of being obstinate. Her sister shook her head before giving out an exasperated sigh before turning around and simply walking away. The young woman was about to walk after her sister when she heard something.

"...earth golem creation that wouldn't put too much burden on the body...enchantments? No, could be detrimental when trying to..." She heard her sister mumble to herself while rubbing her chin with her right hand and staring at the ground while young woman gave out a wistful sigh. Nothing for it then. She decided to simply enjoy the time she had with her sister while she was visiting home. She could worry about casting magic some other time.

...

Cattleya had a younger sister. A girl of surprising depth and determination. One that had hair much like her own and eyes that made her seem ready to take on the world.

"Shouldn't you make sure that you are ready? The carriage that will take you to the academy will be arriving soon." The woman said to her younger sister who had her arms wrapped around her waist.

"But...I want to stay here with you. Why can't you come with me? You can study there too! You haven't gone there to study yet right?" Her younger sister said while refusing to let go of the woman. The seemingly innocent question that her sister posed was one she had asked herself but quickly knew the answer to. A truth that she often wished was just temporary or some sort of bad dream. A truth that seemed to simply persist despite all of her efforts and the efforts of others.

"You know I can't, Louise. Don't worry though. I am certain that you will do just fine." The woman responded in an effort to convince her sister, and herself to a degree, that everything was going to be alright.

"But when I leave...when will I be able to see you again?" Her sister asked a question that seemed both innocent and serious. When indeed? Her older sister quickly found a career in research with the Royal Tristain Department of Earth Magic after she graduated top of her class. Her mother began her legend after graduating from the same school, also top of her class. Would Louise end up the same way? Would her dear sister also find her life's calling after studying at that school? If she did, where would that leave her?

"We will meet again once the time for it is right, of that I am certain." The woman answered, seeming to be far more confident and sure of herself that what she really felt deep down. She knew, once Louise leaves for the Tristain Magic Academy, she will be without both of her sisters for an indefinite period of time.

"I'll be back...the first chance I get, I'll try to return here. I won't let you be alone." She was surprised by the words her younger sister uttered. The reason why she did not want to leave, the reason why she wanted her to go to the academy with her, her motivation why she was determined to come home as soon as she could...was because she didn't want her older sister to be alone.

Cattleya finally no longer could hold back her true feelings after being faced with her sister's honesty. She embraced her younger sister and started sobbing.

"Chii-nee-sama! What's wrong? Are you hurt? Are you ill?" Her sister immediately tried to see what was wrong with her so she could help her. The act made her appreciate her sister even more than she already did.

"I'm fine, Louise. All I ask is that you live your life to the fullest the best way you know how." The woman answered before looking right at her sister with a warm smile.

"Chii-nee-sama?" Her sister called out to her using the pet-name she developed for the woman.

"Promise me this, sister." She said with the same warm smile.

"I will. You can count on me." Her sister answered her request with the same fire in her eyes that the woman have come to admire with her younger sister. She gave her one more hug before sending her off to live her life and grow up into a woman she knew would make her proud.

...

Cattleya had a family.

A father who loved her.

A mother who guided her.

An older sister who worried for her.

And a younger sister who wanted to make her proud.

As she lay there in her bed,flitting between consciousness and unconsciousness, she could recognize her mother and father by her side...never letting go of her hands. Cattleya felt warm yet cold at the same time.

Cattleya was scared.

Cattleya wondered where her two sisters were.

A single tear came out of her left eye as she longed to see both of them again.

Cattleya had a family, and she prayed to all the world for a miracle that would let her continue living with them.

...

Dundunduuun~

I did say that I will try to find situations that Yuka can't just power out of~ 

Also, I finally caved and purchased copy of Disgaea 4. Gods help my soul...


	28. Chapter 24

Author's Notes: Announcements! Not much but I might as well say it here for people who might be interested in such news. For one, my SI story 'Beyond Written Words' will not be continued. As stated at the end of the story itself, it was just an experiment to see how I'd handle an SI story. I knew even back then that if I continue it, it will be a very boring story. On the other hand, Not as Planned will be overhauled and redone because I can't keep using the silly narrator anymore. No mater what I tried, the story will be a much more serious one overall compared to this one and a silly narration style would just mess up the mood something fierce. I am also planning a side-story for this story thanks to the crazy that happened in the third thread of BCWYWF in Spacebattles. I'll work on that next before the Karin story overhaul.

That's it! Please enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: March will break my wallet.

...

"I must admit, the master stroke that you were able to pull of-" My intended compliment on Eleanore's final move was cut off by the sudden descent of my former student.

"That. Was. INSANE!" Cirno immediately exclaimed as she flew back down to ground level moments after the match was settled. Her angle of attack and outstretched arms seemed to indicate that her intention was to-

"Wait! Stop!" Eleanore managed to catch the ice fairy's intention too late as Cirno proceeded fly right into the blonde with a glomping hug. Naturally, such a thing ended up with Eleanore getting knocked back by the fairy before landing on her backside.

"That was freaking brilliant and crazy at the same time! You are the best thing ever!" Eleanore wasn't even able to show her immediate displeasure at being air-tackled by Cirno as my former student started showering the eldest sister with praise. I gave out a small smile, strangely feeling at ease despite my loss. Regardless of how they managed to accomplish the feat, the fact remains that Louise and Eleanore managed to overcome my challenge and defeat me. Speaking of Louse...

"I'll check on Louise. Try not to smother Eleanore too much Cirno, she's had a long night." I reminded my former student before walking back to where Louise was. My master was lying on her back and was completely motionless, both her wands were still in her hands.

"Louise, are you alright?" I asked my master as I got close enough. Her face was in a tight grimace and I could see her body fidgeting every now and then.

"It hurts..." She muttered quietly before opening her eyes to look at me.

"What does?" I asked as I knelt down by her side.

"...everything." She responded before grimacing again.

"I see." I acknowledged. It seemed that Louise pushed herself further than she had done before. Add to that the fact that she should be asleep by now and it was very understandable why her body seemed to be complaining at the time. I placed my hand on her forehead and noted that she wasn't developing a fever at least.

"What happened?" My master finally asked after a few moments of silence between us.

"Eleanore sucker punched me, I was mildly impressed. It was very well thought out and executed. The two of you won. Congratulations, Louise." I explained with a smile, honestly happy that the sisters were able to overcome my challenge at the last moment. I had expected Louise to give me a smile of pure exuberance after finding out about their victory. Instead Louise simply scowled at me making me raise a brow at my master.

"My whole body feels like it's burning too much for me to be happy right now." Louise explained her lack of enthusiasm in her reaction to their win. That was when I heard a tearing sound from behind me.

"What's wrong? Did Louise burn herself out or something?" I heard Yukari say as she leaned out of her newly formed gap by my side.

"I believe so. She was rapid casting her keyword far more times than what she normally could, and that was after all the physical effort she expended from out little match. I assume that you somehow know about what was transpiring here?" I asked the border youkai after taking my hand off Louise's forehead.

"I popped in a while ago while you were dancing around all over the place and Cirno filled me in. I knew that those two sisters would win so I arranged a little something as a small prize from me." Yukari explained before pulling out her fan, opening it, and covering the lower half of her face with it.

"And why did you expect them to be victorious over me?" I asked Yukari in mild curiosity. The border youkai leaned in closer to me before narrowing her eyes at me.

"Because they wanted to win and you didn't." She stated matter-of-factly. I blinked at her words but she cut me off before I could give out a coherent retort.

"And don't try to say something silly like you did not feel like winning. I've fought you when you didn't feel like winning, I know when you end up in that state of mind. This time was different. I could literally feel you not wanting to win. The moment I noticed that, I knew that you will lose." Yukari elaborated further. I see...it seemed that even Yukari could sense that I did not really want to win that match with Louise and Eleanore.

"Hey teach! We have a situation! Looks like Eleanore's hand got busted up after she socked you!" Cirno caught our attention when she called out to me. I turned to her and saw that she was pulling Eleanore to us with her left hand, the blonde's right hand seemed to be shaking and was starting to swell a bit.

"What the founder is your face made of? It felt like I just punched an iron gate!" The eldest sister complained to me as she and my former student got close enough.

"Obviously made up of sterner stuff than your hand." Yukari joked, the lower half of her face still covered by her fan. Eleanore glanced at Yukari before pausing for a moment.

"Who in blazes are you?" The eldest sister asked the border youkai. The woman in question put her fan away and gave Eleanore a confident smile.

"I am Yukari Yakumo, the youkai of borders. I must congratulate you Miss Eleanore, you are the first and only human to ever be able to defeat Yuka Kazami using an unarmed melee attack. Well done." She introduced herself before pointing out the achievement that Eleanore unwittingly accomplished. The eldest sister stared at Yukari for a few more moments before nodding to her.

"I am Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere. I'd like to say that it is a pleasure to meet a...someone like...you...but I'm sleepy, I'm tired, and my hand hurts far too much right now." Eleanore introduced herself as her gaze drifted to the gap that connected Yukari between this part of Mugenkan to the part that was tied to Gensokyo. The border youkai's expression changed from the confident smile to a more mischievous grin after hearing the other woman's words.

"And honest too~! I'm starting to like you almost as much as you little sister~! And on that note, I did say that I arranged a small prize for our victorious duo here." The border youkai said before waving her right hand to the side. Another gap appeared in the air before I heard the surprised yelp of a familiar voice.

"Aaaaah-augh!" One Touya Hakurei grunted after falling out the gap that Yukari made and landing on his backside. The young man made a displeased face before looking at his surroundings.

"Mugenkan huh?" He commented after seeing me and Yukari. His eyes immediately shot open after seeing my master lying on the ground.

"Louise! Hey, are you okay?" Touya called out to her as he stood before going to Louise's side. I briefly wondered why it was that people kept asking if one was okay when they can clearly see that they weren't. During that short tangential thought, Touya had knelt down beside Louise before placing his hand on her head.

"What happened? Was this the reason why you asked if I was busy?" Touya asked as he glanced between me and Yukari.

"Yep. Louise and her older sister here challenged Yuka and won. Unfortunately, they seemed to have come out of it worse that Yuka did. That's where you come in." The border youkai provided, making Touya blink before he finally noticed Cirno and Eleanore nearby.

"There is either a very reasonable, a very absurd, or a very silly explanation for this...or a combination of all three. I'll go along with it for now though so can you please give me some room?" The Hakurei priest requested before taking out some ofuda from within his robes. I nodded and stood up before taking a few steps back. Yukari and Cirno, who was still holding onto Eleanore, followed suit.

"Touya?" I heard Louise call out after she finally noticed the new arrival. The young man gave her a warm smile and a nod even as he started to pour power into the six sleeves of sacred paper.

"Hey there, Louise. Yukari brought me in to patch you up. I'll get you back on your feet in a bit so...try not to go anywhere." Touya explained before pulling out a bit of a jab at Louise's current situation. Instead of getting angry, my master simply tried to laugh at the joke but ended up groaning because of her current discomfort.

"Oops...sorry." The young man said before stepping back and tossing the ofuda in the air. The talismans surrounded Louise in a circular formation and stuck in midair like there was an invisible wall surrounding the girl. Touya put both of his hands forward and muttered an incantation before a white magic circle appeared on the ground my master was lying on.

"Who is that person and what is he doing to the runt?" Eleanore asked from my side. I glanced at the woman and saw that she was practically glaring daggers at the young man. It never ceases to amuse me that Eleanore could care for her sister yet constantly tries to hide it under the guise of apparent hostility. I wondered if it was just how she was brought up by her parents or just the way she personally was when Yukari picked up the question.

"That, dear Eleanore, is Touya Hakurei. That young man holds immense power that hasn't been seen in a human in our realm in approximately five-hundred years. He is also responsible for maintaining order and balance in Gensokyo. He is officially known as the Shield of the Eastern Wonderland...but he has another title as well~" Yukari answered before leading into a topic that has given the young man in question many a headache in recent years. Eleanore narrowed her eyes at the mention of how powerful Touya apparently was.

"So he's strong enough to defeat you in a fair fight?" Eleanore suddenly asked me with a sidelong glance. I considered her question for a moment before nodding.

"Potentially, yes. He has shown the capacity for power that was last seen only by one his ancestors...the one human who has ever defeated me in a straight battle. However, he needs much more training and experience to be able to even match me. Although, due to recent events, I doubt that he would have time for any serious training in." I commented with a shake of my head.

"What are you talking about?" Eleanore asked me with a raised brow.

"Heartcatch Touya~! Now everyone~! Heartcatch Touya~! Let the flowers blo-Mmph!" I purposefully clamped my right hand over Yukari's mouth to stop her from continuing that inane song.

"The lot of you are making less and less sense you know..." Eleanore commented dryly as Yukari tried to pry my hand off her face. Cirno barked out a laugh and decided to answer for the benefit of the eldest sister.

"That's his other title, Hearcatch Touya. Why? Because last we checked, there were at least a dozen women back in Gensokyo who have fallen in love with him. That's counting both humans and youkai by the way...and those were just the ones who have declared to others about their feelings or are about as obvious as the rising sun." The ice fairy explained with a bit of a chuckle.

"So he's popular with women? That's it? His other reputation stems from him romancing multiple females at once?" The blonde asked with a raised brow.

"Oh no. He isn't even trying. He has women falling for him just by him simply being himself. Just imagine how many women would fall if he decides to actually put some effort into it." Cirno clarified with a shake of her head. Indeed, after Touya reached his teenage years, he started inexplicably making various female residents' hearts flutter. I was not one of those victims since I held no interest to that particular emotion.

"To be fair, I don't believe that it was his fault. He simply seems to have a strange kind of charisma when it came to the opposite sex. In the time that I have known him, I can honestly say that he was simply being himself." I added with a shrug. Yukari used this opportunity to finally pry herself free from my grip.

"What can you do? Little Touya simply grew up to be a lady killer~" Yukari added at the end. The entire discussion was both out of the apparent earshot of the person in question and he was too busy with restoring Louise to notice. I blinked when I heard a growl that I could have sworn had come from Eleanore.

"And how long have those two known each other?" the blonde asked through gritted teeth as she once again started to glare at Touya. I was almost certain that the young man flinched a bit at that moment.

"Don't worry, Louise and Touya have only met once before. I doubt that they have had enough time to develop feelings for one another when they've only had a single conversation." I commented with a wave of my hand.

"Don't tempt fate, teach. I know from experience that it has a very consistent way of biting you in the rear when you least expect it." Cirno suddenly countered with a rather displeased expression.

"Are you sure it wasn't because you kept making Remilia upset about something or other?" I shot back with a small smirk. Cirno's brilliantly countered my jab by sticking her tongue out at me. Any further discussion was interrupted by the distinct whistling sound of Touya's spell winding down.

"Whew, that'll do it." The young man declared with a smile before offering a hand to Louise. My master accepted the gesture with a smile before taking Touya's hand.

"How do you feel now?" I asked as the rest of us walked back up to them.

"Better. Still tired but I can move now at least." Louise said with a nod.

"Sorry about that. All I can do is fix whatever physical damage your body may have incured during...whatever it was you were doing. As far as regaining your stamina is concerned, some old fashioned sleep and food is still the way to go." Touya sheepishly admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. Louise merely smiled at him and shook her head.

"No, thank you for healing me. I wouldn't even be able to stand if it wasn't for you." My master responded. The two of them proceeded to smile at one another for a rather long moment. Well, until Eleanore suddenly did a rather deliberate cough that caught everyone's attention.

"So how long do you two plan on holding onto each other's hand like that?" The woman asked, thus showing that she still had the capacity to snark despite her discomfort. Both Louise and Touya blinked at her for a moment, at the same time mind you, before looking down to confirm that they were indeed still holding hands. As expected by now, Louise was the first to react.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Big Sis Eleanore! Touya just helped me up! This doesn't mean anything, I swear!" My master immediately blurted out while releasing her hand from Touya's before holding both of her hands up in the air like thief caught in the act.

"Why is it that your denial just makes you even more suspicious runt? Hmmm?" Eleanore deadpanned before placing her left hand on her hip and leaning forward toward her sister. Touya looked like he wanted to intervene but narrowed his eyes when he saw Eleanore wince. I glanced at the likely cause and it seemed that the woman had inadvertently tried to place her right hand on her hip out of habit. Of course, trying this with a broken hand would inevitably result pain. The Hakurei priest seemed to have come to a similar conclusion because he quickly made his way in front of the eldest sister.

"Where are you hurt?" Touya immediately cut to the heart of the matter while looking up and down Eleanore's form in an effort to track down the cause of the older woman's pain. The woman in question did not seem to have been ready for such a forward question so she was unable to respond immediately. Thankfully, Cirno answered for her.

"Her right hand looks broken after she managed to sucker punch teach in the face. It was awesome. Otherwise, she seems to be okay aside from being tired." The ice fairy provided. Touya nodded at her words and glanced at Eleanore's right hand which was rather swollen now. The young man blinked before giving the blonde woman an incredulous look.

"You punched Yuka Kazami? In the face? How did you do that and live?" Touya asked the woman in question with a completely gobsmacked expression. At this point, Eleanore was starting to get uncomfortable at the situation.

"Wh-wh-what is with all this? I just did what I had to do to win! Punching that man unawares was the only way for us to win at that point! Why is everyone so strung up about it?" Eleanore finally voiced her concern at everyone there. Louise looked like she wanted to just explain just how punching me in the face was so special for a human to be capable of. However, it was Touya who made the next move by gently grasping Eleanore's right forearm so he could get a better look at her hand.

"Wait! What are you-" The woman's protests were cut of when Touya put his other hand over Eleanore's broken one. The soft white glow of a healing spell quickly made itself known as the young man went to work in mending the damage. Since the only real injury that Eleanore sustained was a broken hand, Touya did not need to place a bounded field around Eleanore in order to heal her.

"Yuka Kazami. Ask anyone in Gensokyo about the owner of that name and most would just tell you to stay away from the field of sunflowers. Yuka is one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo and has been since way back before I was born. I've gone up against Yuka a few times and I've only been able to win once...and that was by the skin of my teeth using all the power I had." Touya explained with a smile while keeping his gaze focused on the healing spell he was using. The glow of the spell slowly died out to reveal Eleanore's all healed up.

"To be able to win against Yuka using a punch to the face and getting Yuka to acknowledge that win by that means...that's just something really special. For anyone. Good job." Touya added before giving Eleanore a very warm smile and squeezing her right hand. The eldest sister flinched and started to visibly blush at the gesture. She pulled her right hand away from Touya's grasp before holding it with her other hand.

"Th-th-th-there's no reason to say such things about what I did. I-I-I merely took my chance when the opportunity to strike presented itself." Eleanore quickly stated while folding her arms and looking away from Touya, her blush still very much visible on her face and was actually getting redder.

"Oh boy...and another one goes down. Truly, the power of the Heartcatch is a fearsome one." Cirno muttered with a lopsided grin.

"Hmmm...it's actually a wonder why you haven't become a victim yourself." I commented offhandedly. Cirno just chucked a bit before putting her hands on her hips.

"Please. Touya's like my kid brother. Saying that I might fall for him is like saying that I might fall for Wriggle or Mystia...and that would just be terrible." My former student whispered to me.

"Well anyway...would anyone please tell me what just transpired here? It looked pretty serious." Touya suddenly piped up again while scanning the field where our match took place...completely oblivious to the sideward glances that Eleanore was giving him. I shook my head at the sight before feeling something lean on my back. I turned my head to the source and saw Louise standing behind me and resting her head on my back.

"Tired?" I asked my master.

"Very. Can I stay like this for a while?" Louise asked me back before I felt her hand grab onto my vest as she put more of her weight on my back.

"Sure. We'll wrap up here then we can head back." I responded before turning back to the others. It seemed that Cirno was providing Touya a rather animated account of the match. Considering her vantage point, she should have been able to see everything that happened. Since Louise was using me for support while she rested, I was not able to join in on the conversation but I could still hear them quite well.

"A one hit unlimited pacifist no-flight run...that's...some handicap..." Touya muttered after hearing the conditions I set before the match. The young man shook his head before glancing at me for a moment then turning his attention back to the others.

"I'll say. But it was so teach could level the field enough to let Louise and Elly here have a chance at winning." Cirno added while jabbing her right thumb in Eleanore's direction.

"E-E-Elly? Don't just go changing people's names like that!" Eleanore immediately protested to Cirno's new nickname for her.

"She's right. Besides, you wouldn't want to mix her up with the Elly back home." Yukari pointed out with a grin. Cirno just shrugged in response but didn't seem like she was going to push the issue.

"Anyway. That was pretty much the conditions of the match. Either Louise and Eleanore get a clean hit on teach or he outlasts them without getting hit." My former student drew the conversation back to the main topic at the moment.

"So? What happened? I know nothing about the way the magic system in Louise's realm works, so how'd they manage to keep pressure on Yuka? Even on foot, I'd can't imagine Yuka Kazami as being an easy target." Touya asked, becoming more interested in how the match went, as he placed his right hand on his hip.

"Well, from what I saw and heard, Eleanore apparently used an active channeling spell to strike at teach with stone constructs that popped out of the ground. She made them at a pretty rapid and consistent rate, so it was pretty impressive to watch. Almost as impressive as watching Louise try to keep up with Yuka while all that was happening." Cirno explained what transpired during the first part of the match. Touya took in the information and gave the field another once over.

"That looks like a lot of earth being moved around. How were you able to cast that fast so many times without letting up or losing accuracy?" The Hakurei priest asked the eldest sister with a raised brow. Eleanore blinked at the direct question but recovered quickly before clearing her throat.

"I've developed, or it would be more accurate to say rediscovered, a casting system that allowed one to lace a spell incantation in a deliberate and measured melody. It was the only way I could think of to be able to perform Earth magic to the degree I wanted it to." Eleanore responded with a nod as if explaining the nuances of her unique casting system in a lecture.

"Wait...are you telling me that you created a hymnic spell...for wide area earth manipulation? That is awesome!" Touya exclaimed before taking Eleanore's hands into his own, the action obviously making Louise's eldest sister blush again.

"W-w-w-well...such a casting method obviously has its limitations. Mother had shown me time and again that using song to cast magic would leave me open to all sorts of attacks. I can continuously manipulate and adjust the earth using my spell but I need to keep singing in order to maintain it. If I stop singing, so does the spell." The blonde explained the specifics of her unique casting style while once again adopting a more...lecturing feel in her words.

"Even so, I'd assume that kind of casting style isn't exactly widespread in your realm, is it?" Touya asked good-naturedly and got a nod from Eleanore in response.

"Well then, it's a unique and pretty creative way to utilize the spell system your realm has. Besides, judging by the result of the match, it's pretty effective in the right circumstances." The young man had effectively flipped Eleanore's argument on its head by pointing out the more positive side of the eldest sister's personal innovation. The woman in question simply blinked at the Hakurei priest, apparently unsure of what to make of his honest appreciation of her work.

"D-d-do you honestly believe that such a method is so special?" Eleanore finally managed to find her words once more but she sounded much more...subdued than before. Oh dear, she even had her head tilted downward but her eyes were glancing up so she could still look right into Touya's eyes...and yes, she was still blushing as well. I glanced at Cirno just as she was turning to me as well. Our eyes met and she just gave out a mildly exaggerated shrug. I turned my attention to Yukari and saw that she once again had her fan out and was covered her mouth with it. However, because I was to the side of her, I could clearly see her trying very hard not to suddenly burst out laughing because of this development. I looked back at the two of them and suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling about this situation.

By their victory, all three Valliere sisters have the right to be able to access Mugenkan at will. I'll still need to arrange the means for that but it shouldn't be too hard. However, Yukari has shown that she can just drop Touya in Mugenkan whenever she feels like it. In addition, Eleanore seems to be starting to develop something of an attraction to the young man because of his treatment of her...he also gets along well with Louise and I don't doubt that he would get along with Cattleya as well.

This entire situation almost seems to have been orchestrated by a deviously clever conspiracy. One that would take advantage of the possibility of a romantic bond developing between Touya Hakurei and any, if not more than one, of the three sisters. I would have called this out as a Moriya Shrine Conspiracy but nothing seemed to indicate their involvement in this matter. Besides, last time I heard, Kanako and Suwako had wanted the current priestess of the Moriya shrine to be paired up with Touya instead...one Rise Kochiya, a supremely confident young woman who honestly believes that she is the most powerful human in Gensokyo...until Touya defeated her in a Danmaku Battle a few dozen times. That's what she gets for having someone like Kanako Yasaka as her role model growing up. I once heard that Yukari had shown her support for that particular pairing, reasoning out that it would finally unite the two shrines into a unified family.

Of course, Yukari's version of support for the matter is merely a promise to not interfere with any attempt by the two goddesses to get Rise and Touya together. Meaning that the border youkai promised not to actively be part of nor go against any plans they make. Apparently, she had promised a non-intervention policy when it came to Touya's romantic dealings with anyone from Gensokyo. Yuyuko, Remilia, Kanako, Suwako, and somehow even Eirin made her promise that...I wasn't completely sure why though.

Unfortunately for all of them, Yukari is a master when it came to finding loopholes in agreements to have her fun with. How? Well, Louise and her sisters aren't from Gensokyo, are they?

Of course, it wasn't like I was just going to LET this happen in MY Border of Dreams.

I turned back to Louise after I heard her incoherently mumbling about something I couldn't quite get. I saw that she had somehow managed to doze off while leaning on me. I sighed at the fact that my master was that tired to be able to fall asleep while standing up. I carefully picked her up in my arms before walking toward everyone else.

"Cirno can give you the rest of the details about the match at a more convenient time. However, both Louise and Eleanore need at least some sleep before morning arrives in Halkeginia...especially after everything that has happened thus far." I stated, catching everyone's attention while gesturing to the now sound asleep Louise in my arms.

"Hmph! I didn't expect the runt to have so little stamina. However, I agree about returning since I am also feeling very tired now." Eleanore concurred with my sentiment but only after getting one last jab off.

"Right, have a good rest then. Sounds like you two have really earned it." Touya told Eleanore before finally letting go of the woman's hands. The blonde did not respond but she did look slightly displeased for some reason. I then turned to Cirno in order to get started on that other thing.

"Fill in Touya and Yukari about the details on why this match even happened. Hopefully the three of you can figure out the best way to resolve the issue with Cattleya health." I reminded my former student before walking off to the door that led back to Eleanore's room, Louise in my arms and Eleanore following close behind.

…

"Do you mind taking Louise? I need to shut the door." I asked Eleanore after we entered her room once more. Exiting Mugenkan immediately reverted the clothing of both sisters back to their evening wear that they had on prior to the match. The blonde scowled at me for a moment but took Louise from my arms anyway before walking towards her bed. I turned back to the door to my realm and closed it, making sure that it dematerialized before turning back to the others.

"Hm?" I raised a brow when I noticed that Ruukoto was no longer inside the room. Did something happen while we were away? I was about to try to contact to the gynoid using my 'Hey-Listen' when the door suddenly opened to reveal the gynoid in question.

"Did anything happen?" I asked it immediately just as Eleanore finished tucking Louise into her bed. I was assuming that the eldest sister did that either so her younger sister could get some much needed rest or she found it too much of a bother to send Louise to her own room at this hour.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto reported while I shut the door as quietly as possible. Hmmm...some good news I supposed.

"What is it?" Eleanore piped up as she looked between me and Ruukoto. The woman looked like she was about ready to pass out but I doubted that she was going to budge until she got a straight answer.

"Ruukoto was minding the door from outside just in case anyone decided to check up on you and Louise while we were in Mugenkan. That butler of yours, Gerard, came by to ask if you or Louise needed anything. Ruukoto managed to activate White Noise beforehand and explained that the two of you were already resting and did not want to be disturbed." I responded while indicating toward the gynoid as it continued to stand by the door. Eleanore hummed in acknowledgement but narrowed her eyes at me as if anticipating that there was something more. I gave my own hum of amusement as her intuition proved correct in that regard. I gave out a very small smile as Eleanore continued to show how perceptive she was when she wanted to.

I had a feeling that she and Matilda would either get along well or end up as rivals of sorts because of their comparable intellect and wit. That and the fact that they are both rather impressive Earth Magicians, strange that I had the most fun when facing off against Earth Element Specialists. Kirche and Tabitha weren't really much of a match for me while Wardes was almost a chore to fight against mostly due to his undead status at the time.

"In addition to that, it seems that Cattleya's condition seems to have stabilized. The healers that treated her were able to deal with the worst of it apparently. Although, I assume that this was only a temporary solution to the issue?" I explained before directing the question to both Eleanore and Ruukoto. The gynoid made a motion to reply but was preempted by the blonde who took a step toward Ruukoto and pointed at it.

"Before you say anything, do that thing you do so I can understand you first. That thing with the glowing and the changing of your eye color." Eleanore stated in a commanding tone, though I noted that the volume of her voice was much lower than I expected it to be. I decided not to point that out or ask if she was doing it for Louise's sake. That kind of childishness was more Yukari's thing...and I grew tired of doing that myself a long time ago. The gynoid in question blinked once before turning to me, likely deferring to my judgment since its mistress was currently unconscious.

"Do it. It will save us the trouble of using me as a go-between if Eleanore needs any information from you." I stated with a nod, which Ruukoto returned before activating White Noise.

"Miss Cattleya vital signs have stabilized enough to conclude that she is out of immediate mortal danger. However, please be advised that her overall health has not improved and the rate of organ degeneration is still holding at the previously measured rate. It is logical to assume that similar incidents have happened previously and may happen in the future if cause is not permanently treated. Estimated time until irreversible damage to critical organs remains at three weeks time. Margin of error on estimate is plus-minus five days." Ruukoto reported using its 'motherly voice' so to speak, confirming my suspicions. I turned to the eldest sister and saw that she was biting on her right thumbnail rather hard and had a very displeased expression. Any and all traces of the shy Eleanore that was blushing and stammering in front of Touya Hakurei was completely gone. What remained was the Eleanore that fearlessly questioned the circumstances of my existence and my relationship with her sister. What remained was the woman who challenged me to a match alongside Louise for the sake of their sister despite not knowing what she was getting herself into. What remained was the first and only human to ever manage to get a win over me using a punch to the face. I smiled despite myself when I realized one thing about this woman.

I found myself thinking that I liked this side of Eleanore better...not that I would willingly admit that to anyone of course.

"I would assume that this kind of thing has happened before then?" I questioned Eleanore just to make sure. The blonde nodded without looking at me as she continued to gnaw on her fingernail. She looked significantly haggard despite her fierce expression, clearly displaying her fatigue after what she had just been through. I sighed before walking up to her, raising a brow after she showed no reaction with my approach nor with our subsequent proximity. She didn't seem to even register that I was right there. Eleanore finally showed a reaction when I reached out and gently took her right hand into mine before pulling it away from her teeth. The woman realized what I was doing and glared at me for what I was rather sure were several personal reasons for her.

"What do you think you're doing, familiar?" Eleanore all but snarled at me in a tone of voice that I would normally expect from Karin. I let the obvious shot at me slide since I understood the kind of stress she was going through at the time.

"I merely did not wish for you to accidentally bite into your thumb. At the rate you were going, it was only a matter of time until you would have been subject to a rather unpleasant experience, or so I hear." I explained, remembering the story Cirno told me about that one incident when the fairy maids decided to instigate an uprising in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. My former student was inside the Voile Magic Library when that whole mess started.

At first, she and little Patchouli just thought that it was Marisa doing her runs again. Even after the Ordinary Magician finally ended up marrying that shopkeeper of Kourindou, she still didn't give up any of her old habits easily. That theory fell through after Remilia, Sakuya, and China burst into the library before forcibly closing the door and practically screaming at Patchouli to put up every defensive spell or ward that she knew of to surround the libary with. When the purple-haired magician asked why, with a raised brow, she should need to do such a thing...well, a rather large amount of magic bolts slammed into the door.

Supposedly, The Scarlet Devil had been working the fairy maids beyond their capacity for several months now. Normally the fairy maids just dealt with it solemnly day by day, especially with Sakuya watching over them like a hawk...or a dog as it were. Eventually though, the maids got fed up of their treatment and went on a full on revolt through sheer force of numbers. You'd actually be surprised how many maids were really in that mansion. Also being personally trained by Sakuya means that they were a step up compared to wild fairies.

Eventually, Reimi Hakurei...who had just been recently engaged at the time, found out what was going on and had to fight through the waves upon waves of fairy maids that filled the Scarlet Devil Mansion in a similar way that her mother once did during the red mist incident. Of course, like her mother, she did not go in alone. Unlike her mother though, she was not accompanied by Marisa Kirisame. Instead, Reimi somehow...for some odd reason...requested and acquired the assistance of Reisen Udongein Inaba and Mystia Lorelei. This incident was one of the first that were resolved with the help of those who would eventually make up Cirno's little team, Seventh Heaven.

Incident resolved, crisis mostly averted, things in the Scarlet Devil Mansion went back to relative normalcy. Remilia learned her lesson and treated the fairy maids more like the employees they were supposed to be rather than slaves. Although, it took some convincing by Sakuya and some heavy duty snarking and I-told-you-so's by Patchouli before the Scarlet Devil finally folded and gave the maids a raise, actual days off, and vacation days. Of course, Remilia ended up gnawing at her right thumbnail so hard while the whole mess was going on that she accidentally bit on her own thumb. It was such a stupid and uncharacteristic mistake by Remilia that Cirno ended up laughing when it happened. Patchouli joined her after a few moments, though with her it sounded more like a sly snicker than anything.

"I do not need your concern. I know how to take care of myself, familiar." Eleanore's words snapped me from my reverie before she jerked her hand away from my grasp.

"True enough. However, like Louise, you have been through much this night and require an adequate amount of sleep. I suggest that you do so while you can. We can figure out what to do with Cattleya in the morning." I explained calmly to the eldest sister. Much like Matilda, Eleanore was no fool. She should know that my suggestion was correct and that depriving herself of any more rest will only be detrimental to her in the long run. However...

"You expect me to go to sleep while my younger sister is barely clinging onto her life?" The blonde all but snarled at me. Indeed, when it came to family, humans can be rather irrational and stubborn. Reika Hakurei proved that notion when Aya spread that stupid rumor after Reimu was born. Eleanore was showing that it was a common trait for all humans who had family that they loved.

"Think, Eleanore. Think hard. Ruukoto has already stated that your sister's condition is stable for now. That means that we still have time to do what is needed to treat her. Right now, you cannot do anything more than to get some rest and prepare for the next move. You have already done much and as I promised, the doors to my realm are open to the three of you. I have made sure to have Cirno get Yukari and Touya up to speed on her situation so we can leave the means for her cure up to them." I responded as I put myself in front of her and placed my hands on her shoulders. I gently but firmly started to guide her backward to her bed. Thankfully, Louise was placed on the other side so there was no fear of Eleanore falling on top of my master.

"Rest now. We have much yet left to do before Cattleya can be fully treated. For now, savor your victory and sleep. Ruukoto and I will keep an eye on Cattleya's condition in the meantime." Eleanore finally relented and sat back down on her bed before looking up at me. Her expression betrayed her fatigue and her anxiety but her eyes never lost that fire that she had when she challenged me earlier. I smiled at her before gently removing her glasses before placing it on her desk. Eleanore scowled at me for doing that without her permission but looked away after a moment, her face showing a hint of pink, before tucking herself into her bed for the night.

"Where will you and the maid sleep?" Eleanore asked without turning to me or Ruukoto.

"Ruukoto does not need to sleep. I wasn't really planning on sleeping either, so we will both remain up for the duration of the night." I replied with a noncommittal wave of my hand. That drew out a surprising reaction from the eldest sister. I blinked at her when she suddenly gave out a bark of a laugh that I would normally expect from other people...certainly not her. Eleanore turned to face me as if sensing or anticipating my reaction.

"Not wanting to have to deal with those questions you mentioned before?" Eleanore asked, throwing back to our encounter in the gardens before Cattleya collapsed. I was mildly surprised that she was able to remember that little quip of mine after all that transpired afterward. The woman seemed to take my silence as a 'yes' since she decided to continue.

"I'm not sure what you're dealing with or why you keep avoiding those questions of yours. If you are really avoiding them, then they can either just be annoying and not worth your time as you said, or they are questions you don't have answers...or they hit too close to home and just don't want to acknowledge the answer you arrive at." She inferred before turning away from me again.

"If the reason why you avoid those questions is not the first, then I suggest that you stop trying to run away from the problem. Deal with it as soon as you can before it's too late and ends up blowing in your face." The woman stated matter-of-factly. I scoffed at her words. A human woman who I've only known for less than a week telling me what to do when it comes to an issue between me and my subconscious self? Laughable.

"I would if I had a suitable reply to them. The questions that were posed to me are not so easy to confront or answer." I retorted with a bit of an edge to make sure she realizes that her council in that matter was not needed. Eleanore responded with a a soft snort before shaking her head a few times.

"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy to obtain. Good night, familiar." Was her parting shot before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

"Fuga." I heard Ruukoto state from behind me. I sighed before turning to the gynoid who was once again doing an impression of a piece of furniture as it stood motionless against a wall.

"Yes, I realize that she was able to get the last word in." I responded before shaking my head one more time and walking up to the large window that adorned the eldest sister's room. I looked up at the twin moons of this realm and suddenly felt like this whole thing somehow involved them.

"Ridiculous." I muttered before turning back to the bed when I heard the sheets getting ruffled around. I raised a brow and gave a small smile when I saw Louise moving around until she was clinging onto her older sister like a pillow. Eleanore visibly frowned but instead of pushing my master away, she just adjusted herself until both sisters were embracing each other. I blinked when I noticed Ruukoto standing at the bedside and was staring at the two sisters. I initially wondered what it was doing but I managed to figure it out after a moment.

"So you were able to record this little moment?" I asked with an amused smile as I folded my arms and leaned back.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto responded with a nod before walking back toward the corner of the room it was previously at.

Hm, High-Definition Pictures and Video at Twelve-Eighty-Thousand-P resolution. Not bad. Should be amusing to show the sisters or Cirno at a later date. We just have to make sure that Cattleya will be among those that will be able to see this little scene in the future.

...

The morning that followed wasn't really the brightest that Louise had ever experienced. Gerard alerted us that breakfast was served a little past dawn. Timely for such a meal, however, it turned out that all the events that transpired last night ate up much more time than we had originally expected. Because of this, Eleanore and Louise only had roughly around four hours of sleep or less. Now normally, Louise takes a bit to be able to wake up after a full night's sleep. Getting her to wake up while she was in that state was a tiresome affair to say the least.

Thankfully, Eleanore was much more used to functioning with limited amounts of sleep, likely a product of her profession or something. In any case, the eldest sister was able to wake up and get dressed...after kicking me out of the room for a few minutes.

"Familiar! Get in here and help me wake up the runt!" The blonde hissed at me after opening the door to her room. The woman was once again wearing a white long-sleeved blouse accompanied with a beige skirt. Well, it wasn't like I had any room to talk when it came to range in clothing. I looked inside the room and saw Louise sprawled on the bed rather contently despite this not being her own room.

"You already know my name. Would it be such a blow to your pride for you to address me with it?" I asked Eleanore in passing before entering the room. I did not hear any reply but I was certain that the woman was now glaring at me rather heartily. I ignored the feeling and walked up to Louise, who was oddly sporting a rather stupid grin. I raised a brow at the odd sight since I normally see Louise in Mugenkan whenever she was asleep. What ever could she be dreaming about?

"Yuka~...Emi~lio~...Matilda~n...Amph~" My master mumbled in her sleep before she grabbed a pillow and started chewing on it. What the blazes was she dreaming about?

"My pillow!" Eleanore exclaimed before trying to pull her pillow out of her sister's grasp. If I wasn't bearing witness to it at that moment, I probably wouldn't believe it if someone described the current scene to me. Eleanore was finally able to pry her pillow from Louise's grasp after performing something akin to a soft battlecry. My master started grabbing around the air with a displeased expression after her sister relieved her of her inedible morning snack.

"Hmmm...someone stole my Yuka-bun..." Yuka...bun? I immediately concluded that any dream wherein Louise consumes any kind of food-based representation of myself needed to end. Now.

Since my master refused to wake up despite her sister's best efforts, I decided to perform a means of waking her up that worked the first time she asked me to wake her up. I reached out with my left hand and pinched her nose to cut off her airflow. The effect was as immediate as it was the first time as Louise's expression quickly turned sour before she finally woke up in a gasp of surprise.

"Agwaaah!" Louise suddenly yelled out. I managed to release my grip on her nose and back away a step a split second before she gasped for air. I was about to check on Louise when I felt something smack on the back of my head.

"What the founder are you doing to my sister?" Eleanore yelled from behind me. Somehow I felt like something like this had happened before.

"I was waking her up." I responded simply. The strike didn't hurt by any means so there was no real need for me to be offended by such a gesture or sisterly concern.

"Wha...Yuka? Bis Sis Eleanore?" Louise muttered out loud from her still very sleepy state. She was probably wondering why she could hear us even though she just woke up. I wouldn't be surprised if her brain hadn't caught up enough with her yet to realize where is was at the moment and what happened last night.

"Time to wake up runt! Get up! Get to your room! Get dressed! Get ready for breakfast! I don't care how sleepy you are, I am not going to take another lecture about punctuality from mother because of you! Here!" Eleanore ranted to her still mostly asleep sister as she pulled my master out of her bed before, in a show of surprising upper body strength, tossed Louise right at me. The distance and height of the toss wasn't really much of a distance and height...and Louise wasn't exactly heavy...but the fact that Eleanore would be willing to manhandle her sister that easily was quite the eyebrow raiser.

"Wha-augh!" Louise gasped before grunting after I caught her in midair. I set her down and saw that Louise was blinking dumbly, probably still unsure of what was happening. I turned back to Eleanore and saw her hands on her hips and was glowering at us again.

"Well don't just stand there staring at me like a monkey, go!" Eleanore yelled at us. Louise winced at the voice volume that her sister was able to throw around. I simply shrugged before taking Louise by the hand and leading her to the door. Ruukoto was already there and was holding said door open for us. I let the gynoid go through first along with my master before starting to close the door. I stopped midway when I remembered something. I opened the door a bit wider again and looked inside to see Eleanore still glaring at me. I ignored it and smiled at her.

"Good morning by the way." I stated before finally closing the door.

...

Breakfast at the Valliere manor that day was a rather quiet affair. When we arrived, Karin, Eugene, and Eleanore were already seated. The two parents were already eating while Eleanore was finishing up her preparations for the meal.

My master was still rather groggy even after we got back to her room and had her change out of her evening wear. She was wearing a simple white blouse and black skirt along with matching shoes. Simple and similar to her usual school uniform, albeit with a longer skirt, but it was the first thing Ruukoto managed to grab for Louise to change into. We didn't have time to go through Louise's three wardrobes and find something for her to wear, so Ruukoto just used the clothes that Louise had packed in her luggage while I undressed my master. I understood that, from the way Eleanore seemed to critical about it earlier and they way Karin reacted to Louise's lateness from her summons the day before, the Duchess was a bit of a stickler when it came to schedules. Louise didn't need any added stress to what was already there, so I made sure to get her ready as soon as possible. Once ready, Louise led us to a large balcony that overlooked the gardens where the rest of her family were being served breakfast. Well...most of them. My master took a step forward to greet her family.

"Good morning mother, father, Big Sister Eleanore..." Louise trailed off when she noticed that Cattleya wasn't among the people that were already seated for breakfast. I also noted the lack of a middle sister there and glanced around to see if she just stepped away from a moment. Nothing. I turned back to the occupants of the breakfast table and found that Karin had stopped eating and was staring at Louise with narrowed eyes. My master seemed to have noticed this and flinched before lowering her head.

"...and I apologize for not arriving to breakfast earlier. I humbly ask for your consideration." Louise continued the line of dialogue that she had intended to say before she noticed the absence of her sister. Karin continued to simply stare at her youngest daughter without any response to my master's words. Eugene seemed content to continue his breakfast as if the small standoff between his wife and youngest daughter was not happening. Eleanore was staring intently at her eggs and bacon without actually starting to eat her meal yet. Despite her focus on her food, her expression betrayed her tension to the current situation despite her visible effort to conceal it.

I gave a sidelong glance to Ruukoto to see if the gynoid was considering intervening in this situation since Karin was basically performing a psychological attack on its mistress. Interestingly enough, the gynoid made no move nor showed any visible reaction at all. Louise on her part did not seem to be tensing up as much as Eleanore was. I could sense that she was nervous and worried but she was not freaking out or cowering at the moment. I found out why when Karin finally closed her eyes and picked up her cup of what I assumed was tea.

"Be seated and eat." The Duchess stated without giving any further acknowledgement of her daughter. My master did what she was told and sat down on the only available seat left at the table. Obviously, this meant that Ruukoto and I were in a standing room only as far as anyone else was concerned. Their meal continued in silence as Louise and Eleanore tried to act as normally as they could by eating their breakfast. Ruukoto and I were standing side by side behind Louise and I could tell the anxiety that both sisters were feeling. After all, their sister is not at the breakfast table even after they finally have a chance to treat her condition after overcoming a challenge that most others in their realm would have failed at. It seemed that their parents noticed the same as I saw them share a glance before Karin closed her eyes and continued eating.

"Cattleya's condition has improved but she is still too weak to leave her bed. The servants were arranged to serve her breakfast and to attend to all her needs until she regains her strength." The Duke stated matter-of-factly while looking between her two daughters at the table. As if on cue, both Louise and Eleanore gave out a sigh of relief at the same time. After that, both sisters seemed to have been able to enjoy the rest of their breakfast.

"So? What do you think of the conditions surrounding the coalition forces?" Karin suddenly asked her husband, eliciting a raised brow from the Duke. The man put down his cup of tea and closed his eyes before humming and stroking his still-striking mustache. I also noticed that Louise seemed to have stopped eating and wasn't moving anymore.

"The Pope has given his full support on the proposal made by Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta. Gallia and Germania have also agreed to the terms provided that they were given a health donation of Wind Stones from Albion once the Kingdom was returned to the rightful heir. In fact, they all seemed to be ready to finally make a first move to test the border defense of Albion." Eugene stated contemplatively. I see, so Wales and Henrietta were finally able to gain enough support from the other countries to try to take back Albion from Cromwell. I saw Louise visibly relax and continue eating after hearing that news. If all goes well, Cromwell should be taken care of without any personal effort on our part. Louise and I already told the two royals about the Water Ruby and the agreement we had with the Embodiment of Water and they agreed to return the treasure should their forces be able to retrieve it from the man. Finally, things were actually going our way for once so none of us needed to be involved in any more incidents over there. All we had to do now would be to find a way to be able to get Cattleya into Mugenkan safely for treatment and wait for Matilda to return from whatever she was taking care of after we go back to the Academy.

I allowed myself a smile at the thought of everything going relatively well compared to all the hectic things we had to deal with before.

"I asked you what you think of all that, not what everyone else thought of it." Karin suddenly said while giving her husband a flat stare. Eugene for his part seemed to have noticed his mistake and tried to cover up his embarrassment with a cough.

"Indeed. Well...I'm not against taking back Albion from the hands of that madman. If what the Prince and the Princess were saying were true, along with the reports of the survivors of the battle for Tarbes were accurate...along with your own account on the events that day...it seems certain that it would be in everyone's best interest to remove such threats from Halkeginia." Eugene appended his previous statement with his own personal opinion on the matter. It seemed that the Duke had gotten wind of what happened at Tarbes from both the military reports as well as her wife's testimony...which would likely mean that he knows of our involvement there. My master seemed to have come to the same conclusion as she once again tensed up at the mention of Tarbes.

"But..." Karin added, continuing to push her husband. Eugene seemed to have given up on whatever verbal match he and his wife were currently engaging themselves in and just let out a defeated sigh.

"But the Germanians tried to do a preemptive raid with a small elite force of soldiers consisting of both nobles and commoners. They were some of the best that the Germanians had and their Emperor and Generals believed that they will be able to take Saxe Gotha using a small unit of elites. They grossly underestimated what Albion had waiting for them." Eugene added after getting the prompt from his wife. Louise's father then gave out a contemplative hum before steepling his fingers in front of him.

"Eighteen of the twenty members of Germania's Elite Schwarzer Hase were eliminated by a single opponent." The Duke stated in a resigned manner. That got everyone's attention. Both Louise and Eleanore were staring at their father with their own expressions of surprise. Karin simply gave out a acknowledging hum at her husband's words but gave no visible signs of any other reaction. I had no idea who those Schwarzer Hase were and how good they allegedly are, but it seemed that they had a bit of a reputation to their collective name.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto whispered barely audible to even my hearing. However, it seemed that the gynoid knew about that special unit from the books in the Tristain Magic Academy's library. Why the academy had books about an elite military task force of another country? I didn't really know or care. Regardless, it seemed that the Schwarzer Hase, translated as Black Hares, were a special unit that a previous Emperor of Germania formed back when that country and Tristain had a less than friendly relationship. Because Germania apparently had the lowest ratio of magicians to commoners in Halkeginia, several members of that unit could not cast any form of magic. Thus, they needed to be a bit more...creative in fighting the more magic-inclined armies of Tristain. A mixture of magicians and commoners made up the unit and used stealth, training, teamwork, and cunning to overcome superior foes to great success. From Karin's reaction, it was not out of the realm of possibility that she had encountered them before.

"Were the survivors able to identify the assailant?" Eleanore was the one who asked that after the table went silent for a while. Eugene nodded before considering his words for a moment.

"The ones who made it out alive were able to identify the attacker as female. She had short green hair that was mostly covered with a jester's hat that had a symbol of the sun on it. Her face was equally obscured by a black jester's mask that also had the symbol of the sun on it. The woman was wearing a blue blouse with a yellow ribbon on the chest. She also had a blue skirt that was addorned with several symbols of the crescent moon and stars. One survivor managed to get close enough to identify a black choker on her neck as well. The attacker was wielding a steel chained staff that had a large crescent on one end as a focus. The strange thing about the report was that the attacker commanded advanced Earth Magic, at least Square-Class, as well as being able to create bolts of yellow light from the staff. However, they could not identify if she was using fire magic or something else entirely." The Duke answered with a rather detailed account to the apparent identity of the mystery attacker. He and Karin seemed to be discussing with Eleanore pitching in every now and then. However, anything after Eugene's initial description might as well have been background noise. I was too busy trying to make sense of what Louise father just said.

Aside from hair length, hat, and mask...Eugene just gave out an accurate description of how Mima looked like down to her chained crescent staff. But there was more. I almost wanted to call it since it would have explained where the Evil Spirit went after the events of Mystic Square. However...in addition to dressing and being equipped with most of Mima's gear, the mystery magician also seemed to be rather versed in using Earth Element Magic.

As far as I knew, Mima didn't know of any Earth based spells. She always simply used spells derived from raw magic like what Marisa used before she started weaponizing love, which makes sense since Mima was Marisa's old teacher.

A green haired magician that was very skilled at earth magic that was wielding Mima's staff and protecting Albion territory.

I had a very bad feeling about that...and based on how Louise suddenly turned to me with an almost horrified expression, she seemed to have arrived at the same suspicion as I since there was only one woman that we knew of that fit the bill.

As impossible as it seemed...there was a chance that the person that the Schwarzer Hase encountered was the person Louise and I have been patiently waiting for the return of. My expression tensed visibly as I considered the possibility.

"Matilda..." I hissed quietly, only loud enough for Ruukoto and Louise to hear. My master returned to eating her breakfast with much more fervor while the gynoid simply closed its eyes and continued it vigil behind its master.

Lovely...just what we needed on top of Cattleya's condition.

...

Please R&R!


	29. Chapter 25

Author's Notes: Yeah…been a while huh? March was nowhere near a productive month for me. Tales of Graces F is tons of fun for me though. This is pretty much the rest of Louise's stay in her home. Next chapter will have everyone back at the Academy to finally move the plot along. Because of that, this is probably the second longest chapter I have written for this fic…and all of it is talking and character interactions. Heh.

Also, some more reviews would be most appreciated~

Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Must. Farm. More. SP.

...

"Louise, panicking about this won't solve anything. You should know this already." I reminded Louise as she paced around her room in a rather brisk manner while clutching Emilio close to her chest. The blatant worry that marred her face was caused by the unexpected piece of news that her parents discussed earlier at breakfast. My master had excused herself from the breakfast table as soon as she finished her meal before almost dragging both Ruukoto and myself back to her room. Judging from the looks that her parents and Eleanore gave her, none of them understood why Louise suddenly retreated like that. Although, from the disapproving look that Karin gave her youngest daughter, Louise might hear about it later from her mother at length.

"Panicking? Who's panicking? I'm not panicking? Why should I be panicking?" Louise stammered in response while continuing her march around her room as she pulled and squeezed on her stuffed lion plushie, likely from the stress.

"Just because father mentioned an Earth Mage that literally almost fit Matilda's description. Just because father mentioned that said Earth Mage was prancing around Albion. Just because father mentioned that said Earth Mage was openly defending Albion soil from intruders. Just because said Earth Mage apparently killed over a dozen members of the best military strike team that Germania has. I'm not panicking at all, Yuka! Why should I be panicking if Matilda might just be in Albion and using her magic against other people while garbed and equipped like that evil spirit friend of yours! There is clearly no need to panic about something like that!" Louise continued and built up momentum for her rant until she was practically screaming at me. I put a stop to that and prevent any further bouts of hysteria by walking up to her and grabbing her shoulders before shaking her once.''

"Louise! Calm down, you are better than this!" I stated to her in all seriousness and a small bit of annoyance.

"But...!" Louise tried to counter but I simply put my right hand up to interrupt her before she gathered steam for another round of crazed declarations.

"But we don't know if that person referred to in that report really is Matilda. It is not impossible that those Germanian soldiers encountered someone else out there." I pointed out to calm her down. I just hoped that I was not merely deluding myself with my own words. Louise still did not look convinced. No, she still looked very scared at the moment. Scared at the possibility that the person that fought and killed those humans really might be Matilda. Scared of what that could mean for the former thief. Scared about the ramifications of such a possibility.

"Yuka, I don't know of any other Earth Mage that can do anything like that aside from Matilda, Headmaster Osmond, and my sisters. And, out of all of them, Matilda is the only one that has green hair." My master deduced the cause of her fears. I sighed before making a counter-argument.

"Matilda hates the Nobles currently in charge of Albion more than any other human I know of, especially considering its current ruler. There is no way she would willingly cooperate with them, you know this." I stated back to her but Louise merely shook her head and gave me a worried expression.

"Willingly...what if they found out about what happened after she tried to steal the Staff of Destruction? What if they threatened Matilda's sister and those orphans again? What if...what if...it's even worse this time?" Louise asked me questions she knew I did not have answers to, all the while slowly sinking back into her personal pit of despair. I was not able to respond to her inquiries since I really did not have any answers to give her. All signs given so far pointed to Matilda being the perpetrator of the deed.

"What ever happend to that evil spirit? The one Yukari said that used to haunt the Hakurei Shrine and fought alongside you against the demons?" Louise asked me in a subdued voice. I blinked at the sudden and unexpected request for an impromptu history lesson. I considered her questions before responding.

"I don't really know. Mima never returned to Gensokyo with us after that incident. Even Marisa did not know what happened to her teacher after the battle. In fact, the last time I saw her was when she and Marisa opted to stay behind in order to face Alice and her sisters and asked Reimu and I to go on without them. To this day, I have no idea what happened to her." I answered. That one point unnerved me a great deal but I made sure not to show it. Unfortunately, it seemed that Louise was either expecting that response or simply picked up on it.

"Then it's possible that Mima could have ended up here then, right?" My master asked me.

"I...am not certain..." I admitted while closing my eyes. I could have simply waved it off as being impossible. Unfortunately, the fact that both Ruukoto and a Kappa-made Rawket Lawnchair managed to arrive here in the past countered that line of thought almost immediately. To say nothing of my own presence in this realm after Louise summoned me as well. If they were able to get here, who knows what else...or who else. Something that I will seriously need to talk to Yukari about later to be sure.

"What...what do we do, Yuka?" Louise asked me...pleaded to me in a manner not unlike how she did when asking for help in regards to Cattleya's condition. Speaking of...

"For the moment, we need to focus on saving your sister from a slow but very certain death. Everything else can wait after that. I will speak to Yukari about the possibility of Mima slipping into Halkeginia after the events on Mystic Square. In the meantime, you can ask Henrietta or Wales about more specific information about that Mysterious Earth Magician once they return from Romalia." I reminded my master before suggesting a plan of action for the new issue we might end up having to deal with. Honestly, it's one thing after another with this realm. Is it so hard to ask for at least a month of peace and quiet? No, is it so hard to ask for all these silly incidents to stop altogether? I had to hold in a sigh at the thought that this may have been the blowback of my original desire for a new life that was no longer boring. What better way to relieve boredom than to pile up problems one after the other so one wouldn't even have time to get bored?

"Right...we need to focus on Chii-nee-sama first. If Matilda really is the one that was mentioned in that report, then all we need to do is to save her, right?" My master answered, slowly regaining some of her composure. I let go of her shoulders, confident that Louise had at least calmed down enough to be able to think clearly again. I was considering what we should do next when someone started knocking on the door.

"Runt, it's me! We need to talk. Open this door at once." Eleanore's muffled voice came from the other side of the door, changing from her quiet and subdued demeanor in front of their parents and back to her usual personality. Ruukoto, who was once again imitating a piece of furniture by not moving from the spot it stood at when it entered the room, walked up to the door before opening it for Eleanore.

"Fuga." Ruukoto greeted the blonde before moving away to give Eleanore room to enter. The eldest sister nodded in acknowledgement, likely understanding the gist of the message that the gynoid wanted to convey, before entering Louise's room. The blonde glanced between her sister and I before adjusting her pointy glasses.

"Is there something that I should know about?" Eleanore asked us with her hands on her hips. I briefly considered telling Eleanore about what Louise and I discussed before deciding against it. I did not think that it was something that Eleanore should worry about nor something she would likely even care about.

"Nothing particularly important. Are you here to discuss something to Louise?" I waved off the point of concern before changing the subject. Eleanore narrowed her eyes at me for a moment before giving out a huff and turning to her sister.

"Yes. We have a problem, runt. Mother and father confined Cattleya to her room and no visitors are allowed aside from them and the healers." The blonde quickly went back to the matter at hand. I assumed that she had tried to visit her sick sister after breakfast, which was why she found out about the newest complication to our plans. I glanced at my master and saw her stare at her older sister in shock before once again adopting an expression of worry.

"The way you speak of it, I assume that there are guards posted outside her room?" I asked while folding my arms and leaning back. Eleanore nodded at my words before sighing and running her right hand on her hair.

"Yes. This is still the residence of a Duke's family. Mother personally oversaw the selection and training of the manor's security. They are good at their job, very good. Likely a match for the Royal Guards themselves in the Royal Palace at the capital. I can probably sneak past them anywhere else in the manor at night but I have no way of getting inside Cattleya's room without alerting the guards with the way they are posted." Eleanore bitterly stated before she started biting on her right thumbnail in obvious irritation.

"That would be troublesome..." I muttered in agreement. The main thing that we need to accomplish now would be to get Cattleya into Mugenkan first. Based on the situation right now though, it seemed like the fastest way for that to happen is if I create a door in the middle sister's room that led to my border of dreams.

"Can't we just ask mother and father for permission?" Louise asked her sister. Eleanore stared at my master like she was some sort of idiot before giving out an audible sigh and shaking her head.

"Are you even listening to what you're saying? Tell me, runt? How are you going to ask permission to mother and father for what we intend to do?" The blonde asked Louise as she waved around her right hand to further emphasize the point she was trying to make.

"Are you going to just walk up to them and say: Excuse me mother and father, we may have a way to be able cure Cattleya but it involves taking her to my familiar's pocket dimension and have one of his inhuman friends try to figure out what is causing her illness and fix it. Yes, that does mean that we know what is happening to her body but not the cause nor the reasoning behind it." The eldest sister continued before walking up to Louise and pinching both of her cheeks. Predictably, my master closed her eyes and started flailing her arms around in reaction to the pain.

"Do you have ANY idea how much trouble we'd be in if you did that? We'd be lucky if mother doesn't disown us before handing us over to the church for heresy! Mother and father CANNOT find out about this!" Eleanore concluded while deliberately emphasizing the need for both of their parents to remain in the dark in regards to our plans. Louise weakly nodded in agreement after her sister's masterful display of skill when it came or making persuasive arguments. Eleanore finally let go of my master and turned her gaze toward me instead. She walked up to me and I almost thought that she would try the same method of persuasion on me as well. Thankfully, she simply opted to put her hands on her hips before glaring at me.

"Fami-I mean...you realize the gravity of the situation, right...Yuka?" Eleanore finally said to me, glancing away as she said my name. I couldn't help but give out a small smile at the oddly shy gesture.

"You don't need to feel embarrassed for saying my name so casually, Eleanore." I commented, earning a predictable glare from the woman. I ignored the impotent rage she was directing toward me and continued.

"However, you provide a very valid concern. Tell me, is it standard procedure for guards to be posted around Cattleya's room whenever her illness strikes?" I went back to the issue at hand and asked both sisters. The two of them blinked at me before looking at each other and turning back toward me.

"No...this is the very first time that the manor's guards were assigned to secure Cattleya's room. Yes, she was confined and visitors were generally discouraged from entering her room until she recovered enough but..." Eleanore trailed off as she started rubbing her chin with her right hand while glaring at the carpeted floor.

"That's right...why would mother and father assign guards around Chii-nee-sama's room?" Louise wondered as well after finally realizing how odd the situation really was. I had an idea as to why but...

"I may know why but..." I started before looking at Ruukoto. The gynoid caught my gaze and blinked at me, a silent inquiry as to why my attention shifted to it.

"White Noise. Ruukoto, what are the chances that the reason why the Duke and the Duchess assigned guards around their second daughter's room is because of me?" I told it to use White Noise for both Louise and Eleanore to understand its words, ignoring the gasp from Louise and the questioning gaze of her older sister. My master may have started to become proficient at discerning the general meaning behind the gynoid's untranslated words, but Eleanore was not...and I don't think that even Louise would be able to pick up everything Ruukoto might say for this conversation. The gynoid nodded in acknowledgement before shifting to its White Noise mode.

"Probability of the situation transpiring to the outcome due to your presence was infinitesimal until the previous statement of Mistress Louise and Miss Eleanore." The gynoid admitted as it began its response, getting the full attention of the two sisters.

"But..." I trailed off, urging Ruukoto to continue.

"However, in light of new information provided, the probability of such a possibility increases by a tremendous margin. Enough so that it can now be argued that there is approximately an eighty percent chance that Duchess Valliere's perception of Yuka Kazami is the cause of the current situation. A twenty percent margin of error was provided for possible unknown elements that have yet to be confirmed." Ruukoto reported. So, aside from factors that may or may not even exist, my presence here is likely the entire reason for all the guards around Cattleya's room.

"But why? I understand that you're not exactly human but I don't think that you would be a threat to Cattleya, would you?" Eleanore asked me with a raised brow and a sideward glance.

"Indeed. Normally one would assume that I would have to reason to become hostile toward a family member of Louise. Especially one she treasures as much as Cattleya. Although..." I concurred with Eleanore's reasoning before trailing off.

"The Tarbes incident is likely the cause of the irregular caution that the Duke and Duchess are showing." Ruukoto stated in a tone of certainty. I hummed thoughtfully at the fact that the gynoid reached the same conclusion I did. Granted, there was little else that anyone could use to reason out why Karin and Eugene seemed to have put the manor security on high alert after Cattleya's fit. I glanced at Louise after my master let out an 'urk' after hearing her gynoid's words and saw that her sister was now glaring at her.

"Tarbes. It looks like everyone knows about what happened at that place aside from Cattleya and I for some reason..." The blonde stated in a mildly menacing tone of voice as she glared at her youngest sister.

"And now...that is apparently the reason why we can't even see Cattleya inside her own room right now." Eleanore continued. Louise finally realized the threat to her person that her sister posed and tried to perform evasive action. Too bad that her eldest sister could apparently dim her reaction time to great success through sheer force of intimidation. It was actually somewhat interesting to witness in real-time. The blonde managed to reach out with her right hand and grab the back of her sister's head just as my master was about to dodge it.

"No escape. No changing the subject. No evasive answers. Now, runt, you will tell me everything that happened at Tarbes that you people keep talking about. Is. That. Understood. Little. Sister?" Eleanore told Louise with the same kind of sickeningly sweet smile that Sakuya sometimes uses when dealing with idiots. Amusingly, like the vampire's head maid, Eleanore was also giving out generous proportions of hostile intent at the same time. Obviously, Louise could only nod as a sign that she had resigned to her fate.

Well, this promised to be a rather heartwarming discussion.

...

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Eleanore roared out as she continued to chase her youngest sister around the room. Thinking back, I supposed that this was the most obvious outcome that could have happened in that kind of situation.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong!" Louise yelled back. More as a desperate attempt to reason her way out of the trouble she currently found herself in.

"Didn't do anything wrong? Do you have any idea how many times you could have DIED out there?" The blonde shot back, coming short of her attempt to grab my master by the arm.

The current cat and mouse game between Eleanore and Louise got started after the two sisters sat down to discuss what happened at Tarbes. Apparently, the eldest of the Valliere sisters wasn't too happy to hear that her youngest sister was deeply involved in an incident where Albion attempted to invade their country via the sheer superiority of their famed armada.

She continued the trend of becoming unhappy after she found out about what happened to Viscount Wardes. It seemed that Necromancy was not completely unheard of in this realm after all. However, the practitioners, as well as the means used with which they brought the dead back to some semblance of life, were all destroyed around a thousand years ago by a movement started by a previous Romalian Pope. Even Eleanore herself only knew about the craft after she stumbled upon a book that had detailed logs about that time period.

The fact that Louise's former fiance was turned into an undead monster by the Albion forces struck a nerve with the blonde. Eleanore stated that it was an insult to any and all proper practitioners of this realm's magic to defile the sanctity of the cycle of life. Moreso, the eldest sister took it as a personal insult as a researcher when I pointed out the possibility that the whole reason why the Albion forces were even able to do that in the first place was because of a single artifact that was stolen from a divine spirit.

"I didn't have any other choice! Tarbes would have been completely destroyed if the Albion Armada got through our fleet!" Louise responded, this time turning to face her sister and holding her ground.

"There was no way I was just going to let that village be destroyed and let those innocent people die! Not after I found out about it!" My master added, showing the same conviction she showed me when she asked me to help her protect Tarbes. Her motivation for doing what she did, her own sense of honor, and the desire to help those she could managing to override even her fear of her eldest sister.

"So you went there thinking that you could do something that the entire Tristain Fleet couldn't?" Eleanore pointed out a very valid flaw in my master's argument. Normally, such a concern was normal considering who my master was. However, her situation was far from a normal magician now.

"I had Yuka and Ruukoto with me along my friends from the academy! Besides, the Princess showed up with a detachment of soldiers too!" Louise countered but her words did not hold as much conviction as it did before.

"And you thought that two of your servants and a bunch of meddling kids would make any difference in that kind of situation?" Eleanore made her counter-point, a valid and logical one as well. It was odd but Ruukoto and I found ourselves turning our heads back and forth between the two sisters as they continued their verbal match.

"But we did make a difference! We helped with the evacuation while Yuka and Ruukoto kept Tarbes safe from any attacks! What does it matter to you anyway? You never cared about what I did before, so why do you care now?" Louise all but screamed at her sister with her eyes shut tight. Those words were likely not the best things she could have said to her sister considering the look of rage on Eleanore's face.

"You dare-!" The blonde displayed her dismay by stepping forward before raising her right hand in obvious intent of striking her younger sister. Her intent fell short as Louise was able lean away from the strike. My master blinked at what she had just done, It seemed that she did that more on instinct rather than deliberately avoiding physical harm. Eleanore let loose an irritated growl before trying again. And again. And again. Each time she tried to slap her sister, Louise simply moved away enough to avoid getting hit by a hair's-breadth.

"Stand still you little runt!" Eleanore said after trying one more time to slap her sister.

"No!" Louise responded in full defiance. The two sisters started going around the room again, although this time Eleanore's intent to harm and Louise's intent to dodge were clearly evident. I sighed at the squabble before glancing at Ruukoto. The gynoid was simply observing the whole thing with its usual stoicism and generally didn't seem to care about what was going on. I decided to put an end to the fight between Louise and Eleanore by getting their attention though means of a loud and very deliberate cough.

"This is really not the time for this." I drawled with a bored expression. My master winced at my words and my expression, likely realizing that they were indeed just wasting time that could have been used for more constructive purposes. Eleanore glared at me for a moment before taking advantage of Louise's momentary lapse of concentration to close the distance between them and put her in a smoothly executed headlock.

"Gaaaah! Why?" Louise cried out in protest as she started flailing her arms around helplessly after getting caught.

"Don't think that this is the end, runt! Do you have any idea what it would do Cattleya and I if anything were to happen to you?" Eleanore responded with an enraged look, though I raised a brow when I saw a hint of worry in her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just let me go already!" Louise continued her cries, completely unaware of her Eleanore's admission of being afraid of her getting harmed. Sad that the eldest sister was still seemingly incapable of showing her affection for her youngest sister in a conventional manner. Eleanore finally relented her assault on my master and gave Louise a few moments to recover, all the while giving her a measured look with both her hands on her hips.

"Now that we are all back on the same page, we will need to address the situation with Cattleya's security detail." I stated as Eleanore took a seat at the edge of Louise's bed, my master taking a seat by her side. I chose to stand since I have found myself sitting down far too often during this little visit. I turned to Eleanore before continuing.

"You are the only one among us here who has confirmed the layout of the guards posted around Cattleya's room. Your thoughts?" I pointed out before asking the blonde for her opinion on the matter. Eleanore blinked at me before adopting a contemplative expression as she stared at the carpeted floor while folding her arms and humming.

"I only made a few passes in the hallway and talked to the guards about what they were even doing there. That was how I found out that it was a direct order from mother. From what I saw, there were two guards posted outside her door and an additional three posted on the balcony of her room. They were all equipped lightly but I noted that they all had whistles tied around their necks." Eleanore started to go into detail on the guards around Cattleya's room. I nodded in acknowledgement before glancing at Louise. My master was looking at me with a rather uncomfortable expression, likely a reflection of her realization that getting Cattleya into Mugenkan won't be as easy as we had initially expected.

"That was quite the detailed observation." I pointed out while folding my arms and leaning back. Eleanore merely scoffed at me before giving me a confident smirk.

"One does not simply get to where I am in my field without at least that amount of observational skill. I am not the youngest head researcher of the Tristain Royal Department of Earth Magic in history for nothing." The blonde declared, her bravado and pride very much reminding me of Louise's own bouts of such declarations every now and then whenever my master managed to accomplish something significant in her training. Pride and confidence brought about by hard work and skill seemed to be common between those two sisters.

"Indeed. Do you think there is a chance for us to be able to get your sister out of her room or at least get one of us in?" I asked the crucial question.

"No, at least not without alerting the guards." Eleanore responded immediately.

"What? There has to be a way right?" Louise asked her sister, partly because of sheer desperation for a spot of hope in the current situation. Understandable considering what they already had to go through to even get my full cooperation in the matter, not to mention the urgency in regards to Cattleya's chances of survival and recovery.

"Not that I can determine right now. If Yuka and your maid are correct, then mother set up those guards not because they can stop Yuka from getting to Cattleya. No. Instead, they are just there to alert the rest of the manor if anyone tried to get in without mother's permission." Eleanore answered with a shake of her head.

"The whistles..." Ruukoto pointed out, still using White Noise, earning a nod and a sigh from the eldest sister.

"Precisely. Each of those things would likely alert everyone in the manor of any intruders that tried to get into Cattleya's room. At the very least, they would likely alert mother and father. Even if you can somehow sneak past the guards, the doors and windows are all sealed and likely have some sort of enchantment to either alert mother and father of a breach or to keep them shut...or both." Eleanore set down her reasoning behind her analysis of the security on Cattleya's room.

"A bit much though, don't you think?" I asked at the apparent excessive means of detecting anyone trying to get to Cattleya. Eleanore looked at me like I was an idiot before scratching her hair with her left hand in irritation.

"You don't understand. Our parents have been trying to find a cure for Cattleya's condition for years, even before the runt was born in fact. They have been doing anything and everything to prevent her illness from getting worse and to deal with whatever symptoms that do show up." Eleanore explained before glancing at Louise.

"I was told that last night's incident was particularly bad...and I'm pretty sure that mother concluded that the runt here would try to do something stupid to try to help Cattleya." She continued while pointing at her sister with her left thumb, causing my master to scowl at her.

"And that would likely mean that she would ask me or Ruukoto to do something about it." I muttered, following Eleanore's reasoning.

"Exactly. Mother most certainly would rather burn than risk Cattleya's health by trusting someone who was obviously inhuman." The eldest sister expounded on the point she made.

"A sensible course of action given the way the Duchess and I were introduced to one another." I added with a sardonic grin, recounting how Karin referred to me as a monster multiple times during the battle at Tarbes. A correct assessment, but one that surprisingly came back to haunt us in a most inconvenient manner. I imagine that getting close to Cattleya would have been far easier if everyone simply thought of me as a common gardener.

"So what...there's nothing we can do now?" Louise finally asked the room at large after a period of silence, so obviously my master decided to immediately cut into the heart of the matter.

"Nothing that wouldn't earn us mother's wrath." Eleanore responded bitterly, none to happy with how the situation had developed either. I reviewed the situation once more in my head. Cattleya was effectively sealed in a closed room setup with sentries and possibly even wards that would alert Karin and Eugene that someone or something was trying to get in their daughter's room without their consent. A troublesome scenario, but one I am not entirely unfamiliar with. Certainly, there was one youkai in Gensokyo whom I was certain would have been able to get into Cattleya's room without anyone realizing it. Sadly, I did not have her ability to make everyone around me subconsciously dismiss my presence at will.

"We will need more time and preparation for this. We still have a few days where we can be certain that Cattleya's health will remain stable. I suggest we take advantage of that by learning as much about our current obstacle as possible. If the goddess of luck smiles on us, Karin might even dismiss the guards if Cattleya's health improves or if she realizes that there is no outside threat to her daughter's well being." I suggested, though I did hope that Tewi would somehow shed some spare luck for Louise and her sisters. An abundance of good luck never hurt anyone, certainly not the Inaba of the Earth.

"So we either wait for mother and father to dismiss the guards or we observe them and find a weak point?" Louise asked in clarification, her voice betraying her slowly slipping sense of optimism in the matter.

"No, we do both." Eleanore answered instead. The blonde stood before pacing around the room with her right hand rubbing her chin while sporting a contemplative expression.

"Yuka's right. Rushing things at this point would just end horribly for us. We still have several days at most to be able to get Cattleya into that pocket realm of his so what we can do is continue to observe the layout of the guards around her room and try to look for any weaknesses. However, the runt's actions will directly determine how easy or difficult this will be for us." She started while walking around the room and nodding to herself every now and then.

"Me? Why me?" My master suddenly asked, obviously surprised and confused as to why the success of our plans seemed to hinge on her. Eleanore stopped walking and stepped in front of Louise before looking at her like she was an idiot and flicking her forehead with her finger.

"Ack!" Louise let out sharply after her head jerked back a bit after Eleanore's sudden attack on her forehead. She quickly covered the afflicted area using Emilio to prevent further assaults before rubbing her forehead with her left hand to soothe the pain.

"Because the whole reason why there are even guards outside our sister's room in the first place is probably because your familiar is here." Eleanore reminded her sister of a point that was previously mentioned. Louise's eyes lit up with understanding before her expression turned horrified at what that point meant.

"Oh founder...what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" My master suddenly panicked as she looked between Eleanore and I while practically crushing Emilio in her arms.

"Hmmm...as your sister has pointed out previously, the reason why there are guards around Cattleya's room to alert your parents of any intruders is because they were concernd that you might have either Ruukoto or I do something to try to help her. So long as the possibility of that exists, I doubt they would dismiss the guards any time soon." I laid out to Louise. My master mulled over those facts before coming to her own conclusion.

"Then all I have to do is act like I won't make you or Ruukoto try anything with Chii-nee-sama. I'll just act normally and that will convince mother and father to call off the guards so we can see her again right?" My master suggested. Normally this would be the most logical and effective means of dealing with the current hindrance to our plans. Unfortunately...

"Don't bother, you'll just waste everyone's time." Eleanore dismissed Louise's idea with a lazy wave of her hand. My master took this as a personal insult so she suddenly stood up and pouted at her older sister.

"And why is that? I'm very good at acting you know! I can even convince the commoners in the capital that I am one of their own!" Louise proudly pointed out, likely reaching back to our previous experience with Scarron, Jessica, and the rest of the humans at the Charming Fairy Inn. Although it seemed that Louise did not realize that her cover did not even last the day and everyone just decided to go along with it until we went back to the academy.

"Because I can bet my reputation and my life as a noble member of the Valliere family that mother and father will be able to see right through your ploy immediately." Eleanore flatly rebuked her sister before holding up her right hand to prevent any form of response from Louise.

"Our parents have over a half-century's worth of experience in the military and political scene of Tristain between them. They know what to look for when it comes to those who are being truthful with their words, those who are lying through their teeth, and those who only provide part of the truth to further their own ends. If they can see through corrupt nobles and the like who have decades of experience and skill when it comes to talking to get what they want, what chance do you have?" The eldest sister pointed out in all seriousness. My master proceeded to do her best impression of a fish out of water by opening her mouth and closing it several times, trying and failing to come up with a counter argument to what her sister had just said.

"Then...what now?" Louise finally managed to say. Sadly, none of us had an answer for her. I couldn't think of a way to be able to get into Cattleya's room without it resulting in a confrontation with Karin and Eugene. Judging from the way Eleanore was biting the nail of her right thumb while sporting a very angry expression, she was not able to figure anything out either.

That was when the answer came from a most unexpected source.

"Logically, so long as Mistress Louise and Yuka Kazami remain within the premises of the Valliere manor, it is doubtful that the quarantine of Miss Cattleya will be lifted." Ruukoto suddenly piped up, reminding is that it was still there and it still had White Noise on. We all turned to the gynoid after she spoke with varying degrees of wonder and curiosity as to where it was going with this train of thought. Ruukoto glanced at each of once one at a time before blinking.

"Then solution is simple. We leave." It stated without any hint of doubt or hesitation.

"What?" All three of us there could only say.

...

The Valliere family ate dinner in the manor's dining hall in relative silence. I even started wondering if this was the norm for this family whenever they sat down for a meal together. Quite dour if true.

Both Eugene and Karin sat at the head of the table and ate their meals with practiced precision and grace, as to be expected of a Duke and Duchess. However, try as they might to conceal it, I could also faintly glean the telltale signs of stress and sleep deprivation from both of them. No doubt because of what their second daughter has been enduring since last night.

Eleanore and Louise ate their meals from across each other a little further along the table. The eldest sister ate her meal mechanically, with her eyes solely affixed on her plate, and generally ignoring the presence of anyone else at the table. My master was the complete opposite, fidgeting around in her seat even as she dutifully ate her dinner. As before, Ruukoto and I stood behind Louise's seat. The gynoid stood in perfect prim attention with both its hands folded on its skirt like Sakuya would whenever she waited on Remilia. I simply stood there with my arms folded and what I deemed to be an unreadable expression.

"Excuse me, mother and father. May I ask when we will be able to see Chii-nee-sama again?" Louise finally spoke up after she finished eating, seemingly anxious to be able to see her sister again. Of course, this was simply our initial gambit for the scenario Ruukoto drew up during this past afternoon.

After Ruukoto's initial suggestion on our course of action, Eleanore decided to sit on it for a while to mull over the pros and cons of such and arrangement. The rest of the morning went on without much fanfare with Cattleya still confined to her room and Eleanore retreating to her own room to think in peace. Louise spent that time curled up in her bed while clutching Emilio for comfort.

Lunchtime rolled along with the same amount of optimism. Eleanore had Ruukoto make a few rounds around the manor that would conveniently let it pass Cattleya's room a few times. She had Ruukoto do this to see if the guards were given meal breaks or a change of shifts that we could exploit to be able to get into Cattleya's room. Eleanore reasoned that we use Ruukoto's suggestion only after we determine that there was no other way. Unfortunately, the guards were ever present at their posts. They do switch shifts but the ones who relieve the guards currently posted meet with their counterparts face to face before taking over. This meant that there was no lapse in their defenses that we could take advantage of. In fact, Ruukoto noted that the only people that have been able to get in and out of Cattleya's room were certain servants and guards, all of whom were equipped with those whistles that Eleanore spoke of.

The afternoon passed in much the same way. Eleanore tried to get into Cattleya's room on her own under the premise that she needed to speak to her sister about something important. She was turned away by those guards, stating that Karin gave very strict instruction not to allow anyone who was not sanctioned by her to enter. The blonde was very much upset about that development but relented back to her room where she stayed until dinner. Louise continued to stay in bed for the rest of the afternoon and I set Ruukoto out for a few more laps around the manor. With nothing much else to do, I decided to utilize my newly acquired free time to devise a way to let Louise and her sisters conjure a door to Mugenkan at will.

I have only given that particular ability to one being up until that point. My gatekeeper Elly was the only one in Gensokyo whom I have given full consent to be able to enter and exit my border of dreams at will. I had full confidence that she was still at the Gensokyo side of Mugenkan, manning her post there...only because I was very much certain that she busy taking naps to do much else.

I even had the sneaking suspicion that she did not even know that I have been gone for months now...

I had originally laced Elly's scythe with an enchantment that allowed her to conjure a door that connects Mugenkan to the Garden of the Sun. I intended to do the same for the sisters but I wanted to give them a different medium to be able to call up a door to my realm. I doubted that giving them scythes for that purpose would sit well with any of them. I also had to make sure that whatever I gave them had the ability to create doors at will from any location in Halkeginia which would automatically lead to the same point inside my realm, preferably near my mansion there...and preferably, all three doors the sisters would enter from were next to each other. However, as far as what the mediums would actually end up being and what they would look like...I was still working on it. There was a surprising amount of work required for me to create such things exactly the way I want them to from scratch.

Judging the concept of creation.

Formulating the exact ties to my realm required to achieve the intended effect.

Hypothesizing the basic structure.

Figuring out the appropriate composition material.

Performing instantaneous manufacturing of the final product.

...and a few more steps in between I can't really be bothered to remember at the moment.

I continued the development process of those mediums in my head until Louise was summoned for dinner, leading to our current situation.

"Cattleya will remain under strict supervision until we are confident that she will remain healthy." Karin answered without looking at my master, a direct response without actually giving a straight answer. Louise let out a worried hum and drew here gaze back at her empty plate. If I didn't know that she genuinely had great concern for her sister, I would have been rather surprised at how well Louise was acting at that moment. So it seemed that neither of their parents were willing to risk anything else happening to their sick daughter, hoping that isolating her from the rest of the world would actually help with her situation. Unfortunately, they did not know that Cattleya's days were already numbered.

The whole situation was honestly such a real bother...

If I didn't care so much about the consequences to Louise, I would have just performed a smash and grab to get her into Mugenkan. Too bad both Louise and Eleanore opposed any sort of violence while planning our current course of action. I remember back when I just used to break anything dumb enough to get in the way of what I wanted.

Oh well, things change I suppose. Even the most unexpected things.

I opened one eye and noted that both Karin and Eugene were done with their respective meals and were likely preparing to leave. This was the critical moment that would dictate the probability of success for this plan...and it all hung on Louise keeping her cool and acting as natural and convincing as possible. I had to physically repress a sigh. I glanced at Eleanore and she was stealing glances between me, Louise, and their parents. Ruukoto remained ever stoic by my side even though it was the one that came up with the initial idea for this whole thing.

My master started fidgeting in her seat again before she finally started trembling. Eleanore and I shared an almost concerned look at Louise's actions when...

"Forgive my rudeness but...I would like to request permission to return to the academy." Louise finally spoke up with a trembling but determined voice. Eugene, who had already managed to stand up from his seat at the head of the table, turned to his youngest daughter with an intrigued expression. Karin, who was still seated, turned to Louise with a genuinely unreadable expression. This was it, the rest was all in Louise's hands now.

"To what end? There has been no notification that classes at the academy are to resume. Explain yourself child." Karin asked her daughter. Louise flinched at the edge that her mother used in her words but recovered enough of her composure to stand and continue.

"Due to all the...incidents that have been going on one after the other, I have started to fall back in my studies. I wish to return to the academy in order to catch up with some material before classes begin once again." My master explained as clearly as she could. It was the most plausible reason for us to be able to leave with as little suspicion as possible. The only other way would have been to get a summons by Henrietta. Unfortunately, the princess had her own problems to deal with.

"And you would be willing to leave despite Cattleya's condition?" Euguene asked skeptically while stroking his spectacular mustache. Clearly, it was no secret as to just how much Louise loved her older sister. This was the greatest challenge when it came to trying to convince their parents that Louise was leaving of her own free will without any ulterior motives. Now normally, this kind of logic would be sound but...

"You put her up to this didn't you, familiar?" Karin suddenly spoke up while leveling a cold glare at me. With a single question, she had redirected the attention of the conversation from my master to me. I let out a small sigh and was preparing for a verbal spar with Karin when Louise managed to beat me to it.

"I wanted to see Chii-nee-sama again. After what happened to her that night, I didn't desire anything more than to see her again and be there for her..." My master started with a complex expression marring her face. Karin narrowed her eyes at her youngest daughter and seemed like she was about to say something. Thankfully, her retort was halted when Eugene placed a hand on her shoulder, likely a gesture to let the girl continue what she had to say. Louise took a trembling breath before speaking once more.

"I asked Yuka and Ruukoto to find a way for me to be able to get in Chii-nee-sama's room again. The reasoning, the methods, the consequences...they didn't matter. All I wanted was to be by her side again no matter what." She continued with a grimace while her hands balled up into fists even as she started to tremble again. She took a breath before glancing at Eleanore and I and giving us a wry smile.

"Then Big Sis Eleanore told me how childish I was at wanting such a thing...and Yuka reminded me of something important that someone once told me." Louise said with an almost serene smile. I raised a brow at what she was saying before sharing a thoughtful glanced with Eleanore. My master was clearly improvising at that point but I wasn't sure where she was getting neither the material nor what she was trying to prove.

"I was in the middle of making a big decision without actually thinking it through. That someone told me to calm down, take a step back, and consider how my actions will affect those around me that I care about and if that would be worth the cost of what I was about to do. I thought about it and the trouble that would come from having Yuka and Ruukoto force their way into Chii-nee-sama's room just would not be worth it." Louise gave out a slightly modified version of Derf's advice to her when she was originally hell bent on charging right at the Albion Armada when she found out about the impending attack on Tarbes.

"Consideration of the consequences of one's actions. Wise advice at any age if the one receiving it is wise enough to heed the words. The one who dispensed this wisdom has a good head on their shoulders, a teacher at the academy?" Eugene pointed out before asking who gave that advice to his youngest daughter. I suppressed a smirk at the thought of what Derf may have said had the sword not disappeared on us a while back. I saw Eleanore give her sister a confused look before looking at me with a raised brow. Ah, she probably thought that I was the one that gave Louise that advice. I gave a small shake of my head to indicate that it wasn't me, which made Eleanore blink at me before narrowing her eyes at Louise.

"Not a professor but...the one who said that had a knack of giving out wisdom at the most unexpected of times." My master explained with a shake of her head before looking right into the eyes of her parents.

"I know that there is nothing I can do here that can cure Chii-nee-sama of her illness. All I can do now is to believe in her...to believe that she has the strength to overcome this. I know that Chii-nee-sama will not let her health defeat her. She is stronger than that...she is a Valliere. That is why I want to do what I can in the meantime, and what I can do is to improve in my studies and graduate with top marks." Louise stated with firm conviction as she always had when faced with adversity. I was certain that if I were to look into her eyes at that moment, I would have definitely seen a blazing flame of determination in those amber orbs. I flicked my eyes to her parents and saw that Eugene nodded at my master's words and looked like a typical proud father. I blinked in wonder when I thought I even saw Karin's lips twitch into something that almost resembled a smile, though I could have been wrong of course.

"A carriage will be arranged to take you back to the academy tomorrow afternoon. You will be allowed to give your goodbyes to Cattleya. Alone." Karin finally stated after a few moments of silence. I saw Louise flinch in front of me and I was certain that she was giving her mother a dignified smile of gratitude.

"Thank you mother, father." Louise responded with a respectful bow as both Karin and Eugene left the dining area. I had to say, that went much better than I expected.

...

"Does anyone else find it ironic that Karin would be the one to give us the best chance to get Cattleya into Mugenkan?" I idly asked Louise and Eleanore as we sat in my mansion's living room in Mugenkan. My master got in through the usual means of falling asleep while Eleanore had to get in through the door in her room with my assistance.

"I can't even believe that mother would do that. I had expected her to just let you all be on your way and I had to get Cattleya in here myself." Eleanore said in disbelief in her night gown as she continued to take in the furniture surrounding us. I supposed that she wasn't used to seeing things one would expect to find in a European style home circa the ninteen-hundreds or so. I wonder how they would have reacted to that home entertainment system I had on the second floor? I've never actually used it in this mansion but it was a mildly novel thing to have back in Gensokyo after Cirno introduced me to the concept and had the kappa install it in my mansion there. I never did get to finish playing Final Tales of Fantasy XL-2. The thought reminded me to continue my research in trying to cultivate those sentient killer cacti. They seemed harmless enough in the game but they were quite deadly in battle, something that was definitely worth pursuing.

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is that I'll be alone with Chii-nee-sama in her room to bid her goodbye. So, how are we going to do this?" Louise asked. She was wearing a duplication of her standard academy uniform since she came in here as her dream self instead of using her physical body like Eleanore did.

"Don't get ahead of yourself runt. Simply meeting with Cattleya will not give you enough of an opportunity to get her in here. Yuka here still needs to make a door into this place before anyone can enter." Eleanore pointed out before giving me a withering gaze.

"Indeed. I have been working on designing a means to allow all three of you to be able to conjure up a door that leads into my border of dreams whenever you want to." I stated before making a sweeping hand gesture to the table in front of us, conjuring up some french vanilla tea and choice pieces of cake.

"You can do that?" My master suddenly exclaimed as she was just starting to reach for a cup of tea. Eleanore winced at her side before glaring at Louise and smacking her at the back of the head.

"Don't shout your runt!" The blonde spat at her sister.

"Sorry..." Louise sheepishly apologized as she rubbed the back of her head before picking up her cup of tea on the table and taking a sip. Eleanore kept a leveled gaze on her sister for another moment before picking up her own cup of tea.

"Moving on...what were you talking about when you said that you were working on something that will let us get in here without your help?" The eldest sister moved the conversation back to the issue at hand.

"It is exactly as I said. Obviously, I will not be able to stay with you or Cattleya for very long as I will always put Louise as my primary concern over everything else." I pointed out before reaching out to a piece of conjured cake and taking a bite of it. My comment earned me an annoyed grunt from Eleanore and an embarrassed blush from my master.

"Because of this, I need to provide each of you a way to be able to make your own door into Mugenkan at will." I continued while pointing at the sisters in turn with the piece of cake in my hand.

"So you'll give them each a key to your private kingdom~" I was unable to suppress a sigh when I heard Yukari's voice come out from a newly opened gap behind Louise and Eleanore. Obviously, since the border youkai suddenly spoke out of nowhere, the two sisters reacted in a very predictable manner.

"Whaaaaaaah!" Both Louise and Eleanore yelled out as they jumped off the couch they were sitting on with a start. Both of the sisters were still drinking tea when that happened so both of them unceremoniously splashed the contents of their respective cups on my face.

"Ahaha! Oh wow~! Now that's what I call 'making a splash'~" Yukari taunted with a terrible pun as she leaned out of the gap she made behind the sisters. I thought that I even heard a rimshot coming from within the gap after she said that. I conjured up a towel and began to wipe my face of the accidentally displaced French vanilla tea. I continued to wipe the liquid from my face, Yukari's laughter being the only sound permeating through the living room. Both Louise and Elaenore were frozen in a silly and awkward half-lunge while sporting matching shocked expressions when they saw their drinks splash onto me. Neither sister daring to move as if doing such a thing was preventing something bad from happening to them in the wake of that little...incidental prank.

I tossed away the soggy towel after I had finished wiping the last of the tea that I could from my face and hair. Yukari was still laughing her head off and the two sisters were still frozen in place. I sighed and decided to nip the problem at the bud so to speak. I conjured a tiny black nondescript seed and tossed it right at Yukari's face.

I haven't really gotten the chance to use that particular flower in a long while, not since a certain incident involving Kanako and her loud mouth...the big bag of air.

The effect was immediate as a mass of leathery vines with four dark pink, almost red, flowers clumped together at the center erupted from the seed latched onto Yukari's head like a giant hand. The seven petaled flowers glowed on and off at a steady rate like a heartbeat even as Yukari tried to rip the mass of vines off her face. The sudden turn of events snapped Louise and Eleanore out of their frozen state and they both turned to see the border youkai try to get the flower off her.

Yandereum Scorpioides - The Unyielding Lover's Embrace

This was originally thought of as a fictional flower created to scare unfaithful males who would dare to try to show affection to another female who was not their lover. The actual flower itself had nothing to do with any scorned lover, fictional or otherwise. It was simply a story that was tacked onto it at some point apparently. However, considering the effects of the blossom, I could understand how that reputation came into being.

"Wh-wh-wh-what in Brimir's name is that?" Eleanore finally spoke out as she and Louise quick-stepped away from Yukari and made their way behind me for cover. Both sisters unwittingly showing their respective talents when it came to moving around on foot. I calmly conjured a new cup of French vanilla tea before taking a sip, completely ignoring the panicked muffled screams of Yukari as she futily struggled against the vines.

"That..." I said while idly gesturing at the panicking border youkai with my teacup.

"...is a particular flower more commonly known as the Yandereum. The Unyielding Lover's Embrace. The story goes that this flower was created by a powerful sorceress who was unfortunately an extremely jealous lover. The man she had her eyes on was being approached by another woman and it seemed like the man was reciprocating the other woman's feelings." I started the explanation on the origin of that particular flower.

"What kind of idiot man would try to cheat on a powerful sorceress?" Louise suddenly asked. I turned around and saw that both sisters seem to be more interested in the flower's apparent origin story than the continuing struggle of Yukari against the actual flower itself. I decided to roll with it and poofed a couple of comfy chairs into existence for the two of them. The two girls took their seats with varying degrees of gratitude on their expressions. I offered them some more tea before continuing. Louise happily accepted, apparently taking a liking to French vanilla, while Eleanore declined the offer. I gave Louise a new cup and gave Yukari another glance. Satisfied that she was still in the loving clutches of my flower, I continued the explanation.

"Actually, the man in question wasn't even the sorceress' lover." I stated with a sardonic grin, delivering the stinger to the tale.

"What?" Louise suddenly exclaimed, confusion clearly evident on her face. Eleanore gave an incredulous look before adopting a look of sudden realization.

"She only desired him...it was a one-sided love." The eldest sister muttered.

"Exactly. It wasn't really the man's fault. It was apparently just an extreme example on how a relationship could fail spectacularly due to poor communication...even before anything of the sort even began." I said with a shake of my head. Stories such as this were what made me wonder what was so great about that emotion anyway. The more I hear about the concept of love and its effects on others, the more it seemed to be like an emotional crutch to me. I really couldn't see the appeal of that particular emotion, certainly not Marisa's obsession and eventual weaponization of it.

I raised a brow when I saw Eleanore wince before looking away from me after my comment. I wasn't able to ask her about it since Louise spoke up immediately after that.

"So what happened to them? Did the sorceress create that plant and used it on that man?" My master asked while almost bouncing in her seat...while still holding onto that cup of tea she was nursing.

"Yes. The plant killed the man as the sorceress repeatedly cooed to him that she was doing this to ensure that they would be together forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and well, you get the idea." I responded with a shrug before finishing up the cup of tea I was drinking.

"Urgh! That sounds like the ending from one of those trashy romance novels that Cattleya secretly obsesses over." Eleanore stated bitterly with a shake of her head. I glanced at Louise and saw that she was looking away with a blush on her cheeks. Hm...

"Of course, that was just a story. I have yet to find any real evidence that any of that even happened. It could have just been something that someone came up with to romanticize the origin and purpose of such an odd plant. And yes, I know how ironic that statement was." I added just as Yukari finally managed to rip the Yandereum from her head. The border youkai growled at me before hurling the plant right at my face. I smiled warmly at her before forcing the flower back into a seed and catching it without effort with my left hand.

"Turnabout is fair play." Was the only thing I told her. Yukari huffed at me before folding her arms under her breasts and looking away from me.

"Meanie~" Yukari whined before pouting at me. Honestly, this woman...

"That has been an established fact for over a thousand years Yukari. I assume that you are not here simply for fun, so let us get down to business first since we are still somewhat under time constraint. We managed to get a chance to be able to bring Cattleya into Mugenkan without incident...hopefully. I am hoping that Cirno managed to give you a summary of our situation?" I said in a casual but no-nonsense tone before asking if Yukari was already up to speed on what was going on with Louise's sister. The border youkai looked at me for a moment then made a thoughtful sound before...

"Pffft! Ack!" Yukari made a rather unladylike sound as if trying to suppress a laugh. She obviously failed miserably and ended up choking on her aborted laugh before coughing on it for a few moments.

"Well...that was different." I idly commented with little concern in my voice before finishing off the tea in my cup. Both Louise and Eleanore looked at each other then back to Yukari who was winding down her impression of a cat failing miserably at trying to cough up a hair ball. A few more moments of waiting and it seemed that Yukari had finally recovered.

"Done?" I asked with a small smirk and a raised brow. Yukari glared at me before swiping the cup I was drinking out of and pouring tea in it for herself. She chugged in down in one go before taking a few breaths to calm herself down.

"That wasn't funny..." Yukari flatly stated after regaining her composure.

"Well you certainly thought something was funny before you started impersonating Wriggle after accidentally inhaling some insecticide." I pointed out calmly with a smile. Yukari gave me a flat gaze before dismissing her embarrassment with an equally dismissive wave of her right hand even as her left hand reached into her gap before pulling out her fan.

"I just remembered Touya's reaction to what your little master's sister was going through." Yukari responded while pointing at Louise with her closed fan. I blinked at her words and wondered what she meant but Louise voiced my question for me instead.

"Touya? What does his reaction to Chii-nee-sama's illness have to do with anything?" Louise asked the border youkai in obvious confusion. My master's question allowed me a few moments to actually mull over that little point. I saw Yukari give a stupid grin as it seemed that I guessed correctly...or was on the right track.

"Touya personally wanted to have a chance to cure Cattleya of her illness, didn't he?" I asked, voicing my suspicion.

"What?" Both of the Valliere sisters that were there exclaimed. This time, Yukari was able to laugh out loud without incident and thus confirming my theory.

"Quite. He even asked me if I could open up a gap into Louise's realm in case moving Cattleya was not possible. The boy was fully willing to just jump into a completely unknown realm in order to try to save a girl he had never met before." Yukari outlined what the Shield of the Eastern Wonderland had intended to do before she started giggling again.

"And I suppose that you pointed out how ill advised such a act would have been?" I queried, very curious if Yukari Yakumo had somehow managed to be the voice of reason for a change. The woman in question merely opened her fan and used it to cover the lower half of her face. The look her eyes gave me my answer before she even spoke.

"Not at all. The only reason why I hadn't done so is because I cannot guarantee that the other end of any gap I make would lead to a safe place in Louise's realm. I can certainly make a gap to their realm, I'm just not sure where one would pop up after going through it. If I did, I would have been messing with you there ages ago." Yukari stated before lowering her fan to reveal her trademark stupid grin.

"And Louise's realm is a better place because of it." I idly commented with a disinterested voice before giving Yukari my own grin. I had to admit, I somewhat missed our casual banter and insults that we used to regularly toss at each other. It almost made up for the sheer annoyance the woman had caused me and the rest of Gensokyo over the centuries. Almost.

"Can we please move back to the proper topic? I do still need to get some sleep you know." Eleanore spoke up, pointing out that she was the only one in the group that actually still needed sleep. Louise was already sleeping soundly in her room back at the Valliere manor and the her that was with us at the moment was just a projection of her consciousness that got into Mugenkan. I didn't really need sleep at the time and Yukari still seemed to be as fresh as a daisy. Of course, Yukari just used the eldest sister's words to have her fun again.

"Well, you can always just sleep in Yuka's bed in here you know. I'm sure that he'd be more than happy to make your stay as comfortable and satisfying as possible." Yukari pointed out in an overly provocative tone of voice. The thinly veiled innuendo made both sisters' faces go from zero to red at the speed of human comprehension. Eleanore looked like she was just about to spout her protests when Louise grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"Don't bother. She's just teasing you. We both know that Yuka wouldn't possibly do that kind of thing to you even if you did spend the night here." Louise advised the blonde even though she herself was still blushing hard at what Yukari said. Eleanore looked at her sister for a moment before freeing her arm from the younger girl's grasp.

"And you think I'd let her get away with insinuating such a scandalous thing? That I would actually allow myself to be ta-ta-ta-ta-taken by your familiar?" The eldest sister shot back with a clearly insulted expression. And, yes, she was still blushing just about as much as Louise still was.

"Been there. Done that. Didn't help. In fact, she just started teasing me harder. Just take it in stride and roll with the punches or whatever." Louise responded, no doubt referencing her previous encounters with the border youkai which started after the end of the Fouquet incident.

"Roll with the what now?" Eleanore asked, unfamiliar with that particular idiom. Understandable since I didn't think that the sport that spawned that saying existed in this realm.

"Another saying Cirno-nee told me about. It means to be able to cope with and withstand adversity, especially by being flexible, and keep moving forward to your goal." Louise explained with a shrug, the talk giving both sisters the chance to finally calm themselves down.

"Hmmm...roll with the punches. I'll keep that saying in mind." Eleanore noted to herself with a thoughtful hum and a nod. I turned back to Yukari and gave her an unamused expression at provoking Eleanore and Louise.

"Was this really the appropriate moment for one of your inane jokes? We do actually have goals we need to accomplish you know." I deigned to ask even though I knew the answer already. Not to mention the sheer futility of trying to prevent Yukari from trying it again at a later time.

"I am a being of power and opportunity, you know how I'm into that whole equal opportunity thing yes?" Yukari reminded me of her innate desire and capability of messing with practically anyone if given any sort of chance to do so. She then straightened herself up, instead of leaning out of her gap, and folded her arms under her breasts and thus pushing them upward and making the more pronounced.

"Not to mention that I am also a being of great beauty and bountiful assets." She stated seductively with a sly smile before blowing me a kiss, which I promptly leaned away from. I then felt a sudden and powerful surge of killing intent from behind me.

"Useless sacks of meat..."

"Insufferable obstructions to any sort of significant work..."

"Unnecessary attachments..."

"Pointless chest add-ons..."

"Rape bait..."

Were among but not all the things that both Louise and Eleanore started muttering from behind me. Unbelievably, as well as disturbingly, they were saying those things in complete sync with each other. Yukari herself visibly stiffened at becoming the target of a combined directed wave of hostile intent coming from the two sisters. It took me a few moments to understand the motive behind their sudden unified antagonistic will. When I did, I very nearly snorted in laughter.

"R-r-right! About that headway in regards to your dear sister!" Yukari hastily aborted her feeble attempt at seducing me after she herself realized why both sisters seemed to suddenly hate her. She even went back to her original position of leaning out of her gap. Yukari made the extra effort to fold her arms over her breasts in an attempt to try to cover them from the searing glares of the Valliere sisters.

"Yes. It would be prudent to move back to the real subject matter at hand." Louise coldly stated in an unusually formal tone of voice...all without letting up on glaring at Yukari for her, apparently unintentional, transgression.

"Indeed. We would be most appreciative if you have any sort of news pertaining to any possible means of saving our sister's life." Eleanore added in the same frigid and overly polite way...all while seemingly trying to make the border youkai spontaneously combust through sheer force of hostile will. It was actually extremely entertaining to watch Yukari squirm under the gaze of two human girls whose names did not end with Hakurei.

"Ahem! Well, after I managed to convince Touya that trying to muscle into your realm is not only ill advised but outright dangerous for him or anyone other than Yuka, I had him try to contribute in a more productive manner." Yukari started to explain after clearing her throat in a manner that seemed to help her calm herself down.

"Productive? How so?" Eleanore asked. Some of the edge in her voice seemed to have faded away but she and Louise still seemed upset at the border youkai.

"I had him try to recruit Yamame Kurodani to help with your sister's condition." Yukari responded with a pleased expression. Yes, Yamame could definitely help substantially in the effort to cure Cattleya.

"And who is this Yamame person?" The eldest sister asked the most obvious question. I decided to take that one so I turned to Eleanore before responding.

"Yamame Kurodani. The Bright Net in the Dark Cavern. She is an Earth Spider Youkai, one of the strongest insect youkai in the realm." I explained to the blonde with a nod. I was about to continue when Yukari suddenly piped up to interrupt me.

"Spiders are not insects Yuka, they're arachnids." Yukari admonished as if speaking to a small child. I gave her a flat stare before dismissing her correction with a wave of my hand.

"Oh shush you." I said to her before turning my attention back to the sisters.

"Yamame lives in the underground part of Gensokyo, inside one of the main passages that leads to the city of the Oni and the Temple of the Earth Spirits." As well as the hell of blazing fires where Utsuho uses her power to provide the heat for the Kappa's main power plant. I did not mention that though since it could have led to more unnecessary reactions from the two girls.

"The more I hear about the place you are from, the more I find it difficult to comprehend the size of it. Just how big is that place anyway? Is it its own country or something?" Eleanore asked with a shake of her head while sporting an expression that shows that she's trying to understand what we were talking about...it was just a bit hard for her to comprehend everything.

"I'm not actually sure how large Gensokyo is exactly. It's really something I never gave any though on." I admitted with a shrug, and it was true. I didn't really care about the specifics of the realm itself so long as I was able to remain in it and live with my sunflowers there.

"I could give you a comprehensive explanation of how large Gensokyo really is and the various areas that comprise it. However, it would probably take me several days to be able to explain it all in a manner that you can fully comprehend." Yukari spoke up with her own shrug. Eleanore gave a thoughtful hum, probably considering Yukari's offer, before shrugging herself and nodding to the two of us in turn.

"Fair enough. Now how can this Yamame help Cattleya's condition when the best healers of Tristain couldn't?" Eleanore asked, steering the conversation back to the main topic. Yukari gave the eldest sister a sweet smile before answering her question.

"That's because your healers do not have that girl's innate ability to manipulate illnesses." The border youkai helpfully provided.

"Manipulate..." Louise started.

"...Illnesses?" And Eleanore finished. A good showing of coordination between the two sisters.

"That is correct, and it is exactly how it sounds like. Her ability to manipulate illness makes many youkai and humans very wary of her, but she won't use it for no reason. Yamame is much smarter than that." Yukari answered with a smile. The two sisters looked at each other with uncertainty and it was obvious that they were still unsure about their option.

"Yamame is quite well known in the underground youkai community because of this ability. I have never really faced the girl personally in a match but I have heard that she isn't really one to openly fight anyone so long as they don't directly antagonize her or her friends." I added in case Louise and Eleanore were still leery about bringing their sick sister anywhere near a youkai with the power to freely manipulate illnesses.

"Then Miss Yamame should be able to manipulate Chii-nee-sama's illness and make it go away right?" Louise asked me with a voice and expression that betrayed anxiety and hope. Eleanore on the other hand was giving both Yukari and I measured looks.

"It can't simply be that simple, could it?" The sharp woman asked us with narrowed eyes, earning a worried look from her younger sister. I couldn't help but shake my head at her impressive intuition, further cementing the possibility that she could easily be a match for Matilda in terms of wit and quick thinking. Yukari and I looked at each other before the woman gave me a shrug in response to my unvoiced question.

"True enough, Eleanore. I cannot completely guarantee that Yamame will be able to deal with your sister's problem until we can have the two of them meet. At the very least, Yamame should be able to identify the exact cause of her illness. However, as far as an actual treatment goes, that would be completely up to Yamame herself." Yukari conceded the point with a nod. Speaking of which...

"Are you certain that Touya will be able to convince Yamame to assist us in this matter?" I asked her, more to check if we will need to expect any more delays or complications when it comes to finally dealing with Cattleya's situation. Yukari raised a brow at me before giving me a condescending laugh.

"You're kidding right? This is Touya Hakurei we are talking about. While it is possible that she'd decline at first, considering she'd end up spending time inside the personal realm of Yuka Kazami, Parsee should be able to persuade her to do so since I made sure to have Touya tag her along for that." She answered with yet another one of her stupid grins, the one she uses whenever she's certain that whatever she was trying to pull off couldn't possibly fail.

"Parsee? That jealousy youkai from that bridge thing?" Louise asked with no small sense of uncertainty. I turned back to Yukari and saw her directing a smile at my master.

"Very good Louise~! Not exactly correct but you were close enough to the general idea~" Yukari cooed before moving her gap around the room and engulfing my master in an embrace. The entire thing transpired so quickly and unexpectedly that Louise never got the chance to even get out of her seat to evade capture.

"Aaaagh! Let me go! Help! Yuka! Big Sis Eleanore! Don't let her take meeee!" Louise immediately went to full-on panic mode as she started flailing her limbs around in a futile effort to try to free herself from Yukari's grasp. I preemptively stood from my seat and stepped away from the two of them to keep myself from getting caught up in that mess. Sadly, Eleanore did not have the foresight to do likewise.

"Kya!" Eleanore yelped out in an uncharacteristically girly manner after Louise accidentally kicked the back of her chair. The action made her launch forward out of her chair...and right into me. I managed to keep her steady by holding onto her arms but she still ended up leaning against me with her head on my right shoulder.

"Are you alright?" I asked the eldest sister as she continued to lean on me. She then started trembling in my arms before slowly looking up to me, her initially blank expression turning into an embarrassed one. I raised a brow at her odd reaction before blinking when I realized that both Louise and Yukari had gone silent. I looked up and them and saw that both were seemingly frozen in place with Yukari behind Louise with her hands around my master's midsection while Louise looked like she was frozen in the middle of a flying kick of some sort.

...and both of them were flatly staring at us as if they were looking at some sort of louse or insignificant insect. Definitely not an arachnid though.

"...yes?" I asked after they didn't make any move for several moments, impressive considering Louise's awkward positioning at the time. No response from either of them. Odd. I looked down to where Eleanore was still leaning against me and saw that she still had that embarrassed expression on her face and her eyes were even starting to tear up, yet she dared not move from my grasp.

Louise and Yukari looked at each other and back to us before the border youkai gently lowered my master on the floor. The two of them quietly straightened out their clothes before looking at us intently once more.

"Well?" Yukari spoke up in an oddly annoyed tone of voice before folding her arms and leaning back. Louise also had her arms folded and was tapping her left foot on the floor impatiently.

"What is it?" I finally asked with a blink. I found it odd that Eleanore seemed to tremble slightly again when I pulled her closer to me in order to have a better view of Louise and Yukari. Both of them looked at each other and grumbled before shaking their heads.

"And the girls call Touya dense..." I heard Yukari mutter to herself. I raised a brow at that comment.

"Dense? Me? Preposterous! I am nothing but perceptive, especially when it comes to things that personally affect me." I dismissed her claims with a wave of my hand.

"Fine. Whatever. Can you let Big Sis Eleanore go now?" Louise deadpanned at me with the same irritated expression and the impatient tapping of her foot. I blinked at her before realizing that I was still holding onto Eleanore close to me.

"Oh...yes, of course. I apologize." I simply said before letting Eleanore go. The blonde stepped back a couple of paces away from me with her hands over her chest while still sporting a very embarrassed expression.

"Are you...alright?" I asked, more in wonder if she would suddenly pass out or hyperventilate or something.

"Hii-!" Eleanore responded with a sharp inhaling breath. I was utterly confused as to why the normally confrontational woman was behaving like...like...Medicine back when she was still extremely shy to others.

"She's fine!" Both Louise and Yukari immediately said while moving in front of Eleanore as if shielding her from me. I raised a brow at their sudden action and saw them narrow their eyes at me.

"He really doesn't know..." I barely heard Louise whisper.

"Another enemy of women everywhere has appeared..." Yukari whispered as well before her expression turned contemplative.

"...I wonder if I could use that against Kanako?" She added. Kanako? What does that wind goddess have to do with anything? I did not get much more of an explanation than that as the two of them set about to the task of calming down Eleanore.

...

"Right! Parsee! She's the close friend of Yamame's and the guardian of the main bridge that links the surface of Gensokyo to the Underground." Yukari suddenly spoke up after things finally settled down, completely forgoing the use of any sort of segue to lead into this conversation. Both Louise and Eleanore were seated back on the couch they were originally using before Yukari showed up. I was seated across them in my own chair while Yukari was leaning out of her gap to my left. Things more or less went back to normal, though I noted that Eleanore couldn't seem to decide whether to stare at me or avert from looking into my eyes.

"She is also one of those who have been...captured...by Touya's talents." I added idly more for the sake of doing so than anything.

"Captured? The two of them fought?" Louise asked with a tilt of her head. Ah yes, she didn't hear about Touya's other talent from the last time. On the other hand, Eleanore quickly had a look of suspicion then realization after putting two-and-two together.

"No. It was more of a euphemism of a similar term. To put it simply, she is in love with him." I bluntly clarified with a shake of my head. Louise's face immediately proceeded to turn a shade of red, she was really weak against direct emotional attacks like that wasn't she? Just shows that my master was still very much a young maiden at heart no matter how much she tried to play up being mature. On the other hand, Eleanore merely gave out a hum and nodded in understanding.

"Lo-lo-love? Does that mean that she and Touya are lo-lo-lo-lo-" Louise embarrassedly asked before being reduced to a stuttering pile of nerves.

"The word you're looking for is 'lovers', runt." The eldest sister flatly stated with a bored expression.

"Quite. Parsee and Touya are not lovers, though they do seem to be a good match if they can work past their issues. Hmmm..." Yukari stated with a contemplative expression before turning to me.

"Don't you think so?" She suddenly asked me. I blinked at her before shrugging.

"She is about as much a match for him as Shikieiki could have been. In the end, they have far too much excess baggage for a meaningful relationship to work." I stated before picking up a choice cupcake and taking a bite. I raised a brow when I noticed that all three of them were seemingly staring dumbfounded at me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"That was...an incredibly insightful assessment, Yuka. I thought you didn't care much about things like love. How can you give such a concise statement about the possibility of a relationship between Touya and Parsee?" Yukari asked while leaning toward me and poking my left cheek with her finger as if I was some sort of strange new creature.

"I am simply repeating something that Suika once told me." I explained after swatting away the offending finger.

"Suika? Is that another one of you youkai?" Eleanore asked with a raised brow.

"Suika Ibuki. She's an Oni, a kind of horned humanoid supernatural being. Ancient. Very very very very strong but she's very nice toward humans usually." Louise beat Yukari and I on explaining who Suika is.

"Very good Louise. To give you a better picture, imagine Louise with horns at the side of her head and has enough strength to casually throw the Valliere manor with one hand." I added, earning a widening of Eleanore's eyes.

"So she's a tiny monster then? I can't even imagine anyone that is the runt's size be capable of that kind of power." The blonde asked before giving her sister a sidelong glance. Louise pouted at the comment but did nothing else about it.

"What is the measure of a man or a monster? Suika may sound monstrous but she has been the close family friend of Touya's clan for generations. In fact, she lives with them." Yukari pointed out with a wry smile. Eleanore considered her words for a few moments before giving another nod of understanding.

"And like most youkai that have lived that long, she has become wise from experience...regardless of how much she tries to play a fool." I stated while giving Yukari a flat stare. The woman looked away and just had that stupid nonchalant whistling expression as if she had nothing to do with anything.

"Right...so what does she have to do with whatever kind of relationship Touya gets himself involved in?" Eleanore resumed the line of questioning she seemed to be set on. It almost seemed like some sort of interrogation. Odd that the eldest sister would have such an interest about that specific subject matter.

"Because she is pretty much his unofficial guardian. Touya had grown up with Suika as a constant presence. She took care of him when everyone else was too busy to. Touya even calls her 'Auntie Suika' because of how much he trusts her. Oni as a race pride themselves in always telling the truth. Suika is no exception to that fact so Touya pretty much hangs off her every word." Yukari responded with a wistful sigh. Eleanore let out a thoughtful hum before giving me a measured look.

"And if she talked to you about that then..." She trailed off, trying to prompt me to continue the train of thought.

"Touya has odd tastes in women. The one time that he actually fell in love, the one he fell for was the Highest Judge of Paradise. Shikieiki Yamaxanadu. One of the strongest beings in Gensokyo and the person responsible for judging the souls of the dead in our realm." I started, referencing that one incident that Suika told me about when she and I shared a relaxing afternoon together in my garden after spending the morning having a non-stop Danmaku battle. I noticed Eleanore flinch before looking between Yukari and I in turn.

"And you're not even lying are you?" She blandly asked, earning a blink of confusion from both myself and the border youkai.

"Is everyone in your realm obscenely powerful in some way? The way you two keep throwing around titles and powers so casually makes me think that even the legendary elven armies here would be nothing more than mild inconveniences for the likes of your kind." Eleanore irritably commented while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"To be fair, most of the more powerful residents in our realm are ancient non-humans. Don't feel too inadequate about it. Our realms are two completely separate existences, so it's obvious that there would be differences between them." I provided with a shrug. It was true though.

"Like two different scales of power. Moving on...based on what you told me, Touya's first love didn't work out because he chose a woman who was of great power and responsibility. One who would not have enough time for something such as love." Eleanore inferred, correctly mind you, before glancing away with a distant look in her eyes and sighing.

"That's right. While, the boy's intentions seemed to be pure, both Suika and Shikieiki knew that a relationship between a human and a Yama will never work out, regardless of that human's lineage." I confirmed her theory with another shrug.

"That's so sad..." Louise piped up in an obviously sad voice.

"He got over it. Touya and Eiki still see each other whenever possible. He is probably the only human who has ever become close enough to that little judge that he actually managed to make her genuinely laugh out in joy." Yukari added with a bit of a laugh of her own.

"Do they now? This is the first I have heard of that." I idly commented with a raised brow.

"The two of them would like to think that it is a secret. They don't know that I know about their occasional little 'platonic' rendezvous." The woman said conspiratorially to me, complete with waggling eyebrows. I was about to nod in acknowledgement before taking another bite of my cupcake when I had a sudden realization.

"Are we...are we actually gossiping to one another about Touya's nonexistent love life?" I asked with a bitter expression before rubbing my forehead with my left hand.

"Yes~! We~! Are~!" Yukari responded cheerily with an absolutely delighted expression. She was acting as if she was several centuries and several more decades younger than she really was.

"By the founder, you're right. We're acting like commoner housewives." Eleanore added with a groan.

"I don't understand what's wrong. Yuka and Yukari were just clarifying things for you since you don't know that much about their realm or the ones living there." My master asked her sister with a tilted head. The eldest sister glanced back at her before sighing.

"Sometimes...on fantastically rare occasions...I'm actually tempted to envy your simplemindedness." Eleanore shot back halfheartedly with a shake of her head.

"Hey!" My master let out, clearly offended by what her sister insinuated.

"Well, Louise is correct in pointing out that this conversation transpired in order to give you a better picture of our realm and the denizens therein. And with that in mind..." I stated before finishing off my cupcake and washing it down with another cup of tea.

"Suika was the one who advised Touya not to pursue a relationship with Shikieiki on the aforementioned grounds. Regardless of how much of a drunken idiot that little Oni likes to act, she is still one of the strongest elder Oni in Gensokyo, a Deva of the Mountain, and one of the extremely few surface dwellers who are openly accepted in the realm of the Celestials. One does not gain those kinds of things by purely being dumb drunk muscle." I continued, making sure that Eleanore and Louise had a clear idea just what kind of being Suika Ibuki was...that there was much more to the Oni than meets the eye. A very common aspect for the youkai of Gensokyo. I waited for any other comments from the three of them but they all seemed satisfied to let me continue, so I did.

"Suika drew parallels between Eiki and Parsee when it came to being suitable partners for Touya. They both have a lot of baggage, though their issues are very different. While Shikieiki cannot allow herself to fall in love because of her duties to the realm, Parsee is simply a very emotionally...unstable being." I moved on to the main topic after laying the appropriate groundwork for it. I was about to proceed when Yukari suddenly snorted audibly before covering her mouth to seemingly contain laughter. I raised a brow at the woman but she managed to speak up before I could ask what she was on about.

"Yuka Kazami calling someone else emotionally unstable with a straight face..." Yukari said to me with what Cirno had once termed as a 'shit-eating grin'.

"Very funny." I acknowledged noncommitantly before turning my attention back to Louise and Eleanore, the latter had a look as if she wanted to talk about something.

"Emotionally unstable...how so?" The eldest sister asked. Yukari and I shared a look before sharing grins with each other.

"Funny you should ask that...as you may or may not have noticed, the youkai of Gensokyo more or less have a special ability that is associated with them. Their primary attribute, so to speak. Note my flower manipulation, Yukari's border manipulation, and Cirno's power over ice." I pointed out. Both Eleanore and Louise nodded at the same time, noting that they have indeed noticed such a thing.

"Parsee's personal ability is the affinity to a certain emotion, so much so that she can convert that and manifest it into a tangible form of energy." I explained, specifying as to what Parsee was capable of doing.

"Wait...based on what the runt mentioned earlier, this Parsee's emotional affinity is towards...jealousy?" Eleanore ventured an educated guess based on what she had managed to glean off the conversation so far.

"Correct. Parsee has the ability to convert her own Jealousy into energy. The more jealous she gets, the more energy she manifests. Unfortunately, the problem with her lies there." Yukari confirmed Eleanore's suspicion with a nod before sighing after saying the last part.

"Why? That is a pretty troublesome ability right? I mean, no one can possibly be capable of becoming jealous at will right?" The eldest sister voiced her confusion.

"That's just the thing. She can." Yukari answered with a wry smile. I decided to take over the explanation after the blonde continued to show that she was still confused about that.

"Parsee has proven to be astoundingly petty when it comes to jealousy. She has been known to be capable of being jealous about anything. Anything at all. Even things that barely made any sense of being jealous about. That is the source of her power after all, so it makes a twisted sort of sense. Unfortunately, as I have already pointed out, this makes her extremely emotionally unstable. That is how she had acquired titles such as 'Jealousy Beneath the Earth's Crust' and 'Monster with Green Eyes'." I clarified further, showing just how deep Parsee's particular issue ran.

"Ugh...I can't even imagine having to deal with someone like that." Louise piped up with a very irritated voice.

"Indeed..." Was all Eleanore said.

"Regardless, her attraction to Touya should give us the edge when it comes to convincing Yamame to help. I'm not sure how those two became friends, but they are very close to each other and I doubt that Yamame would turn down a personal favor to her friend." Yukari stated, bringing that line of conversation to an end before leveling a gaze at me.

"Now, about those 'keys' that you will be providing the girls here..." Yukari trailed off before giving a glance to Eleanore and Louise.

"Quite. I was going to tell them about the means by which Eleanore and Cattleya would be able to create their own doors to my border of dreams...before you barged in unannounced." I icily responded, reminding the border youkai that it was her fault as to why I haven't gotten to that topic completely yet.

"What can I say, I just lo~ve making an entrance~" Yukari responded with a girlish smile and a sing-song voice...to which the rest of us simply stared at her for with completely unamused expressions.

"Quite..." I muttered before standing up and making my way out of the living room.

"Yuka?" Louise called out to me in wonder of my sudden action.

"I'll just pick something up from upstairs, please wait here. Yukari, don't touch anything...or anyone for that matter." I responded before tossing the last bit for the sake of the girls. I worked my way up the stairs past my 'gaming room' and entered my bedroom. I entered my bedroom and opened up my cabinet here and began rummaging inside. After finding what I was looking for and putting them in my pants pockets, I closed the cabinet and made my way back down to the living room. Before I could enter, I heard Yukari and the girls talking amongst themselves.

"-ridiculously dense about that kind of thing." I heard Yukari's scoffing voice say.

"You're right. Only a completely direct approach would probably work on him. Even then, he'd probably play it of as everything else aside from genuine romantic attraction." Eleanore bitterly agreed with the border youkai. What on Earth were they talking about? Touya again?

"I don't think Matilda or Siesta were ever able to get through to him in that regard. Even Kirche was summarily ignored and-" My master's statements were suddenly cut of by the sound of something covering her mouth. Matilda, Siesta, and Kirche? What do they have to do with anything.

"Sneaking around your house and eavesdropping on your guests is a terrible habit for a host, Yuka." The border youkai suddenly said in a teasing voice from within the living room.

"My house. My realm. What were you all talking about anyway?" I responded before inquiring about their topic as I walked back to my seat. All three of them flinched before looking at each other, a strange silent agreement seemingly passing between them.

"Nothing you should concern yourself about." They all answered at the same time.

"The fact that you all responded the same way at the same time already shows that there is something of interest there. At the very least, something I should be wary of." I pointed out, drawing from the times when I had to deal with such things with Cirno and her friends...and the handful of times when I even participated in such things alongside Remilia and the alleged saint Toyosatomimi.

"Still something you shouldn't bother yourself with. What did you go to upstairs for anyway?" Yukari dismissed my claims before immediately changing the subject. Definitely something up with that. I should probably ask Louise about it at a later date, for now though...

"I went up there to get these." I reached into my pockets and pulled out two small wooden jewel boxes, small enough to fit only one thing in them. I handed one to Eleanore and the other to Louise. The two of them looked at their respective boxes before opening them, their eyes widening after seeing what was inside.

"Now keep in mind, I only had a few hours to be able to create them so they are only temporary." I pointed out as they both took out the items in the boxes, a pair of matching metal rings.

"What are these things for?" Louise immediately asked as she and Eleanore inspected the rings.

"Those are temporary passes into Mugenkan. With those bands, you will be able to create a door that leads into this realm once. The door that those rings will make will remain manifested until the door is opened and will disappear once closed." I explained as the two of them continued to look at the unassuming bands of metal.

"So these things will let us in here without your help once, right? Then why give one to the runt? And why can they only do it once?" Eleanore asked the immediately logical questions after placing her ring back in its box.

"I'm giving one to Louise so she can give the ring to Cattleya when she says goodbye to her." I explained as I pointed to my master.

"Hmmm...yes, that works. So you'll give Cattleya and I the means to get in here on our own without your help. That makes things easier, but why are they only for one-time use?" The blonde the other obvious question as she closed the lid of her box before pocketing it.

"That is because I have only been able to put that specifically on two other objects in existence. I never created those objects either, I just laced them with the magic needed for them to make a door into this realm." I explained, earning a nod of understanding from the blonde.

"One of them is your parasol right? What is the other one?" Louise asked as she put the ring she had in its box before handing it to Eleanore.

"Why are you giving me this runt?" Eleanore asked irritably even though she still took the box from my master's hand.

"This isn't my real body. I'll just vanish once I wake up and I probably won't be able to bring this ring back with me." Louise pointed out with a shrug.

"Hmmm...I forgot about that...how does she do that anyway?" Eleanore asked after pocketing the other ring.

"I'm not sure myself. Her subconscious simply has a tendency to wander in here once she falls asleep. Although, I assume that it has something to do with our bond as master and familiar." I answered with my own shrug.

"To answer Louise's previous question though, the other object that I enchanted with that ability is the scythe of my gatekeeper Elly. She's the one who makes sure that no one trespasses into Mugenkan without my consent." I went back to my master's inquiry.

"You have a gatekeeper for this realm? Why?" Eleanore asked with a raised brow.

"I hired Elly to guard the original entrance to Mugenkan several centuries ago back when I was still having my long hibernation cycles when I was still much much weaker than I am now." I elaborated on who Elly was before turning to Yukari.

"She doesn't even know that I'm no longer in Gensokyo, does she?" I asked the border youkai with a bored expression.

"She also doesn't know about your other major change as well. For all she cares, you're still around but won't bother to check in with her anymore." Yukari answered with a snicker that wouldn't look out of place with Tewi.

"Alright, we more or less have a plan of action here but I want to make sure that we're all on the same page..." I started as I leaned back into my chair and made sure that they were all listening before I continued.

"Let us review our plan for tomorrow. Eleanore will hand Louise the ring in the morning and Louise will give it to Cattleya. Now, this is very important. You must not mention anything about the ring's capabilities once you give it to Cattleya. In fact, just give her the box and tell her to keep it with her until we leave." I said to everyone before giving specific instructions to my master.

"What? Why?" And she obviously ended up wanting to know why I wanted to play the situation that way.

"In case your parents decided that even a simple farewell between sisters needed to be monitored. We can't really take any chances at this point, not after all the trouble this has already caused all of us." I explained to both sisters.

"Agreed. Just give the box to Cattleya and tell her to keep it somewhere safe until you leave. I'll see if I can talk to her tomorrow after dark so we can finally get her in here." Eleanore added with a determined nod.

"A sound plan then. Louise brings the ring to Cattleya and Eleanore teaches her how to use it and the two of them show up here through their respective doors. I should have a more permanent version of those rings ready by then for your future use." I continued with a slightly revised version of our plan for tomorrow.

"That reminds me..." Eleanore said before pulling out one of the ring boxes.

"How do we use these things?" She asked me while gesturing to the box in her hand.

"Ah, of course. I apologize for not explaining such a thing. I'll spare you the specifics and simply tell you what needs to be done to use the rings." I said before going into the explanation of utilizing the one-time use access rings to Mugenkan.

"The user will obviously first need to wear the ring. After that, the user will need to point the ring in front of an empty space large enough for a door to Mugenkan to manifest." I continued while closing my right hand into a fist and pointing it forward in order to demonstrate how it should be done.

"After which, all that is needed is for the user to state the activation incantation to make the ring perform its purpose." I stated, lowering my hand.

"Activation incantation?" Eleanore repeated those two words in question form.

"Indeed. The spell needed for the manifestation of the door is already in the rings. All you need to do is to make the spell start using a key phrase." I answered with a small smile.

"So...what is the activation incantation?" The eldest sister asked as she leaned forward in anticipation of my answer. I closed my eyes and though of the best way to tell her before opening them and giving her another smile.

"The actual incantation itself could have been anything really. All the ring really needed is to maintain voice recognition with the user long enough for the ring to draw out enough magical energy to conjure the door. Of course, it might as well be classy." I admitted with a completely unashamed smirk. Eleanore suddenly pouted at me before leaning back to her chair and folding her arms over her chest.

"Are you actually going to tell us or not?" The blonde said irritably with a frown.

"Bad Yuka~! You shouldn't keep a lady waiting you know~" Yukari said in an ever increasingly teasing voice. I momentarily thought that she was enjoying this far too much before turning back to Eleanore.

"I apologize for that then Eleanore. The incantation itself is as follows so please listen closely." I said before pausing for a moment to make sure that she was indeed listening.

"Darkened heaven's light, bear this name as you open the door to the border of dreams...Inanimate Dream." I slowly stated, making sure to speak each word as clearly as possible for her to get it all. Eleanore had her eyes closed and had a serious expression as she absorbed each word I uttered.

"Does it have to be such an ominous incantation?" My master suddenly asked uncomfortably after I finished saying the incantation.

"It is distinct and catchy...which is what a spell incantation should be to make it easier to recall." I retorted with a shrug before turning to Eleanore.

"How is it? Are you able to retain it?" I asked the blonde who opened her eyes and gave me a slightly offended look.

"Of course I memorized it. Even a ten-count aria about the life of a hero that is now only known in a moldy old book in the royal archives is child's play for me to retain after reading it only once. Just who do you think I am?" Eleanore stated indignantly at me with her exceedingly modest chest puffed out and her hands on her hips.

"I meant no disrespect. I know first hand just how cunning, intelligent, and skilled you are in several aspects. I was simply making sure for the sake of being sure. Your sister's life is on the line after all." I said simply with a shake of my head and a disarming smile. Eleanore gave out a pout and a huff but relented from her posturing before turning away from me, her cheeks once again sporting a pink tinge.

"Well, is there anything else? I'd like to have a decent night's sleep if you don't mind." She pointed out as she eyed me and Louise.

"No, I believe that we can end things here for now. Hopefully we will be able to reunite tomorrow after dark, this time with Cattleya and Yamame joining in." I stated before motioning to stand up, both Louise and Eleanore following my example.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Yamame will be willing to help tomorrow. Good night all~" Yukari said in parting before ducking back into her gap and vanishing from this side of Mugenkan. With Yukari gone, Louise and I led Eleanore back out of my mansion where I opened the door that led into the eldest sister's room.

"Make sure you don't screw up later runt." Eleanore said before crossing into her room. Louise gave out a curious 'huh' when I closed the door instead of following Eleanore back into their manor.

"Aren't you going back too?" Louise asked me with a tilted head. I dematerialized the door before turning back to her and giving her a sweet smile.

"I was. Then I remembered that we haven't been training as much as usual ever since you've been called back here." I pointed out to my master. Louise suddenly realized what this meant and immediately went pale before she started to slowly back away from me.

"W-w-w-wait a minute! We just had a big match last night! Shouldn't that be enough to make up for the training I missed previously?" Louise stated her case desperately to me in a hopes of saving herself from the usual regiment of my personal style of training.

"Exactly. Because of your stunning performance back then, I had decided that out current training level has now become obsolete. Congratulations Louise, you now get to advance to the next level of your training." I explained with a cheerful smile that contrasted with the increasingly horrified expression of my master's.

"Now then...let us begin tonight's lesson." I said moments before Louise started screaming bloody murder at me and at how unfair the situation was.

...

I opened the door that led between Mugenkan and the Valliere manor and walked back into Louise's realm. I quickly closed the door and dematerialized it before turning around...

Whack!

...and immediately coming in contact with a well placed kick to the face. It seemed that I was developing a habit of turning around right into one of Eleanore's direct attacks aimed right in my face.

"Good morning to you, Eleanore." I greeted the eldest sister despite her slippered right foot digging into my left cheek.

"And why in the Founder's name are. you. in. my. room?" She asked me while putting more and more pressure on my face with each emphasized word.

"The only door here so far that leads to Mugenkan is located in your room. I didn't really have anywhere else to come out of." I reminded her.

"That doesn't change the fact that you went into a lady's room uninvited, unannounced, and unwanted." She retorted hotly at me. From what my limited line of sight could manage at that point, I could have sworn that she was blushing while she said those words.

"I apologize for my actions then. However, you should already know that I wouldn't do anything untoward to you regardless. I'm not one who would be interested to do that kind of thing to a woman. Besides, it would be too much of a bother in any real sense." I clarified with her before noticing something when the woman did not respond.

"By the way, wouldn't your current position be rather embarrassing should anyone else see you right now?" I asked since Eleanore was still wearing her night gown and seemed to have woken up a few moments ago. If one would consider that she was in a position of a high kick at the moment while wearing that...

"G-g-g-g-g-get out of my room!" She suddenly exclaimed before lowering her leg and roughly shoving me out of her room and closing the door behind me. I gave the door one last parting glance before shrugging and walking back to Louise's room, once again using my parasol as a walking stick. I 'incidentally' passed by Cattleya's room on the way back and saw that the guards were still there. I gave them a smile and a nod as I passed and saw them tense up after seeing me. I shook my head and merely passed by before continuing back to Louise's room. I knocked on the door until Ruukoto partially opened it to see who was knocking.

"Fuga." The gynoid greeted me before opening the door wide enough for me to enter.

"Good morning to you as well." I returned the greeting before entering the room. I heard the door close behind me before I noticed that Louise still in her bed. I walked up to my master and saw that she was on her side and curled up into a ball while clutching onto Emilio as tightly as she could. Her face was scrunched up into an expression of anger and fear. I reached out to her and was intending to shake her awake when her eyes suddenly shot open and focused onto me.

"Good morning." I greeted her with a kind smile.

"I hate you so much..." Louise muttered at me before sitting up on her bed with Emilio still in her arms.

"Come now, it wasn't that bad." I dismissed her reaction to our last minute training session last night with a wave of my hand.

"Not that bad? There were hundreds of those needles! How in the founder's name am I supposed to be able to avoid all of that?" She yelled at me as she struggled to get off her bed in one piece without falling over since she was still hanging onto her plushie.

"Well, if you had bothered to note the patterns used by the Cactuah, you should have noticed that if you rushed them before they fired then you should have been able to dodge the needles before they overwhelmed you." I pointed out the way she could have avoided getting impaled by hundreds of six-inch needles over and over again.

"Kak-Tuwaa? What in Halkeginia is a Kak-Tuwaa?" Louise asked me, once again showing that she still had issues when it came to pronouncing certain kinds of words and names.

"It's pronounced Cactuah actually. They are what you were up against last night and they are certain semi-sentient plants from a certain place. They look harmless but they can be very formidable when provoked or underestimated...as you seem to already know." I clarified as I watched Louise get dressed with the assistance of Ruukoto. My master dressed herself while Ruukoto simply handed her the next article of clothing she needed to wear.

"I wouldn't want to live in a place that had those things running around." Louise muttered to herself as she buttoned up her frilly white blouse.

"The Cactuah are more of an environmental hazard than anything else. Those living in that realm had far bigger problems to worry about." I commented as I recalled the state of the world of that game where the Cactuah came from. It wasn't the first time I had managed to make fictional plants real, though getting those right takes a bit of work if I couldn't get the image and concept just right. Regardless of Louise's resentment toward the sentient killer cacti, her reaction speed had marginally improved as did her timing when using explosions to try to counter or hamper the trajectory of projectiles.

"Whatever. Let's just go before I become late for breakfast. I still need to get that ring from Big Sis Eleanore for later." Louise stated irritably before stomping out of the room with Ruukoto a step behind her. I briefly wondered if the fact that Louise was never a morning person was the cause of her bad mood before following them into the hallway. We walked through the halls once again on our way to the very same balcony where her family had breakfast the previous morning. Along the way, we encountered Eleanore waiting for us impatiently with her arms folded over her chest.

"About time you got off your lazy rear." She said in her usual hostile manner as she approached us. Sad that we all knew, probably even Louise, that her demeanor was just an affront to her real emotions and intentions. Besides, she's done it so much that it had lost all meaning and potency.

"Good morning, Big Sister Eleanore." Louise greeted her sister with an unsteady smile. The eldest sister likely did not expect to be greeted by my master like that after what she had just said considering that she flinched and froze in place for a moment. She quickly regained her composure though and cleared her throat before reaching into her dress pocket and pulling out one of the ring boxes.

"Here. Keep this with you at all times. We don't know when exactly mother will allow you to see Cattleya so we might as well be sure." The blonde instructed as her sister took the box and placed it in her own pocket. I gave the entire scene a mirthful chuckle. Despite the rather clandestine exchange they were technically having, one can notice the similarities between Louise and Eleanore that would no doubt peg them as sisters.

"And you! Don't act like this doesn't have anything to do with you." She turned her attention to me after hearing said chuckle before poking my chest with her right index finger while her other hand was once again situated on her hip.

"You better be sure that these things will work." She muttered to me in something she may have considered as a threatening voice.

"I find your lack of faith amusing. You should already know that those rings will work so long as you use proper incantation. Also, just a reminder, those rings are only for one-time use. Do not use them until the moment you really want to create a door as the spell they cast will use up the material of the ring as the catalyst." I pointed out before reminding Eleanore about that particular property of those rings I made.

"I though you said that you would allow us into your realm any time we wanted. If so, why is our primary means to get there only temporary?" Eleanore asked me with a suspicious look.

"Those two rings are just slapdash constructs. Just something I made to accomplish our objective as soon as possible. I already have three more rings being conjured back in Mugenkan as we speak. They should be done by the time we get back there and will be far more permanent than those simple metal bands." I explained with a smile. The woman looked at me with narrowed eyes for another moment before huffing and turning around.

"Those two rings are just slapdash constructs. Just something I made to accomplish our objective as soon as possible. I already have three more rings being conjured back in Mugenkan as we speak. They should be done by the time we get back there and will be far more permanent than those simple metal bands." I explained with a smile. The woman looked at me with narrowed eyes for another moment before huffing and turning around.

"Well then, let's go. Last thing we need is to get mother mad at us before the runt here can meet Cattleya before you all leave." She declared before taking the lead to where breakfast should already be served for their family.

...

Once again, the Valliere family ate breakfast in silence sans Cattleya. Although, I noted that the overall atmosphere at the table was far less tense than it was the day before. Again, only the immediate Valliere family was served breakfast so Ruukoto and I situated ourselves behind my master. Since I had my parasol with me, I was using it like a walking stick in my right hand. The ever stoic Ruukoto simply stood in attention next to me in complete silence. I sometimes wonder what goes on in that high-tech brain but I did not really let it bother me since it was invariably loyal to Louise.

Karin and Eugene were seated next to one another and were eating in their usual composed manner. I did notice that they did not seem as tired as they were before. I assumed that we could take that as a sign that Cattleya's condition had improved...or at least stabilized to a point where her life was no longer in danger at the moment.

"Your return carriage will be ready this afternoon. We will allow you an hour to speak with Cattleya after lunch time. Do not squander it." Karin suddenly spoke up, as if talking to no one in particular, as she sipped at her wine with her eyes closed. Both sisters stopped eating and stared at their battle-hardened mother as if she just said something earth shattering. I noticed Eugene glance between his wife and daughters before giving a smile and taking a sip of his own drink.

"Cattleya had been constantly pestering the guards and the servants to let her out of her room or to send for Louise so she could talk to her dear sister." Eugene explained while purposely ignoring the cold glance that his wife was giving him.

"It got so bad that she even threatened to perform transmuting magic just to get her point across." The Duke stated while chuckling and stroking his spectacular mustache again. Both Louise and Eleanore audibly gasped at their father's words and for good reason. Even in Gensokyo, transmuting spells were considered above average in terms of required skill and power. For one such as Cattleya who was practically shortening her life every time she casts a spell, that was quite the personal threat...

...all to be able to see my master and talk to her again.

I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Louise's entire family seemed to have their own peculiar but genuine kind of courage.

"That child dared to try to threaten us with her life on the line. Such pointless foolishness." Karin stated in a clipped tone.

"Indeed...I wonder where she got that from." Eugene mused, earning another glare from his wife.

"After she found out that Louise was going back, she pleaded to have some time alone with her before she left." He continued before turning to his youngest daughter with a fatherly smile.

"Cattleya had missed you dearly since you left to study at the academy. Karin and I agreed that there wouldn't be any harm with giving you two some time together before you return to the academy." The Duke explained with the same smile that my master quickly returned.

"Thank you so much mother, father!" Louise said enthusiastically before very nearly launching herself at her father and giving him a very generous hug.

"You are very welcome my child." Eugene responded as he returned his daughter's hug before turning to Karin. The Duchess gave her husband and daughter measured looks before emptying her glass of wine and leaving the dining table. The rest of us watched her go with varying degrees of interest. Normally, one would have assumed Karin to be a cold-hearted human being based on her personality. However, through the times when I had been able to interact with her or the times when I simply observed her behavior, I have found a very different person.

Her adamant desire to get Louise away from the battle zone during the attempted Albion Invasion at Tarbes. Her anger at the fact that Louise summoned a blood soaked monster as her familiar. Her determination to speak with Louise along with her husband to clarify our circumstances. Her worry toward the health of her ill daughter. Eleanore's description on how long she and Eugene have been looking for a sure for Cattleya. Her misguided plan of trying to isolate Cattleya from us to prevent anything else from happening to her. Her reluctant agreement to allow Louise and Cattleya some time alone together as sisters.

It seemed that she was simply one who had a very difficult time conveying her true feelings and intentions to others. A kind of behavior that Eleanore and Louise seemed to share with her. I was not sure why she acted the way she does. It could have been part of her legendary Rule of Steel, the discipline that made her ferocious and successful in the military. It could have been because of the way she herself was brought up or a personal distortion in her way of thinking.

Regardless, she was who she was. Nothing will change the fact that she was Louise's mother. Nothing will change the fact that she did indeed love her family...no matter how hard it was for her to show or admit it.

...

The rest of the day was a complete blur for Louise. It wouldn't be far from the truth that she could barely remember the rest of what happened that day until the moment when she was finally standing in front of her sister's door. Louise left both her familiar and her gynoid maid in her room as per the strict instruction of her mother, besides they needed to pack for the trip back to the academy anyway. She looked at the two guards who were posted at either side of the door. Said guards made no move to stop her and only remained vigilant for any other threats that might appear...though Louise couldn't imagine anyone crazy or stupid enough to try to directly attack the manor of the Valliere family, much lest her sister's room.

The young void mage gulped before rapping her right knuckle on the door three times.

"Chii-nee-sama? It's me-" Louise never managed to finish what she was about to say because she was summarily interrupted by her sister.

"Louise? Is that you? Please, come in! Come in dear Louise!" Even through the muffled sound caused by being on the other side of a door, Louise could still very much feel the joy in her sister's voice as she beckoned her to enter. The young woman obliged her elder sister's request and quickly entered the room.

It only took a single sweeping glance for Louise to take in most of the details of her sister's room thanks to all her training in Mugenkan. The immediate thing she took note was that most of her sister's beloved pet animals were no longer in the room.

The only ones left were a pair of cats, one of them had a spotted coat of orange and black over white. Cattleya had oddly decided to name that cat Smith, after a strange man that was featured in one of the many fictional romance novels her sister loved to read. Louise remembered that one as a cat that wandered into the manor years ago. Their mother only allowed Cattleya to keep the cat because of a grudging respect brought about because the cat managed to avoid detection by everyone in the manor...including their mother.

The other was a exceedingly fluffy cat with a shiny grey coat. That one's name was Wesson, after another man from the same novel Smith came from. Apparently, they were adventuring partners who eventually fell in love with the same woman or something. Louise herself had never really read that particular book since some of the scenes were allegedly too racy for her, if Siesta's information on that book was to be trusted. That cat was a present from Eleanore after she came back home to tell her family of the good news that she was accepted into the Royal Tristain Department of Earth Magic as a full time researcher.

Both of those cats got along oddly well, as evident by the fact that they were both curled up together on Cattleya's lap as her sister sat at the front edge of her bed.

"Louise! Come, sit with me." Cattleya requested with a warm smile while patting the free space on the bed to her left. Louise gave her own genuine smile before walking over and giving Cattleya a hug, minding Smith and Wesson of course, and then taking a seat next to her beloved sister.

"Are you well Chii-nee-sama?" Louise immediately asked the question that she had wanted to ask her personally since yesterday.

"I am better now that I have received a hug from my dear sister." Cattleya responded while idly petting the two cats on her lap. Her answer did not really make Louise feel any better since it felt like Cattleya simply deflected it. Of course, Louise wouldn't dare call her out on that since it won't do anyone any good even if she did.

"I am happy to hear that Chii-nee-sama. Big Sis Eleanore and I were very worried about you." Louise stated with a wry smile. Cattleya blinked at her sister before bringing her left hand up to her mouth and giving out a most lady-like giggle.

"I had expected Big Sister Eleanore and you to worry about me. Please rest assured though that I am healthy once more. The healers even said that I am even healthier than before." Cattleya said with clarity and confidence. If Louise did not know what she already did, she might just have believed her sister. That train of thought made Louise contemplate the kind of suffering her sister must have endured over the years. She couldn't even imagine the feeling of having your body reject the very gift that their lineage had given her.

"I hear that you are heading back to the academy, is this true?" The middle sister asked after the lapse in silence brought by Louise's thoughts. The question brought the young void mage back from her musings and nodded.

"I have things that I need to take care of before classes start once more. I wanted to stay here with you longer but both Big Sis Eleanore and Yuka convinced me otherwise." Louise affirmed her sister's question. She then tilted her head to the side in wonder after Cattleya made a thoughtful noise and looked like she was contemplating something.

"Tell me Louise..." Cattleya started before turning to her sister.

"...does your familiar really not have a lover?" The question itself was more than enough to toss Louise off balance enough that she was not able to respond for the longest time.

"Or could it be that the two of you are developing a bond far deeper than that of a familiar and master?" That seemingly innocent question was what made Louise go over the edge, both figuratively and literally as she fell off the bed and landed rear-first on the floor.

"Oh dear...are you alright, Louise?" Cattleya asked worriedly for her sister but she could not move from her spot on the bed due to her cats. Louise managed to pick herself up off the floor before dusting herself off and giving her sister a mildly unamused expression.

"And what do you mean by that, Chii-nee-sama?" The young void mage asked irritably even as she felt her face flush and her left eyebrow twitch a few times. Cattleya did not seem phased by her reaction as she tilted her head to the side and gave her sister a questioning gaze.

"Well, I thought it a natural question. No matter how you look at it, Yuka is a very attractive male by any standards. It wouldn't be that unusual for a few women to be infatuated with him. Even you are a healthy young woman with your own urges and desires as well, yes?" Louise could do nothing but gape at her sister's words. She understood where she was coming from, surely even Louise could not refute the fact that Yuka was an extremely handsome man. However, Cattleya was probably the first and only woman who had come out an state it. With such a direct approach...no, Louise decided as she shook her head of such thoughts. She only had an hour with her sister and she did not want to spend it speculating on who may or may not be romantically or physically attracted to her familiar.

"We are not having this conversation..." Louise muttered before plopping back next to her sister.

"What conversation?" Cattleya asked in faux innocence.

"Let me just clear this up. Yuka and I do not see each other that way. We are partners as a mage and her familiar as well as being friends. Yuka himself has stated multiple times that he has no interest in love and even said that he had never fallen in love before." Louise clarified in a voice that wouldn't seem out of place if Eleanore had been the one to say it. Unfortunately for Louise, Cattleya's eyes started to almost sparkle after her explanation.

"Really? Then that means that Big Sister Eleanore could potentially become Yuka's first love~!" Cattleya pointed out enthusiastically with a wide smile. Louise could do nothing but look at the older woman as incredulously as she possibly could.

"What?" That one word cleanly summing up what Louise was feeling at that moment.

"They have good chemistry and balance out each other. They may clash in ideals and decisions often but our sister always did savor a challenge, yes?" Cattleya explained before asking for Louise's agreement.

"Are you still going on about that? The two of them wouldn't be able to stay in a room alone together without insulting each other." Louise countered with a shake of her head while pinching the bridge of her nose with her right hand.

"Of course not Louise. If the two of them were locked in a room alone together, they would be far too busy doing things other than arguing." Cattleya shot back with an almost cat-like smile. It was an expression that looked eerily fitting on her sister, especially with those cats on her lap.

"No...just...no..." Louise weakly protested.

"Awww...you don't have to feel jealous, Louise. If we ask nicely enough, I'm sure Big Sister Eleanore would be willing to share with us~" Cattleya said in admonishing tone of voice.

"Chii-nee-sama!" Louise yelled out in embarrassment with her face completely red. She couldn't even imagine the image of Yuka being shared by...the...three...of...them. Well, maybe she could...

"No! No! No! I cannot believe that you would even suggest such a thing!" The young void mage yelled out indignantly. Her apparent anger suddenly faltered when her sister suddenly started giggling once again.

"I apologize, Louise. It had just been so long since we had time together that I could not help but tease you. Though I am glad that you value your familiar so much that you would understand him so well." Cattleya apologized before admitting the real reason why she started that line of conversation. Louise was almost ready to simply play it off as overly playful teasing by her sister...but there was an odd sort of light in her eyes whenever she mentioned Yuka. Louise decided to shake off that feeling and get down to the main reason why she wanted to get in her sister's room in the first place.

"It's alright...but...I have something very important that I must talk to you about." Louise said in such a serious tone that Cattleya couldn't even tease her about it. The older woman could feel the sincerity in Louise's voice and decided to remain quiet and hear the girl out. Seeing that her older sister was finally ready to have a serious conversation, Louise reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring box that contained one of the rings Yuka made.

"Yuka and Ruukoto managed to puzzle out a rough idea of what is causing your illness." Louise immediately noted that Cattleya tensed at her words. The two cats on her lap seemed to notice it as well as they both looked up at their owner.

"They both agreed that the reason was is because your body is reacting badly to the magic in the air...as if it was poison." Louise continued and saw that her sister's normally warm and friendly face turned cold and pale with an unreadable expression. The young void mage wasn't ready to see her sister in such a state and it made her hesitate. Only the feeling of the box in her hand, reminding her of the possible chance of salvation for her sister, let her continue. She reached out and offered the box to Cattleya, who looked at the object strangely.

"Please keep this box with you until we leave. Do not open it until Big Sis Eleanore talks to you later today." Louise instructed in such a serious voice that Cattleya almost thought that she was talking to her mother. The middle sister quietly took the small box from her sister and cradled the object with both hands.

"What is it?" Cattleya finally said as she stared at the ordinary looking box. She did not hear a response so she turned to her sister just in time to get caught in an embrace. Smith and Wesson noticed Louise's intension before she moved and got off their owner before they got caught between the two sisters.

"A chance at a miracle...so please...please trust me, Chii-nee-sama. I don't want to lose you..." Louise said in a cracking voice as she started sobbing in her sister's arms. Cattleya did not fully understand the implications of her younger sister's words at the time. But the feelings that she conveyed were more than enough for the older woman to understand what her sister was really trying to tell her.

"Of course I trust you Louise...with my life if need be." Cattleya answered before holding her sister in her arms tighter. She couldn't see it because of their positioning, but Louise had a bright smile on her face even though her tears continued to flow.

...

"Where are they? They should be here by now!" My master said as she paced around in front of me. We were back in Mugenkan and were standing in front of my mansion there, the place where I set the waypoint for the doors that those two rings would make. Louise got in by way of sleep, her real body was inside our carriage that Karin arranged for our return to the academy. I made sure that the driver of the carriage was soundly asleep before I came here. Naturally, Ruukoto was with Louise's body in order to keep her safe while we did our business here.

"Louise, you're panicking again and that won't solve anything. You should know this already." I reminded Louise as she continued to walk around with a worried expression, the scene oddly familiar to me for some reason.

"Panicking? Who's panicking? I'm not panicking? Why should I be panicking?" Louise asked me in a clearly panicked tone of voice with a clearly panicked expression. I was about to respond when I felt something breach my realm followed by the sound of a low hum. The two of us turned to the source of the sound and saw a new door materialize from nowhere.

Due to the fact that it was a completely rushed job, the rings I made for Eleanore and Cattleya weren't that good. Amusingly, this reflected on the door each ring made as well. The door that appeared looked like a cheap mass-produced steel door. When the knob turned and said door opened, we could even hear the door creaking even though the hinges weren't connected to anything.

"Ugh! This is a really ugly door..." Eleanore said in a rather disgusted voice after she stepped through the now open door and into Mugenkan proper before closing it. The eldest sister blinked when we all heard the sound of glass breaking. The door she came in from, as well as the metal ring she was wearing on her right ring finger, dissolved into motes of light.

"So...where's Cattleya?" I asked the newcomer with a raised brow. Eleanore looked around the immediate vicinity before frowning.

"She's not here yet?" The blonde asked even though the question should already be rather evident.

"You did tell her the proper incantation right?" I automatically asked as that would have been the most obvious cause for the delay.

"Don't insult my intelligence...or Cattleya's. She managed to memorize it correctly and I told her the correct incantation since I made it here." Eleanore stated in a mildly offended tone of voice. I turned to Louise when I noticed her fidgeting again.

"Could something have happened to her?" My master asked worriedly and looked like she was about to start panicking again. I was about to say something when I felt the same thing again before another hearing another low humming sound. As if taking a cue from some sort of omniscient being, another crude metal door appeared next to the place where Eleanore's door appeared moments ago. The knob turned and I heard some light thumping noises from the other side but nothing else happened. The three of us looked at each other for a moment before we heard a familiar voice.

"Ummm...could anyone help me with the door?" Cattleya's voice filtered through. She couldn't open the door? Eleanore suddenly let out an audible sigh before walking up to Cattleya's door.

"For the love of..." The eldest sister muttered before yanking the door open, much to the surprise of Cattleya who was still holding onto the other end of the knob.

"Kya!" Cattleya stumbled through into Mugenkan and nearly fell over if not for the fact that I managed to catch her in time.

"Are you alright?" I asked even as her door and ring started to dissolve after Eleanore closed the door Cattleya conjured. The middle sister looked up at me in mild confusion before looking around to see Eleanore and Louise there as well.

"Wha..." She voiced her wonder as I helped her stand on her own two feet. Cattleya was wearing a light pink night gown in contrast to Eleanore's yellow night gown.

"Where are we?" Cattleya finally managed to ask the most obvious question in her situation as she looked around to see nothing by large sunflowers and my manor.

"This is my personal realm, Mugenkan, located in the border of dreams. That ring that you just used created a one-time portal between your realm and mine." I gave Cattleya the gist of the current situation she had found herself in.

"Your...persona...realm? But...why are we here then?" She followed up with a still confused look. I smiled at her before responding.

"How do you feel right now?" I asked her. The question seemed to put her off guard as she looked at me with a lost expression.

"How do I feel? What do you-" She cut herself off before frowning and taking a few deep breaths.

"This...this can't be...how did you..." She trailed off as she apparently couldn't coherently finish her words.

"It seemed that it worked." I said with a nod and a smile.

"What is it? What's happening to her?" Eleanore asked in rapid succession in an almost threatening voice as she and Louise walked closer to us.

"I simply adjusted my realm to facilitate Cattleya. I changed the way the magic in this realm behaves under the premise of 'not doing harm to Cattleya's health'. That means that the magic in the air changed into a type that will not be detrimental to your health." I explained to all three sisters just to be clear.

"So Cattleya will be fine in this place...then all we have to do is to wait for Yukari and that Yamame person to show up." Eleanore muttered as if she was ticking off a mental checklist...which she probably was.

"Quite. But before anything else, I want to give you all something special. Please wait here." I stated before going into my manor and picking up a tray with three ornate ring boxes. I stepped back outside and saw the three of them talking amongst themselves.

"Now then, Louise, I would like you to take this box..." I indicated the one near my right hand.

"Eleanore, please take the middle one..." I continued.

"Cattleya, please take the last one..." I concluded. The three sisters looked at each other before taking their designated box.

"What are these for?" My master asked on behalf of her older sisters as she stared at the black box in her hands.

"Those will be your permanent means of getting into Mugenkan at will. They are far more superior versions of the rings that Eleanore and Cattleya used earlier. Go on, open them." I explained before urging them to open their respective boxes. They did and I briefly savored the looks on their faces as they stood there with expressions of surprise and awe.

"To Eleanore, I modeled the ring after a Cornflower." I started while looking right at the eldest sister who had already taken the ring with the design of the blue flower in her hand.

"In the language of flowers, the Cornflower represents the qualities of Education, Reliability, Delicacy, and Elegance. Fitting, wouldn't you say?" I continued before asking for the new owner's approval. I got my answer when Eleanore blushed bright red before looking away from me. I gave out a lighthearted chuckle before turning to the next sister.

"To Cattleya, I modeled the ring after a...well...a Cattleya." I said with a shrug while looking at the middle sister who already had her ring on her right ring finger. The purple and red dashed white flower seemed to be to her tastes judging by her smile.

"It was so obvious it was almost boring really. Although I was mildly amused at how you matched your namesake." I commented with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Cattleya asked with a curious expression.

"It is because a Cattleya represents a Lady of Elegance, the Allure of Maturity, and lastly...Magic." I explained and saw the look of realization in Cattleya's eyes.

"More like ironic. Maturity? Elegance? This Cattleya?" Eleanore said condescendingly while giving her younger sister a sidewards glance and a smirk. Cattleya displayed her maturity and elegance by pouting and sticking her tongue out at her older sister.

"Hey! Chii-nee-sama is very mature and elegant!" Louise immediately moved to defend her beloved sister. Eleanore merely scoffed at the attempt before putting her own ring on her right ring finger.

"Are we talking about the same sister?" She gave out the parting shot before ignoring the frowns from both of her younger sisters. Well, they are definitely sisters I supposed...

"Right...Louise?" I let the silliness dissipate enough before calling out to the youngest of the three sisters. My master turned from Eleanore and looked between me and her ring. She hadn't put it on yet and was on the palm of her right hand.

"This is...a sunflower...right?" Louise asked in an uncertain voice as she stared at the yellow flower adorning her ring.

"Very good Louise. More specifically, that is a Woodland Sunflower." I affirmed before clarifying on the kind of sunflower on the ring. Louise nodded in understanding before finally putting the ring on her right ring finger.

"The Woodland Sunflower represents the qualities of Yearning, Respect, and one who is Watching Intently. Very fitting for one who wishes to continue to improve herself." I continued with a smile directed to Louise, who blushed embarrassedly before looking down on the ground while fidgeting.

"And it is clearly your favored kind of flower..." Eleanore commented while looking around the near-infinite field of Giant Sunflowers of Mugenkan.

"Indeed, your powers of observation are leaps and bounds over mere mortals." I responded with a sly smirk.

"Be careful, Yuka. Your sarcasm is showing. Put that away before you hurt yourself." Eleanore shot back with her own smirk.

"Just get a room and get it over with already..." Cattleya commented as she admired the ring adorned with her namesake flower. Both Eleanore and I looked at her dryly and were about to state our respective denials to such claims when we all heard a loud tearing sound from behind me. We all turned and saw Yukari standing up from halfway through a gap. She looked at us in turn before settling her eyes on Cattleya and giving her a wide smile before spreading her arms wide.

"Rejoice, Cattleya something-something de la Valliere! Your wish will finally come true!" Yukari Yakumo yelled out with a voice of pure joy...and that was when Yamame and Touya fell on top of me.

...

Please R&R!


	30. Interlude 5: Cirno's Corner Library

Author's Notes: This little segment came about due to the most recent in-progress chapter of this story, a small discussion about it on Spacebattles, and my OCD-addled mind after playing Altier Meruru too much. Must. Syth. Everything. Maximum amounts of EVERYTHING!

Ahem...

Anyway, here is my take on trying to explain the magic system of Halkeginia. Hope this makes some sense of the otherwise vague and honestly crazy casting system that place uses.

Amusingly enough, I spontaneously had the inspiration for this and immediately wrote it right as I was writing the LAST SCENE in the actual new chapter of the story. That said, expect another update within the next few days at best or by next week at the latest.

Please enjoy as always~

Disclaimer: (x) Don't Kiss Sakuya

...

The Voile Magic Library inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion was, and still is, the single largest repository of scrolls, tomes, and grimoires of anything that had to do with magic in Gensokyo. Nearly every system of magic that mankind had ever discovered or engineered was represented with at least one literary work inside the nigh-labyrinthian depths of the library.

The place itself was created and maintained by the magician known as Patchouli Knowledge: The Unmoving Great Library of Gensokyo. Although, due to her usually poor health, the actual upkeep of cleaning and cataloging the immense number of books therein rested upon the shoulders of her assistant and succubus familiar Koakuma: The Little Devil of Voile. Patchouli never really explained 'why' she chose a succubus as a familiar and assistant. Unconfirmed rumors and teasing by the mistress of the mansion, one Remilia Scarlet: The Eternally Young Scarlet Moon, can lead one to assume that Koakuma's summoning and subsequent binding to Patchouli was entirely accidental.

The center of the massive library which was very large circular open space, in order to facilitate as a central reading area as well as a point where one can easily reach most parts of the library, was not occupied by the magician. Instead of the magician who was clad in clothing of varying shades of purple, the one occupying the rather comfortable reclining chair in the middle of this central area was a fairy...an Ice Fairy to be exact. The fairy in question was once one who Patchouli reluctantly took in as a student in magic centuries ago. It was something she did in order to pay back a debt that the household collectively owed a certain youkai of flowers. The ice fairy Cirno: Gensokyo's Strongest Fairy, was currently relaxing while reading a book of fiction. One that detailed the life of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter, a concept which amused Remilia to no conceivable end. Cirno made a curious hum before lifting her eyes from her book and smiling at a seemingly unseen audience.

"Hello there! Welcome to Cirno-nee's Corner Library!" Cirno said before taking off a pair of glasses that were made of ice…that she created in the amount of time it took her to smile at the apparent audience and greet them.

"You're all probably wondering why you are here and what this whole thing is about. Don't worry, that kind of thing happens at times. It's only normal to be confused about such things." She stated before placing both her book and her 'glasses' on a small nearby table.

"Due to some recent events, it has come to the attention of both Teach and myself that the magic system in Louise's realm is vague to the point of being nearly outright bonkers." Cirno explained while leaning back into the chair to make herself more comfortable.

"As such, it would likely be to the benefit of a lot of people to give some kind of plausible and logical explanation as to how the system itself works. That being said, let's get to it!" The ice fairy declared before snapping her fingers. A crystal clear white board made of the purest ice appeared at her side, likely to be used as a visual aid of sorts.

"Back to basics first." Cirno once again snapped her fingers and four icons sudden appeared on the board. A tongue of fire, a teardrop of water, a jagged piece of earth, and a swirling clump of wind.

"The modern magic system in Halkeginia is entirely based on elemental manipulation and all the fun things you can do with them. The elements that are the most used and accepted are Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. You can imagine that Patchy could potentially be the supreme mage in that realm if she ever ended up there considering that Elementalism is her lifelong specialty. I wonder what would have happened if she got 'ported by Louise instead of Teach? Nah, she'd probably bop the poor kid with a book for disturbing her reading before 'porting right back to the library." She mused before shaking her head in order to clear her thoughts and shift back onto the actual topic at hand.

"In addition to the use of elements, the mages there also employ a ranking system based on something as weird as 'connect the dots'. Each dot is taken up by an element and the addition of more dots induces the need for a line to form between them, up to a maximum of four. That is why their ranking system is classified into Dot, Line, Triangle, and Square." Cirno continued and the icons on the board were replaced with a dot, two dots connected by a line, three dots connected by three lines, and four dots connected by four lines.

"There are also unconfirmed instances of Pentagon Rank Spells being available for use. However, such spells can only be done by combining the power of two mages who have a high affinity to one another. It doesn't seem to go any higher than that though. It seems that even combining the power of two Squares still cap out as a Pentagon, so no Hexagon, Heptagon, or Octagon class spells." She continued and three additional shapes appeared on the board. Five dots connected by five lines, six dots connected by six lines, seven dots connected by seven lines, and eight dots connected by eight lines. All of the new patterns except the Pentagon one had a large 'X' on them, indications that they were an incorrect assumption of how the mage ranking system in Halkeginia works.

"Another major factor in their system is Elemental Affinity. Basically, a mage is expected to excel at wielding one element over any of the others. Theoretically, any mage should be access to all the elements. However, depending on their overall affinity to something, they will have the easiest time to cast a spell with their elemental affinity than one which is not. We'll go deeper into that later." The ice fairy continued as she waved her hand at the board, erasing all the contents therein.

"Back to the ranking system. As I stated before, each dot in the rank represents an element. A new rank, or an additional new dot as it were, means that the mage in question has the option of adding either the same element again or adding a completely different one." Cirno explained before gesturing back to the board. Two new sets of icons appear on the clear frozen surface. Two icons of fire that were connected with a line as well as an icon for fire and an icon for wind that were similarly connected by a line.

"This is where affinity rears its head once again. Usually, once a mage finds out what their primary element is, they don't bother trying to use a different one. Why mess with something that works after all, right?" Cirno points out with a grin while gesturing her left hand forward and creating a small ice sculpture of Yuka and Louise dramatically posing back-to-back, showing off her own specialization of solely using ice.

"There are of course mages that try to mix it up, sometimes to even greater success than their elemental purist counterparts. Apparently, the use of more than a single element allows the mage to create spells and effects that would have otherwise been impossible with a single element." The ice fairy stated with a wry smile before adopting a more contemplative expression while rubbing her chin with her right hand.

"That's actually one of the more freaky things about this system. From what I know, a mage can create Electric element spells like lightning bolt by combining Wind and Fire. A mage can also create Ice element spells by combining Wind and Water. The overall power output of hybrid spells don't suffer from penalties in power though. Even if the hybrid spell is made up of two different elements, in the end, it's still has the power of two elements. So a lightning bolt, a combination of Wind and Fire, has roughly the same output as an empowered fireball, which is simply Fire added with more Fire." Cirno paused from her explanations in order to reach out for a glass of water that was most assuredly not there during the start of her lecture. Finishing the glass with a satisfied sigh, she set the glass back on the table before continuing.

"What was I talking about again? Oh right! Again, a mage pretty much as free reign on what element to use as he or she advances in rank. They can be a specialist that only uses their primary element or they can try other combinations. Hell, they can even be a Square Class Universalist and have a unit of each element at their disposal. I'm not sure if they can change elements after picking one though...I personally think that they increase their rank by improving on one or more elements rather than picking an element to use after they increase their rank. Apparently, Halkeginia at large also believes the former." Cirno continues to explain before sighing.

"It's a painfully simple yet versatile system really. In fact, the reason why Patchy got into Elementalism in the first place is because of all the possible combinations with them." The ice fairy commented before clearing her throat and waggling her finger at her unseen audience.

"A magician is only limited in the possibilities of their magic by their knowledge, skill, motivation and creativity." Cirno stated in a crude imitation of Patchouli's voice. She laughed to herself at the apparent inside joke of mocking his former instructor before taking a breath to settle down.

"Back on topic. We move on from the basic outlined aspects of the system and to the more technical mechanics of it." She stated, showing the apparent progress of her lecture, before adjusting herself in her seat to make herself more comfortable.

"Now, one of the main concerns Teach had while training Louise over at her realm was her endurance. Not her actual physical endurance, mind you. Thanks to all the workouts in Mugenkan and her real-world experience she's been getting, Louise is probably the most athletic student in her entire school." Cirno pointed out with a smile that held no small sense of pride.

"Rather than physical endurance, Teach was concerned about her magical endurance. Specifically, to find the upper limit of Louise's endurance and to see if there was any way to improve that. Halkeginians call it 'Willpower' instead of Prana or Mana or Od or straight out Magic Points. Apparently, it has to do with the way their faith works in regards to their magic." The ice fairy said while pursing her lips and tilting her head to the side. In the end, she simply shrugged away her apparent concerns and reached out for the cup of tea that was on the nearby table. Cirno did not bother with the obvious question of where the cup of tea came from or where the previously placed empty glass she drank water out of went.

"Willpower is apparently the amount of desire a mage has to cast a spell...umm...to put it in a way you can understand, it's like 'clap your hands if you believe' but on a more complicated scale." Cirno stated with less certainty than her previous explanations. Possibly because she cannot seem to put her intent into the proper words.

"That was a terrible analogy." A concise and slightly disinterested voice spoke from within the depths of the library. Cirno visibly flinched at the voice before slowly turning to the direction where it came from. There she saw Patchouli Knowledge slowly floating towards her with a book held close to her chest.

"H-h-hey there...umm..." As previously pointed out by Yuka some time ago, while Cirno had become more intelligent and matured over the centuries thanks to great effort by all parties involved, she was still vulnerable to suddenly blanking out on occasion when faced with something she knew that she could not overcome...or was too scared to even try. Without any more words, Patchouli made a gesture with her left hand and conjured a chair identical to the one Cirno was sitting on. Said chair was on the other side of the table the ice fairy was also conveniently using. With another swift, if overly simple wave of the hand, Cirno suddenly found herself backside over teakettle in the air before landing perfectly on the new chair Patchouli made. The ice fairy blinked dumbly several times at the sudden and rather dynamic change of seats. Patchouli used that time to float over to her chair before settling down on it. The bookworm proceeded to ignore the dumbstruck look Cirno was giving her and opened the book in her hand to continue reading it. She was re-reading '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

"Halkeginian belief system is integrally tied to their magic. Up to that point your supposition was accurate." Patchouli acknowledged part of Cirno's previous explanation before reaching over to the table and picking up small cookie. Again, the plate of cookies on the table was not there prior to Patchouli's arrival. Neither occupant seemed to care.

"Willpower is simply what it says. Willpower. The spellcasting method of Halkeginian mages do not draw magical power from within in order to cast a spell. Instead, they use their willpower to gather, focus, and shape the ambient magic around them into their intended spell. That is the reason why they need a focus in order to use magic, be it a wand, a staff, a sword, or rose petals." The bookworm spontaneously started to say without once looking up from her book. Cirno looked like she wanted to say something but the mistress of the library spoke up before she could say anything.

"Incantations are a red herring, a placebo effect. They are not actually required to be able to cast a spell with their system. Words and gestures are placeholders in order to allow the mind to focus on the effect a mage wanted to create with the gathered magical energy. This explains why Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere is capable of Keyword Casting despite initially not having the talent for such a casting method. I also expect that there are mages who have noticed this and have taken advantage of that facet in their magic system." The librarian continued her explanation before finishing the cookie she was snacking on and reaching out for a cup of tea, a different cup from the one Cirno was using.

"Take advantage? How so?" The ice fairy asked, intrigued at the words her former instructor was saying. She had similar theories about the magic system in Louise's realm but nothing as detailed as what Patchouli was providing.

"High speed casting. Silent casting. Or high speed silent casting under pressure. All are possible through that system with the correct discipline and mindset." Patchouli elaborated after taking a sip from her tea and placing it back on the table.

"Makes sense. The caster is only limited to their rank, element, and willpower then. More on that, apparently, that is the reason why the concept of willpower seems so vague." Cirno pointed out while leaning towards Patchouli. The librarian regarded the ice fairy for a moment before nodding.

"A conflict between factors and human samples in the continent." The asthmatic agreed before voicing the possible reason why.

"With so many mages, each of them should behave differently to each element based on their affinity and rank. With their technological level the way it is, there's no way to be able to come up with a standard unit to define willpower." Cirno added with enthusiasm before humming and snapping her fingers at the apparent realization of something,

"There's also the thing where the number and quality of mages in the realm is allegedly at a constant decline with each generation." The girl stated. Patchouli shook her head and went back to her book.

"It's not an allegation. Six-thousand years is more than enough time for something to rot away. Also, the condition is only isolated to human magic users. The overall amount of ambient magic in their realm has been surprisingly consistent over the millennia...far more than Earth's anyway." She explained with the patience developed from dealing with Marisa as well as having Cirno as a pupil in magic.

"Yeah...I never thought of that in that light..." Cirno stated while nodding appreciatively at the opinion from a different viewpoint.

"The decay in the quality of human mages and their own system of government is to thank for that, ironically enough." Patchouli continued with a small yet still sardonic smile while glancing at Cirno.

"...because they're magic hasn't really changed or advanced for the past six-thousand years? In fact, I think it's been getting progressivly worse..." The girl with blue hair postulated.

"Ten points. Indeed, the six-thousand year stagnation of the social, technological, and magical aspects of their civilization is the cause of their current situation. They continue to adhere to warped obsolete teachings of a church that barely knows the founder of their civilization anymore. To put it in a way that most others out there can understand, the status quo is their god now." Patchouli stated, which elicited a delighted 'whoop' from Cirno for getting it right.

"Wait...wouldn't going down this road eventually break their civilization? Eventually, they're gonna run out of mages. Why are there fewer and fewer mages per generation anyway? If the environment is not to blame then...the people?" Cirno asked as she thought about the possible ultimate end of the line for that kind of civilization.

"Yes, I estimate that the population of human Halkeginian mages will eventually dry out within the next three-hundred years. Thankfully, long after Miss Valliere lives out her life." Patchouli paused for a few moments in order to once again pick up her cup of tea and finishing it. She took a moment of silence to savor the after taste before placing the cup back on the table.

"You are correct in your assumption by the way. One way or another, the people are to blame for the continuous decline of human spell casters. The cause could be the progressive degradation of genetic quality due to inbreeding. As disgusting as it seems, it is a plausible and logical...and honestly stupid way humans have tried to keep their respective bloodlines 'pure'. The possibility of such actions increases dramatically if the system of government follows a monarchy. Guess what kind of government most of Halkeginia has." The librarian continued with a straight face despite Cirno showing a creeped out expression at the implication of widespread incest amongst the nobility in Louise's realm.

"Of course, that is only one factor. Another major factor is the simple lack of innovation in their magic." Patchouli said in a much darker tone of voice than what she usually uses. She said those words with so much contempt that Cirno could feel the disapproval radiating from the magician.

"The human mages there have been using the same system and basic set of spells for six-thousand years. Six-thousand years and they only have one magic system. In half that span of time, humans on Earth have created dozens upon dozens of ways to use magic...and that was with the steady decline in the ambient magic in the surroundings. It is not incorrect to assume that their system had rolled over, died, and is currently in the process of slowly decomposing." Patchouli bit out with such pathos and venom that Cirno was honestly getting genuinely frightened with their proximity. She had learned from experience that things nearest an upset Patchouli, which weren't books of course, tend to immolate in a rather abrupt fashion. Cirno didn't even want to think about what a thoroughly pissed off Patchouli would be capable or willing to do.

"Huh...well, them's pretty much the basics of the main four elements of the Halkeginian magic system. Next, we'll deal with Louise's personal element and how everything we talked about affects it. It is none other than the apparently legendary Void Element!" Cirno declared enthusiastically to change the subject to something else...hopefully in order to cool down her former instructor's head.

"Not today." Patchouli's simple declaration caught Cirno off guard for a moment.

"What? Why not? You were so enthused about the whole thing a while ago?" Cirno asked while leaning toward the librarian and pointing a finger at her.

"Vocal explanations tire me greatly. I wish to sleep for a while." The magician stated simply before placing a bookmark on her novel and placing it on the now empty table.

"Oh, okay. That's fine then, I'll just-" Cirno's words were interrupted when Patchouli leveled an open palm in her general direction.

"Out." Was all she said before a portal appeared next to Cirno and the ice fairy was blown through it with a powerful gust of wind.

"Creativity and hard work are some of the most important things when learning magic. At times, they eclipse even knowledge, talent, and experience. Marisa Kirisame and Cirno prove that concept soundly. Of course, a combination off all aforementioned would still be the most optimal." She gave her parting words to the unseen audience with a ghost of a smile before once more adopting her usual expression.

"Now leave me to my rest, lest I throw you out using a portal as well." Patchouli states with a dismissive wave before adjusting herself in her chair.

The world slowly fades to black.

...

Cirno is Gensokyo's 'That Guy With The Glasses'. You cannot, shall not, and will not unsee! Patchouli is 'Nostalgia Guy'.

Also, if anyone never got it for whatever reason, Sakuya was the one placing and taking stuff from the 'magic' table.

Please R&R as always~


	31. Chapter 26

Author's Notes: Huh. I guess I was able to finish this faster than I expected. Therefore, LIGHTSPEED UPDATE! Thanks for the corrections about the latest interlude. I may or may not end up revising it based on the corrections given here and at Spacebattles. Really depends on motivation.

Anyway, here is the actual intended new chapter. Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: Gensou Shoujo Taisen 2 has a godly soundtrack.

...

"I knew this was a terrible idea!" Yamame whined as both she and Touya swung upside down from a mass of Steel Vine I conjured to get them off me.

"Yuka, you should know better than to tie up and emotionally threaten the one being that has the best chance to possibly save Cattleya~" Yukari teased with a lopsided grin as she waved at the unfolding scene with her fan.

"Don't act as if you're not involved in this." Eleanore pointed out after properly assessing the situation and the reasoning behind my actions.

"I don't know what you are talking about, my dear Eleanore. I simply came here to hold up my end up our agreement and deliver Yamame here~" The border youkai retorted before looking away and making whistling noises.

"Why am being I hoisted up too?" The Shield of the Eastern Wonderland complained from where he swung next to Yamame.

"Because I sadly cannot take out my frustrations on the actual cause of the problem for various practical reasons." I flatly answered while staring at Yukari. I realized the mistake in my choice of words too late and the woman took full advantage of it.

"Oh, I would be more than happy to take care of any such frustrations you may have Yuka~" Yukari responded in a sultry voice before giving me a wink. I really should have known better.

"Funny..." I muttered before noticing my master and Cattleya walk closer to me.

"Let them go, Yuka. We all know that they don't really deserve that kind of treatment." Louise reasoned out while giving a sympathetic look to Touya and Yamame. Cattleya simply remained silent and seemed content at merely watching things unfold for now. I assumed that she still was not sure how to feel about the current situation considering what Yukari declared earlier.

"While your words ring true, life isn't exactly fair. Besides, I had to do something to make myself feel better." I stated with a shrug before snapping my fingers. Both Yamame and Touya suddenly yelled out in surprise when the Steel Vine that was holding them in the air unceremoniously vanished.

"Maybe I should have just helped out Reisen in Eientei today..." Touya mumbled as he got up while rubbing his lower back, making sure to help Yamame up after seeing that she had some difficulty standing up on her own.

"Thank you..." The Earth Spider said with a mildly depressed tone of voice as she stood up.

Yamame's appearance, like many residents of Gensokyo, had changed over time. Her blonde hair was now cut short, almost androgynously so, and she now sported a black beret that had a symbol of a spider on it. She apparently cut it short after belatedly realizing how counterintuitive it was to have long hair while relying on complicated web work for her more high-end Danmaku patterns.

Continuing on her pursuit of practicality in terms of her wardrobe, she now wore a brown short-sleeved blouse with a yellow ascot. Her wrists each had special silver colored metal bangles. Said accessories apparently enhanced her strength as well as help her with manipulating her webs during times when she had to use more than two-hundred strands of the stuff at any given time.

Yamame had also adopted wearing black shorts and matching thigh-high stockings for comfort and maneuverability. She used to wear a white skirt over of her shorts...until both Kisume and Parsee commented at how it made Yamame look more tomboyish than she already was. Rounding out her new look was a pair of brown steel-toed shoes. All in all, the Earth Spider's new look was born of the necessity of maximizing her agility and utilization of webbing over simply a unique sense of style. After all, she had to get creative since her illness manipulation was not exactly an ideal ability to have in the middle of a Danmaku battle.

"My~! My~! So this is the middle sister I've been hearing so much about~" Yukari suddenly spoke out as she moved her gap in front of Cattleya for a closer look at the young woman, completely dismissing the previous trouble she had caused. Classic Yukari Yakumo I suppose.

"Such a lovely flower~! It's like peering at a far more improved version of Louise~" The border youkai positively gushed at Cattleya while making grabby gestures with her hands...and pointedly ignoring the glare Louise sent her because of her comment. I made sure to make my way between the border youkai and the middle sister to ensure that nothing inappropriate happened.

"Shall we...take this inside? Yamame, Touya, are you two well enough to move?" I asked the two new arrivals.

"Yeah, more or less. Though I had expected that Touya would have done something about those vines first. You were supposed to protect me after all." Yamame confirmed before taking a shot at Touya while giving him a sideward glance. The young man flinched and rubbed the back of his head in obvious embarrassment.

"The whole thing just took me by surprise. I didn't do anything to the vines since I had a good feeling that Yuka wouldn't actually hurt us. Besides, whatever I could have tried might have ended up hurting you in the process...our entrance didn't exactly help us either." Touya explained before giving Yukari a none too pleased expression. The accused party once again assumed the act of looking away before whistling as if she was not part of anything.

"Quite. Now, if everyone would follow me inside, we have much to talk about." I brought the conversation back on the right track as I led our group into my mansion. Louise and her sisters followed immediately behind me while Touya and Yamame walked behind them. Yukari just opted to go back into her gap, likely popping up again in the living room once we were all there.

...

"I...ah...I'm sorry but...how are you still alive?" Yamame asked Cattleya with a mix of confusion and fear in her voice after trying to comprehend the cause of the middle sister's illness using her power. Her previous apprehension on being in my personal realm was long forgotten in the face of the current development. We were back in the living room and I was once more seated on my personal chair with Yukari leaning out of a new gap to my left. Louise, Eleanore, and Touya were all seated on the large couch across me in that order from left to right. Finally, Yamame and Cattleya were seated in a smaller couch to the side so the Earth Spider could do her thing. The fact that even Yamame seemed worried about Cattleya's condition was cause for concern for all present.

"Can you elaborate on that please? What exactly is going on in my little sister's body?" Eleanore asked with thinly veiled tension in her voice. She was leaning forward and looking at Yamame and Cattleya in turn with a severe expression. Louise did not voice her own concern but her own worry was evident by her expression and the fact that she was grabbing onto the couch arm with her right hand and Eleanore's sleeve with her left hand. The patient herself held a mostly calm expression but her eyes betrayed worry and anxiety. Yamame considered the question for several moments, closing her eyes and rubbing her chin while humming for added effect, before nodding to herself and looking at everyone present in turn before settling on Cattleya.

"You have a severely mutated case of complete chronic cellular degeneration via prana poisoning due to a severe allergic reaction to it." Yamame stated clinically with her eyes locked onto Cattleya's. A pregnant silence settled on the room as everyone present tried their best to try to comprehend what was just said.

"That sounds bad..." Touya breathed out, finally breaking the silence and voicing everyone's sentiments. Even I did not really comprehend the exact meaning of the Earth Spider's diagnosis but it sounded like Ruukoto's initial analysis was on the mark. Oddly enough, Yamame gave out a wry smile in response to the young man's observation.

"Normally it would be. However, the fact that it is a mutated case is actually a good thing for her. In fact, that anomaly probably saved her life." Yamame pointed out while taking Cattleya's hands into her own.

"How so?" I asked with a raised brow. I was curious considering how Louise and Eleanore were in full panic when we first tried to figure out the exact cause of the middle sister's illness.

"Because if this kind of thing hit her normally, it would have killed her in a matter of days." Yamame stated with a shake of her head.

"...what?" Cattleya herself asked, her expression showing more fear at that point...an expression that her sisters mirrored.

"Normally, something like this would have first shut down her vision, then her kidneys and liver, then her nervous system, then her heart and lungs, and finally...her brain. All that happens in rapid succession that lasts anywhere between a matter of minutes to a few days depending on how bad it is." The Earth Spider expounded before sighing after realizing that we may not have fully appreciated the severity of that illness.

"To put it in another way...it would have been equivalent to locking Cattleya in a room filled with poison gas all day, every day, until she died." She put a bit more bluntly and I heard Louise gulp at the realization. I saw the middle sister go pale after she herself realized the full scope of her illness.

"So what is this mutation thing that prevented Cattleya from dying much earlier?" Yukari asked curiously with a tilted head. I turned to her and saw that she did not seem to be visibly worried or concerned about the revelations thus far. I chose to keep quiet about it and merely waited for Yamame's response.

"That's just the thing. I'm not sure what is causing the slower progress." The Earth Spider admitted with a shrug before letting go of Cattleya's hands. She started rubbing her chin with her right hand before continuing.

"Something slowed down the breakdown of cells even though it did not stop it. What that something is...I have no clue since this is the first time I've run into this kind of thing. I do know precisely what her illness is doing to her at this point thanks to my ability but not that extra bit. Whatever kept stalling it is unknown but not unwelcome. Just thank your lucky stars that it was there since you probably wouldn't have even made it to your first birthday if it wasn't." Yamame concluded with a warm smile. Cattleya still looked uneasy but she was starting to regain some of her color again. Louise, Eleanore, and Touya still looked rather worried but kept their thoughts to themselves. I heard Yukari gave out a thoughtful hum before leaning closer to Yamame and Cattleya.

"That being said, can you cure her?" Yukari bluntly asked with a raised brow. Yamame seemed to have taken that question as a personal challenge and gave the border youkai a confident smirk.

"Of course I can. Who do you think I am. Since I already know what is causing the problem and what it is doing to Cattleya's body, I can tweak it so her body doesn't react badly to their realm's prana anymore." She smugly remarked before her expression turned serious as she turned back to Cattleya.

"But it has to be a gradual process. We have to make sure that your body responds to my treatments correctly at its own pace. If we try to force it, you'll end up dying anyway because of the strain on your body. We have to make sure that you adjust to the treatment properly as we progress through it." She explained slowly to make sure that Cattleya understood what needed to be done. The woman in question just stared at the blonde youkai wide-eyed as she sat there stock still.

"Um..." Yamame muttered after Cattleya didn't respond. The middle sister suddenly took a deep breath before placing her hands on her chest and looking at Yamame straight in the eyes.

"Does that mean that...you can...cure me?" Cattleya asked in disbelief, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Her eyes betraying shock, fear, and hope.

"That's what I said, didn't I. After finding out what you actually had, I personally want to deal with this problem considering how utterly weird it is. It'll be a first for me but it shouldn't be too-" Yamame's declaration was cut short when she saw tears forming in Cattleya's eyes before the woman broke down into sobs. The Earth Spider didn't even manage to get another word in since both Eleanore and Louise were immediately at Cattleya's side. Yamame had to stand to give them room but the sisters did not seem to notice as they were far too busy embracing their ill sister and telling her that everything was going to be okay. Seeing as the sisters were busy, I turned to Yamame for another obvious question.

"Since this will be a gradual process as you say, how long will it take to cure her?" I asked. She regarded me for a moment before tilting her head to the side as if considering the question for the first time.

"I'm not too sure. Like I said, this will be a first for me so I can't give a certain timetable for it." Yamame admitted with a shrug.

"But are you absolutely certain that it will work?" The way Eleanore asked her question cut into the conversation like a knife. Yamame gave the eldest sister a smile and a wink.

"I am. All I need to do is change the way Cattleya's body reacts to the ambient magic in your realm. That's why it needs to be gradually done, just to be sure that there aren't any negative effects on her body." Yamame explained. Eleanore listened intently through all of it before turning to Cattleya and turning back to Yamame.

"When can you start?" She asked, a bit tense. The Earth Spider merely gave her a warm smile.

"I can start right away!" She happily declared. The relief on the faces of the three sisters at the time was...remarkable.

...

"And, we're back." I muttered to no one in particular as I opened the door to Louise's room for both her and Ruukoto. We had arrived back at the academy sometime in the afternoon after a few more days of travel. As expected, there were few staff present and no students at all in the dorms. It seemed that everyone did indeed go to their respective homes while the state of emergency in Tristain was still in effect. This brought upon the effect that the dormitory tower was far quieter than it should have been. Louise didn't really care as she silently made a bee-line straight to her room with Ruukoto and I following close behind.

"Aaauugh..." My master languidly let out as she walked across her room before flopping onto her bed. Ruukoto mostly ignored Louise's actions and set about the task of methodically unpacking her things. I had asked Louise if she wanted to bring along Emilio back to the academy considering how much she loved the lion plushie. My master thought about it but decided against it since Kirche would likely never let her live it down if the Germanian found out about it.

"You can't possibly be tired because of the trip. It's not like you walked all the way back here." I pointed out with a raised brow. Louise just gave out an unintelligibly muffled response due to her still lying face down on her bed, she didn't even bother to take off her hat. Because of the enchantment I put on it, her hat and the Founder's Prayer Book still remained on her head despite her current positioning. I gave out a sigh and took off my own hat after placing my parasol on its corner of the room. I placed my hat on Louise's desk before walking up to the bed and taking a seat next to her.

"Louise, do you plan on getting up any time soon?" I asked but did not get a response. I blinked at this and gently nudged Louise's shoulder. Still nothing. I raised a brow at this and simply decided to roll her over on her back.

"You...know...nothing...of Zuul...hauu~" Louise muttered before settling on simply giving out light snores. I tilted my head in curious wonder of what on Earth she could have been dreaming about...to say nothing of who or what this 'Zuul' was even supposed to be. In the end, I simply chalked it up to some sort of lingering effect from the Love Potion she drank a while back. I took off her hat as well as the Founder's Prayer Book and placed both items on her desk along side my own hat. I glanced at Ruukoto and saw that the gynoid had already finished unpacking and was already setting the suitcases aside. I picked up my master and settled her into a more comfortable sleeping position on the bed. She immediately latched onto her pillow before continuing her evedently odd dream.

"Skadoosh...mauu~" right...I chose to ignore that and simply walked up to the nearby window. Without the usual bustle of students, teachers and staff, the Tristain Magic Academy simply felt like an abandoned castle. Kind of sad really. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard someone knock on the door.

"Miss Louise? Mister Yuka? Ruukoto? Have you returned?" Siesta's voice came from the other side of the door. Ruukoto and I exchanged a look and the gynoid tilted its head to the side in silent query on what to do. I nodded at door and Ruukoto immediately walked up to it before opening said door to reveal Siesta. The young woman was wearing something that looked like brown travelling clothes, complete with her straw hat, instead of her usual maid uniform.

"Greetings Siesta...going somewhere?" I regarded the maid before asking the question with a raised brow. Siesta blinked at me once before understanding what I had meant. Seemingly flustered at the realization, Siesta immediately took off her hat before covering the lower half of her face with the brim to prevent anyone seeing her embarrassment. Anyone looking still would have seen the blush on her face though.

"Oh no! I just arrived back from Tarbes a little while ago. A few of the servants mentioned that they saw you return to the dormitory tower earlier so I...thought...I apologize if I had imposed." Siesta explained in slight panic as she fiddled with the brim of her hat.

"Not at all. Seeing a familiar face so soon is a welcomed thing. Please come in, we were just settling back in." I assured her before inviting her inside. Siesta meekly stepped inside the room, Ruukoto making sure that she was clear of the door before the gynoid closed it. The maid, the human one, noted Louise asleep on her bed and looked at me with uncertainty. I assumed that she was still unsure if her presence here was necessary or even really welcome.

"Don't worry about Louise. She's just tired from the trip as well as all the things that happened during our visit to her home. Speaking of, how is Tarbes now?" I provided before inquiring on the current state of the village that we all went through so much trouble to protect.

"The Village is...recovering." Siesta carefully intoned as she took a seat on a chair that Ruukoto silently offered to the young woman.

"A lot of homes and businesses were destroyed during the attack. The worst of it were apparently because of very powerful wind spells. Thankfully, our family farm was spared but others were not so lucky." She continued with a sad smile. Ruukoto and I simply stayed silent and waited to see if she had anything else to say.

"The entire village is helping each other out in any way we can. Count Constantine is also doing his best to allocate more funds and resources to aid with the recovery but...it will still take time." Siesta said before going silent for a few moments before shaking her head.

"But then, we probably wouldn't have a village anymore were it not for your efforts." The maid added before holding up her right hand when I opened my mouth to interject.

"Even if you do not think of your actions as anything significant. Even if no else in the village knows the truth about how our homes were really saved. Even so, for what it's worth...thank you all so much for protecting Tarbes." Siesta said, her voice filled to the brim with emotion.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't like we were the only ones responsible for protecting Tarbes. Besides, Louise was the one who made the most decisive strike that ensured our victory." I responded with a shrug before pointing out Louise's own contribution to the battle proper since she was the one that permanently took down Wardes' monstrous undead form.

"I know that. Our village owes Miss Louise a debt we can never repay. It may not seem like much, especially since she already has Ruukoto, but I request that you please have her consider having me as a personal maid. It would be the least I can do for everything she has done." Siesta offered with a joyous smile. I raised a brow at the sudden request and gave out a thoughtful hum.

"Are you certain? I'm assuming that doing so would bound you to Louise until she personally severs the contract. Also, I think your salary as a maid in the academy would be far greater than anything Louise could offer even if she does decide take you up on your offer." I asked before pointing out the possible ramifications of what the young woman was suggesting.

"That is alright. I will still receive stipends from the academy for services rendered so long as I continue to work here. Becoming Miss Louise's personal maid simply means that she will be my first priority. She does not even need to pay me." Siesta explained with the same smile. I raised a brow at the sheer confidence that she projected as she said that. Odd...if I remember the way commoners are usually treated in this realm, that is.

"Now, while I'm sure that Louise will probably still insist to offer you a salary or allowance if you end up as her personal maid, isn't this setup a tad...convenient for the servants?" I voiced my curiosity and confusion at how Siesta could be so certain that her contract really is set up that way.

"It is. I did not really believe it myself when I was first told about it. However, Headmaster Osmond personally assured me that this policy stands for me so long as I...'grace this academy with my bountiful presence'...is what he said." The girl sheepishly answered. Aaah...Osmond. My face slowly reverted into a more neutral expression after I realized why Siesta's contract seemed so lax. Bountiful presence indeed. At least the old man was satisfied to simply look, though I'd imagine that Matilda would have likely had a few things to say about the old man in regards to that

"I...see. I suppose that it is fine if the Headmaster vouched for you." I stated neutrally, not really wanting to bring up my suspected reason why her contract with the academy favored her so much. Our conversation might have been louder than I had thought because I suddenly noticed Louise sit up on her bed.

"Munya~" My master let out as she blearily looked around the room until finally turning to us.

"I just had the strangest dream..." Louise muttered in a daze while tilting her head to the side. It did not seem like she was fully awake yet and her mind was probably still trying to catch up with itself.

"I was falling...and I was fighting a giant red dragon..." Louise started explaining her dream. Quite an adventurous one to open with a mid-air battle with a dragon of all things.

"Then I managed to defeat it...I defeated it by...by...smashing it with massive hot wood." Louise muttered with a grimace as if struggling to remember her dream.

"Then it all became really fuzzy. The last thing I remember was a lot of screaming about something called 'Zuul'...then I ran after a treasure chest that was trying to run away from me." What? Both Siesta and I exchanged confused looks at the sudden odd turn of events in Louise's dream.

"You were running after a treasure chest...that was also running away from you?" Siesta hesitantly asked, likely unsure of the words coming out of her own mouth. My master blinked a few times at suddenly hearing Siesta's voice. She squinted at the maid before finally realizing that she was indeed present in the room.

"Hm? Oh, Siesta. You're here too?" Louise asked the maid.

"Umm...yes. I just arrived from visiting home a bit before you all did." Siesta responded with a wry smile. Louise made out a thoughtful noise before nodding in acknowledgement.

"Yes, I was chasing after a treasure chest. It ran away from me using a dozen tiny feet that were under it." My master confirmed the maid's previous query. We all simply stayed in awkward silence for the longest time, not really sure how to move the conversation forward after something like that.

"Well...that really is a most unusual dream." I finally admitted. Louise nodded at me seriously before speaking.

"Yes. I think I need to sleep more normally without ending up in Mugenkan for a few days for my sanity." She added before falling back into her bed and going out like a light

...

The next few days were rather uneventful. Understandable, considering that Louise was apparently the first student to return to the academy. We assumed that the rest of Louise's friends were still at their respective homes until they get a summons back to the academy for resuming classes.

On that note, most of the staff were also absent from the academy. This included both Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond as well. From what Siesta gleaned off of the other servants, Colbert went off to visit a friend in the capital of Germania. No one knew where the old man Osmond went though. All the headmaster said was that he was going out to take care of a certain something for a certain someone and assured everyone that he would be back once the royalty decided to lift the State of Emergency so classes could start again.

Though, Louise herself admitted that having the dormitory tower, and indeed, most of the academy to ourselves was kind of lonely. Of course, I made sure that our days spent were at least productive to some degree.

Due to Louise's odd dream a few days ago, and her apparent desire to have a good night's sleep without ending up in Mugenkan most of the time, I made some adjustments to my border of dreams to keep her out should her subconscious try to manifest her dream-self there. That meant that Louise's only means into Mugenkan, until I remove the filter anyway, would be to use her ring to make her own door. Since she couldn't do any training in Mugenkan at night anymore because of it, I started giving her practical training sessions during the day. It wasn't like we had much else to do anyway.

"Why...do I...need...to do this...?" My master wheezed out her question between breaths. We were at a certain clearing a short way away from the academy that Louise had previously used for her independent training. Among those present were myself, Louise, Ruukoto, and Siesta. Louise was in the middle of said clearing while the rest of us were all grouped together behind her a short distance away.

Louise had been at it for around two hours so she was starting to get tired. She was wearing her academy uniform sans her mantle and her shirt was starting to cling onto her sweat drenched skin because of all the effort she had so far put in.

"Because, my dear Louise. Not all the targets you will encounter will remain stationary...or will always be on the ground for that matter. You should know this already after everything you went through at Tarbes. That being said...Ruukoto, if you would." I pointed out before turning to our resident gynoid. Said gynoid picked up another pre-prepared clay disk that was around the size of a dinner plate. My master grumbled to herself but took a few breaths anyway in order to steady herself for the next round of today's target practice.

"Pull!" I declared. Ruukoto flicked the clay disk high into the air for Louise to shoot down. Yes, we were making Louise do clay pigeon shooting using her broken spells.

"Zero!" Louise yelled out after aiming her wand as carefully as she could at the clay disk. The explosion rang out and promptly missed the intended target by a few feet too low and to the left. My master let out a frustrated growl in response before giving chase.

"Zero!" She yelled out as she once again tried to hit the clay. Unfortunately, the exercise of aiming at a small moving target in the air with a magic wand while running after said target proved far more difficult than trying to do so while being stationary. Louise once more demonstrated just how stubborn she could be by continuing to go after her target even after missing it twice.

"Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!" Louise kept casting her broken spells one after another in quick succession. This was also part of the reason why I chose this exercise for Louise. The match I had against Louise and Eleanore in Mugenkan showed that Louise could not maintain her willpower high enough to rapid cast her broken spells for very long. The secondary purpose of this exercise was for a particular experiment. I was testing out to see if it was possible to increase my master's willpower capacity through physical training.

From what was previously explained to me by Louise before we started this, as well as the lectures I've managed to attend with her, there did not seem to be any actual training regiment for increasing a mage's willpower capacity nor for the rate of willpower recovery. Apparently, Halkeginian mages only assume that a mage's willpower capacity only depends on their rank, their family lineage, and the mage's individual skill. They believe that one's capacity is permanently capped from birth based a varying combination of those factors. In conclusion, one's capacity cannot be changed but efficiency in casting and the effectiveness of their spells improve as they increase their rank as a mage. That meant that any sort of improvement in their magic was solely dependent on increasing their rank.

I found such a theory to be rather silly, lazy, and honestly insulting for anyone who actually bothered to work for and earn their power. I wonder what Marisa or Patchouli think if they were to hear the Halkeginian doctrine on personal magic development? Really now, I was living proof that one's power can increase through effort...or lots of sleeping, but that was besides the point.

Even if for some twisted reason this realm really does cap an individual mage's capacity for magic based on the aforementioned factors, this exercise would still improve Louise's accuracy and overall physical stamina. Still very stupid rules though.

"ZERO!" Louise practically roared out and let loose the largest broken spell of the day. The sheer size of the concussive blast made by her spell managed to easily smash the clay disk. Sad that it did when it was only a few feet off the ground. Still, that last burst that my master did brought up something Yukari pointed out in passing during one of our training sessions in Mugenkan. Halkeginian mages refer to their capacity to cast magic esoterically as 'willpower' instead of something more standard such as 'Mana' or 'Od' or 'Spiritual Power' or even 'Love' as Marisa would say. That being said, the border youkai made the following comment while my master was being harassed by Walker Piranha Plants:

'Little Louise has the power to overcome great fear. In fact, desperate situations make her explosions stronger. This clearly means that her magic relies heavily on her emotion right?'

I initially dismissed that observation as a non-factor since none of the other mages in their realm seemed to rely on something as unstable as emotion to boost their spells. Merely chalking up the term 'willpower' on the silly humans' sense of style or tradition. However, it was starting to look like the correlation between emotion and spell casting effectiveness had more merit than I had originally expected. Especially if one takes into account that Louise is a Void Magician and not a standard Halkeginian Elemental Magician.

"Miss Louise! Are you alright?" Siesta's concerned voice cut through my thoughts. I blinked and saw my master slumped down on the ground with her shoulders heaving. Siesta quickly ran up to her with one of the buckets of water Louise was drinking from for the duration of the training. I simply watched Siesta take care of getting Louise rehydrated as she seemed to be more than capable of such a task. I noted Ruukoto walking up to my side at a casual pace. It seemed that it did not seem to think that Louise was in any real trouble either.

"Did you note any significant emotional response from Louise on her last spell?" I asked as I continued to watch Siesta try to ease Louise into drinking some water instead of letting my master simply chug down the liquid as if she breathed it. Ruukoto had previously warned me about that little habit of hers and I deemed it necessary to relay that information to Siesta just in case. It now certainly seemed to have been a wise choice.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga." Inconclusive? A strange set of observations indeed. Ruukoto had only been able to gather data on Louise's spell casting a handful of times, none of them had Louise in a situation that would have constituted as 'desperate'. The gynoid was present when Louise dispelled Wardes at Tarbes but it said that it had other things to worry about at the time. Mayhaps I should have brought Ruukoto along when we had that little match in Mugenkan. Regardless, with the information it did have, Ruukoto observed times when Louise's emotions, particularly irritation, managed to boost the output of her broken spells. The problem was, there were also times when the very same emotions did nothing to her spells at all. The conflicting accounts were the cause for Ruukoto calling the whole thing as inconclusive for now.

Nothing for it then. All we can really do now is continue training as we were and see what we come up with.

...

"How much longer will Cattleya have to go through these sessions?" Eleanore asked the room at large as she took another sip of her tea. Cattleya was lying down on the large couch in the living room of my mansion in Mugenkan with Yamame seated on the comfy chair I usually use, moved closer to said couch obviously, and...doing whatever it is she was doing to try to cure the middle sister.

"As was previously mentioned, repeatedly for emphasis might I add, this needs to be done at a careful and gradual pace. Last thing we need is for Cattleya's condition getting worse because of something as silly as impatience." I pointed out with a raised brow before taking a sip of my own tea. The eldest sister gave me a dismissive huff but did not say anything else. Eleanore and I were seated next to each other on the smaller couch. Both sisters were in their evening wear though Eleanore noted that she was already back at the capital because of her job while Cattleya was still back in the Valliere manor. Louise was absent of course due to our previous arrangement of letting her have a few nights of uninterrupted sleep. It took a few days for everyone to agree on a proper schedule for Cattleya's treatments. Due to her already delicate health, as well as Yamame's insistence to give Cattleya some time to check if the treatments that were already administered had any negative effects on her, treatments for her illness will happen every other day for a duration of three hours.

"It's not like there's any harm in taking it easy. It keeps her recovery from being too suspicious to those who don't know any better. Besides, her health has been steadily improving right?" Yukari reminded from where she was leaning out of her gap before taking a bite from a cookie that she brought along with her.

"True enough. Cattleya did say that she has been feeling better than she has been in months." Eleanore begrudgingly admitted with a nod. A comfortable silence descended upon the room, the only sound that could be heard was the quiet hum of Yamame's magic.

"Quite. That reminds me, where is Touya? I had expected him to remain as Yamame's 'protector' throughout the duration of Cattleya's treatments." I asked with a raised brow due to the obvious absence of the young man, making quotation marks with my fingers at the word 'protector'. He had previously accompanied Yamame into my border of dreams every time Cattleya's treatment was done. This was the first time Yamame had come with just Yukari as her companion. An immediate response came from Yamame in the form of a rather deliberate cough.

"That was only because I was scared to come here on my own. I mean come on! Anyone would be scared if Yukari Yakumo suddenly asked you to go into freaking Mugenkan because of an invitation by Yuka freaking Kazami!" The Earth Spider blurted out without so much as letting up on her treatment of the middle sister or even turning to look at us. I could have even sworn that she was blushing with embarrassment.

"Point. It is always wise to have a healthy fear and respect of those who are far more powerful than you." I acknowledged with a smile and a nod. It felt nice to know that I was still feared despite my current absence from Gensokyo. Eleanore chose to stay quiet but gave me a sidewards glance nonetheless. Yukari simply took out her fan before covering the lower part of her face with it.

"As for Touya, let's just say that he's in the middle of his own personal battle right now. One wherein his only option is to try to survive." Yukari vaguely stated. The way she said those words made me raise a brow. She was trying to sound mysterious...but she also sounded amused at the same time.

"Survive? Is someone out to get him?" I inquired. It was not unusual for some youkai to develop a grudge with the Hakurei clan because of their duties. However, I was curious since whatever situation Touya found himself in, it seemed far more serious than a regular incident. Both Eleanore and I blinked when Yukari suddenly started giggling to herself.

"Yes, you could say that~! His girls demanded that he take a few days off to relax so they took a trip into neutral ground for a short vacation~" Yukari explained while giggling like a school girl. Oh...so it was more of a 'personal problem' rather than someone out for blood.

"Neutral ground?" Eleanore repeated the last part in the form of a question. Yukari put her fan away and happily nodded at the eldest sister before responding.

"The Myouren Sky Temple." The border youkai announced with great enthusiasm. So they were actually involving Byakuren and her followers in their mess?

"Who with?" Surprisingly, it was Yamame who asked that question. She was clearly still focused on Cattleya's treatment but she was evidently keeping one ear open to the conversation.

"The Trio, the Wind Priestess, the Bridge Troll, the Curse Goddess, and Hell Crow." Yukari listed. Yamame snorted out a laugh at the mention of the involvement of her good friend. The three friends as well as the Moriya priestess were expected factors. However, I didn't really expect Hina and Utsuho to be involved as well.

"Well...best of luck to him then." I commented while slightly raising my cup of tea in a weak gesture of support before drinking it. Yukari nodded along for a moment before her smile suddenly faded and she gave out a disappointed sigh.

"Though, I was hoping that The Judge would jump in as well but I was sadly disappointed." Yukari muttered while shaking her head.

"What in the nine hells are you people even talking about?" Eleanore said with no small sense of irritation as she glared at both Yukari and I.

"Nothing important...and we're gossiping again so stop it." I waved away her question and the subject itself before pointing out what we were doing.

"You were the one who brought it up~" Yukari teasingly shot back. Fair point.

"And that is why I am dropping that line of conversation." I stated before turning to Eleanore before she could start complaining again.

"Actually, there was something I've been meaning to ask you for quite a bit now. I just keep forgetting for some reason..." I said before shrugging at the last part. Eleanore gave me a curious look, indicating that she was listening.

"She's not married, engaged, nor seeing anyone. She's openly available for prospective suitors..." Cattleya suddenly piped up with words that were so clear and concise that one would think that she was delivering a report of some sort. Her eyes were closed but she was clearly conscious and was paying attention to the conversation. However, Eleanore did not really appreciate the nature of her sister's words.

"Cattleya!" Eleanore voiced her displeasure while sporting a rather prominent blush. She also placed her cup of tea on the table with enough force to clatter the tea set there. Thankfully, nothing was broken because of her outburst.

"Hoo~! So Yuka prefers the confident yet secretly emotionally sensitive tsun-tsun type huh~?" Yukari mused while giving the two of us a sly grin. Eleanore's face became even redder and the woman looked like she was about to snap. I sighed and intervened before things got violent by grabbing onto Eleanore's hand. The eldest sister quickly directed her glare at me because of my action but I just took it in stride.

"Now now, no need to let those two provoke you. They are simply baiting you for fun. Don't dignify their efforts by reacting the way they want you to." I reminded her while squeezing her hand. Eleanore let out a very Louise-like 'urk' before clearing her throat and finally settling down.

"Boo~! You're no fun~!" Yukari complained with a pout.

"No fun at all..." To which Cattleya agreed with.

"I hate you both." To which Eleanore very much disapproved of. I made a rather deliberate cough in order to get everyone's attention and to stop the train of silliness before it got any worse.

"As I was saying..." I carefully intoned, making sure to show that I would not appreciate any further interruptions.

"...while Louise was doing exercises today, there was a thought that suddenly crossed by mind. Is there any way to increase a mage's base willpower capacity or improve the rate of willpower recovery?" I asked. Due to the fact that none of the teaching staff at the academy was present, I did not have anyone to ask this to. Thankfully, Eleanore just so happened to be a reputed academic when it comes to this realm's magic. Imagine my surprise when the eldest sister suddenly gave me an incredulous look before closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh! You're asking about that huh?" Eleanore stated in an exasperated voice.

"Umm...yes, I am. Is there something wrong?" I asked with a raised brow after the unexpected response. Eleanore took a few deep breaths before leaning back into the couch were sitting on.

"You can't imagine how rare that question gets asked even in the academic community. Everyone is so hung up on elemental rankings and affinities that those kinds of questions are usually scoffed at." The blonde began before folding her arms and sighing.

"I've asked that very question at the academy and even after I got into the Tristain Royal Department of Earth Magic. When no one could give me an answer, I tried to research it as a personal project." She continued with a dismissive wave and a sigh before adopting a distant look in her eyes.

"...and?" I asked after she stayed quiet for a few more moments. She gave me a look that almost seemed sad before glancing down at her hands and shaking her head.

"And...I realized why there was never any real answer to that question." She muttered to herself.

"Ooohh~? And what did little Eleanore find down in the rabbit hole?" Yukari eagerly asked the eldest sister from her place.

"Rabbit hole? What in blazes are you talking about now?" Said eldest sister asked irritably, likely because she seemed to dislike being kept in the dark much like her youngest sister.

"A reference to a book about a girl who had far more curiosity than should be deemed healthy. Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache. Now, you were saying?" I gave a brief summary of the source of Yukari's words before steering the conversation back to the proper topic.

"Right...the reason why there is no study on how to increase willpower capacity or willpower recovery is because willpower in itself is nigh-unquantifiable." Eleanore started her explanation once again before pouring herself another cup of tea.

"The amusing thing about it is our very system of magic is the cause of that problem." The eldest sister continued after taking a sip of her tea.

"How so?" Yukari inquired, seemingly more interested in the topic now that she was a few moments ago. Eleanore gave out a thoughtful hum before responding.

"Halkeginia's magic system is built around the idea that a mage will always have a close affinity to one or more elements. In addition, a mage's rank determines how easily one will be able to case a particular spell. Now normally, this premise makes it very easy to determine what element a mage is best at and how strong they are. Unfortunately, this is also the very reason why it is difficult to quantify willpower." Eleanore explained while gesturing with her free left hand.

"We cannot accurately specify the amount of willpower a mage has because the difficulty and amount of willpower required to cast a spell varies depending on the affinity and rank of the mage in question." She continued as expression started to become distant.

"A Square-Ranked Wind Mage will have great difficulty making a wall of stone that a Line-Ranked Earth Mage can conjure with ease." Eleanore further elaborated while looking between Yukari and I in turn.

"Likewise, a Square-Ranked Earth Mage will have great difficulty creating wind blades that a Line-Ranked Wind Mage can make en masse." The eldest sister continued her line of reasoning. I made a hum of understanding after realizing what she was trying to say.

"So the reason was because each mage reacts differently to each element based on their rank and affinity." Yukari muttered as a statement and not an inquiry.

"Exactly. We simply do not have the means to be able to accurately measure willpower quantities because of it. It would likely take a combined effort from all the countries in Halkeginia to be able to create a large enough test sample for research. Though, I highly doubt that they'd put in the effort." Eleanore affirmed Yukari's words before sighing at the last part.

"Because of the tensions between countries?" I asked, referencing the issue between Albion and Tristain. Eleanore scoffed before shaking her head.

"No. Over the past six-thousand years, no such effort, proposition, or even a simple request on the matter has ever been recorded. When I asked why, the senior researchers simply looked at me like I wasn't a genius and told me that 'thus is the teachings of the church and the Founder, one would be a fool to question the truth'." The eldest sister's words were practically dripping with sarcasm as she recalled what her fellow researchers told her.

"I don't understand why they think that way. We are researchers for Founder's sake! Instead of trying to improve our system of magic in order to make advancements in our craft, they're more concerned about keeping things the way they are and 'researching' about the most nonsensical things! All because they honestly believe that such a thing was mandated by the founder himself!" Eleanore was practically seething as she spat out those words. The woman had previously claimed to be very serious about her work and carried great pride in her abilities. After everything she just said, I had no more doubts about her claims. The tension in the room was suddenly disrupted by the sound of Yukari's laughter. I looked at the border youkai curiously while Eleanore silently glared at her. Yukari took a few deep breaths and settled down before taking out her open fan and covering the lower part of her face with it.

"Oh, excuse me. You just made me remember something about the nature of humanity." The blonde stated with a hidden smile of malice.

"People are stupid. Given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything." Yukari started, not taking her eyes off the eldest sister.

"Because of their idiocy, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true." She continued before giggling to herself.

"They're heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs. Most of it is false, yet they think it all true." Yukari added before snapping her fan closed and showing Eleanore her vicious grin.

"People are stupid. They can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and thus are all the easier to fool." The border youkai concluded before remaining silent and staring at Eleanore with a look of absolute superiority. After all, despite her mischief and silliness, none can refute the fact that Yukari Yakumo is a monster that had existed for more than a thousand years. A being capable of great and terrible things that a human can only begin to imagine. Then again...

"Yukari..." I slowly intoned, making her turn away from Eleanore and instead look at me with the same expression.

"Yes?" She asked with the same smile of superiority. I sighed before gesturing to her with my cup of tea.

"You're monologuing again..." I flatly stated. That seemed to have snapped her out of her trance as she blinked at me a few times before looking at Eleanore's uncomfortable expression. A long and awkward moment passed between the three of us before Yukari finally gave out an awkward laugh.

"Oh! I apologize for that, dear Eleanore! An old habit of mine, really. Ohohohoho~!" She embarrassedly stammered out before glancing away from us and giving a forced laugh. Yukari Yakumo, ladies and gentlemen...

"Regardless...I suppose this means that there is no real way to find out until we try then, yes?" I turned back to Eleanore with the question. It took a few seconds for the eldest sister to recover from Yukari's display. She cleared her throat before nodding.

"That may be the case until you all can figure out what the runt's element actually is. I can lend you my notes on the matter the next time Cattleya and I go here." She responded with her offer, obviously not privy to the knowledge that her youngest sister's magical element was Void.

"Why wait? You can just bring him to your quarters at the capital and the two of you can discuss the matter there. By yourselves. Alone. Just the two of you. Preferably after having a romantic dinner somewhere." Cattleya suddenly piped up from her place on the large couch. Predictably, Eleanore reacted in a way Louise might have.

"Cattleya! There is no way in hell I'm doing anything like that with Louise's familiar!" Eleanore yelled out, her face completely red.

"That's right, Cattleya. It's not fair to insinuate such a thing about the two on them." Yukari surprisingly stated in an admonishing tone of voice. So surprising was it that both Eleanore and I looked at Yukari as if she spontaneously grew out a second head. The woman in question noticed our gaze and proceeded to pout.

"Oh, don't look at me like that! Besides..." I suddenly had a bad feeling when said pout suddenly turned into a sly smile.

"They will probably be too 'busy' with other activities to discuss the matter about willpower and such after the kind of evening that you are proposing." Yukari finished with a very cat-like grin. There was only one thing on my mind at that moment even as Eleanore spouting threats and denials at both the border youkai and her younger sister:

God dammit Yukari...

...

"In case you are wondering...yes, I am still working on figuring out a suitable response to your previously posed questions." I preemptively stated after the spotlight in my mind shined down on me in the middle of my otherwise pitch black subconscious. I decided to get some sleep after Cattleya's treatment session for the night had ended. With a lack of anything else to do for the rest of the night, it seemed to be the most prudent thing to do lest I end up collapsing again due to lack of sleep. I ill wanted to show that part of me to anyone else. Siesta was already more than enough for my personal pride to bear. Of course, I expected that doing so would likely have my subconscious try to pick up where we left off the last time I went to sleep. Thus, the current situation.

As expected, my counterpart appeared a few feet in front of me under the light of another spotlight. My female self. My other half. The apparent representation of my subconscious mind. Doubts, concerns, and questions that I never really asked myself while I was awake.

_You are stalling._ My other self stated matter-of-factly.

"I've been busy." I countered. It was sort of true after all.

_Yes. Busy going out of your way in order to accommodate the silly humans._ There was a missing frame of sight from my vision after she said those words then she was suddenly right in front of me with her right hand wrapped around my throat. I did not even get a chance to speak because she suddenly cut me of...and because of the aforementioned hand around my throat.

_You actually willingly allowed humans into Mugenkan!_ She roared at me as her eyes burned red with anger.

_You even gave them the means to be able to enter with at their own discretion!_ She added while putting further pressure around my throat. I grabbed my other half's right wrist with my left hand and squeezed. The action eventually forcing her to loosen her grip somewhat.

"Louise and Eleanore overcame my challenge." I pointed out with some effort.

_You threw the match! Had your head not been in the clouds then you would have been victorious!_ My female self yelled back, referencing my oversight during the match which eventually gave Eleanore the chance to sneak in the winning strike.

"Regardless...they still won and I lost." I pointed out before smiling.

"Need I remind you that we won under similar circumstances when we were challenged by both Scarlet sisters? Or the time when Eirin demolished us for underestimating her?" I reminded her with a small smile on my face. My other self scowled at me before growling.

_I would have destroyed them in short order had I been the one who fought your human and her sibling._ She said with absolute certainty and confidence.

"Good thing that it was me out there then." I casually joked with a shrug. My other self did not seem to appreciate my wit and proceeded to wrench her right hand free from my grasp. She then proceeded to wind the same hand back and attempted to punch me in the face. I intercepted the oncoming strike with my own right hand after bracing for the impact. Strange since I'm technically not actually getting hit with anything. Oh well, details.

"You know what, I think I do have an answer to give you after all." I flatly said, all previous humor in my voice totally absent as I looked upon my other self with an unamused expression.

"My answer...is yes." I slowly stated as I wrapped my hand around my female self's fist and slowly applied more and more pressure on it.

"I care a great deal about Louise. She is my master, my student, my partner, and my friend." I continued before taking a small step forward while keeping the pressure on my other half's hand, consequently forcing her back.

_You what? She is nothing more than a-AAAHH!_ I interrupted my other self's counterpoint by abruptly applying more pressure on her fist, enough to hear her bones start to creak.

"Regardless of her race, her power, her shortcomings, her accomplishments, her failures, her personality, or how much she personally values herself." I continued my advance while looking at my other half straight in the eyes.

"Louise, and by extension those she cares about, have grown to become important to me. I treasure them and memories and experiences I have shared with them thus far...and I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future." I said to my other self as I stopped and forced her down to one knee with the pain caused by my hand crushing her fist.

"Louise is slowly becoming as important to me as my own Garden of the Sun. As such, I will not allow something as paltry as my own subconscious insecurities dictate what I can and cannot treasure!" I roared before putting all my strength into my right hand and crushing my female self's right fist. The action also had the added effect of shattering my other half's entire body as well, leaving me alone inside my darkened mind. The spotlight I was under suddenly grew brighter and brighter until I was forced to shut my eyes because of it. I had no real response other than to simply raise an eyebrow at what I saw when I opened my eyes again.

Sunflowers. An endless expanse of nothing but giant sunflowers under the clear blue sky. I looked around and noted that it seemed no different from my Garden of the Sun aside from one aspect. That one aspect made me smile despite myself. Under each giant sunflower in the field was a small woodland sunflower nestled close by.

Well, that was certainly an odd way of dealing with my emotional issues. I supposed that should at least be glad that it was in a manner that I was more or less familiar with.

...

"Huuu..." I heard Louise's sleepy voice as soon as opened the door to her room the following morning. I felt rather refreshed in more ways than one after getting a night's sleep on top of clearing my head of those silly lingering doubts that I did not even realize I had.

"Good morning all." I greeted both Louise and Ruukoto. The gynoid blinked at me a few times but did not return my greeting, simply opting to blink at me one more time before tilting its head to the side. I raised a brow at the odd gesture since the gynoid more or less made it a consistent point to verbally greet anyone it meets so long as the situation deemed it appropriate.

"Yuka? Is that yo-" Louise's words suddenly froze along with her expression after she turned to look at me from where she sat on her bed. She held said expression for an almost uncomfortable moment, her eyes seemed glazed over and her mouth seemed stuck in small 'o' shape.

"Louise?" I called out to the girl since that was clearly not a normal morning response from her.

"Pfffft!" Her response came out in the form of a sputtering attempt to stop herself from laughing. She placed both of her hands over her mouth as her body trembled with her eyes wide while she looked at me. A valiant effort though it was, my master eventually succumbed to the building pressure that was no doubt ready to burst from within the depths of her being.

"Gwahahahahahaha!" Thus Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere proceeded to openly guffaw in a most unladylike manner. In fact, this was probably the loudest that I've heard her laugh out. Ever.

"Is...is there something on my face?" I asked with mild uncertainty considering she only froze and started laughing after she saw me. Louise's sudden outburst so soon after she had woken up obviously easily got me off balance conversation wise.

My query seemed to have hit the mark since Louise suddenly froze before laughing even harder, outright falling back onto her bed as she clutched her sides with tears bursting out of her eyes.

"Can't...bre...brea...the...eeeahahahahaha!" Louise struggled between laughs, still holding onto her sides and rolling around on her bed with her eyes shut tight. Just when I was thoroughly becoming uncomfortable with the situation, Ruukoto slowly walked up to me before offering me a hand mirror.

"Oh, for gods' sakes!" I stated indignantly, my words simply added more fuel to the fire since Louise started laughing even harder. I knew I had a strange foreboding feeling when Yukari only left through her gap after I prepared to go to sleep last night.

My face was liberally used as an impromptu canvas with what seemed to be a pink sharpie marker. My cheeks had what looked like a cat's whiskers, three on each cheek. Also, a large circle was drawn around my right eye. And finally, the words 'Gap Life' were written on my head in stylized cursive. That was not all though. There was a very obvious deep red lipstick mark on my right cheek. I did not dare wonder if it was real or not. All in all, there was only one way for me to convey what I felt at that exact moment.

"God dammit Yukari!" I muttered darkly as I covered my face with my left hand before handing the mirror back to Ruukoto.

"Thank you..." I added as an afterthought before turning back to Louise when I heard her start coughing. Both Ruukoto and I started to walk up to her but she held up her left hand to stop our advance. She then proceeded to use the same hand to point at me while looking at me with an expression of absolute glee.

"Blu-blu-blu-BLUSHING! You're blushing! Yuka's blushing!" Louise sputtered out before slamming her right hand on the soft mattress repeatedly to emphasize her point. I immediately tensed up after hearing her words since those were among the last things I ever expected to hear from someone else.

"Louise, let me make this perfectly clear. I am NOT blushing." I slowly stated in all seriousness. Louise stopped laughing momentarily before her face twisted into barely constrained laughter again.

"Fuga." Ruukoto pointed out since Louise did not seem to possess the capacity for coherent speech at the moment. Even so...

"I am not blushing harder. To insinuate such a thing is utterly preposterous." I stated with as much dignity I could still wield. Naturally, neither Louise nor Ruukoto looked anywhere near convinced by my words.

"...I'll be along shortly after I get cleaned up." I muttered before exiting the room, ignoring Louise who was starting to laugh again as I closed the door.

...

I chose to remain quiet when I returned Louise's room after making a quick trip into Mugenkan to wash up. I decided to take a full relaxing bath altogether as I wasn't about to take any chances after I found out that Yukari was about in my room while I was asleep. It took great effort on my part not to think about what else that insufferable woman could have been capable of doing while I was unconscious.

"Hmmm..." Was all I was able to voice out after opening the door to Louise's room. My master was seated in front of the small round table in her room with and was obviously having her breakfast. Siesta and Ruukoto were standing at either side of her all prim and proper as was to be expected of professionals. Also, all three of them were staring at me intently as I entered the room and closed the door. Ruukoto looked as impassive as ever but Louise and Siesta shared a glance before looking back to me with expressions that showed varying degrees of mirth. No guesses as to why the two of them looked so amused.

"Is it too much to ask that we never speak of that ever again?" I asked as smoothly as I could while folding my arms and leaning back against the now closed door. My answer came in the form of stifled giggling from both Louise and Siesta. I rolled my eyes at them before walking up to the table and taking a seat on the chair across my master.

"Too bad Siesta wasn't able to see you earlier. Words cannot possibly do justice to how utterly hilarious you looked this morning." Louise commented with a bright smile before continuing to eat what was left of her breakfast. At least she was in bright spirits today. Said comment earned a childish whine from Siesta.

"Such a shame~" The maid said in a disappointed tone of voice while looking at me with a mischievous smile.

"A great loss to the world at large to be sure." I drawled out with a roll of my eyes and a wave of my hand. Both girls started giggling again but I knew it was more in good fun than anything truly meant to insult me. After having to deal with Cirno and her friends for so long, I've been able to distinguish between the two.

The rest of the morning went about at a more relaxed pace after that. Louise inquired as to the status of Cattleya's health and was practically glowing after I told her that her sister's treatment had been progressing well so far.

"So Big Sis Eleanore is still going into Mugenkan during Chii-nee-sama's treatment?" Louise asked after I told her the events that happened in my border of dreams last night as we walked through the halls of the dormitory tower.

"Indeed she is. She made it adamantly clear that she means to see the entire treatment through and confirm with her own eyes if it will be a success or not." I answered while making our way down the stairwell. Ruukoto was silently following us while Siesta was taken away by the other servants to help out in cleaning. The teaching staff and the students may be absent, but the castle still needs to be maintained regardless.

"If I wasn't so worn out from going into Mugenkan so much, I'd be right there with them." Louise sullenly muttered as we continued our trek.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You were correct in suggesting that you take some time off from Mugenkan for a while. As much as I don't want to admit it, I did not really take into account the amount of mental stress you were enduring because of your training in there. To say nothing of the stress your subconscious goes through by travelling between your body and my border of dreams." I pointed out in bid to assure her that she was not doing anything wrong by taking a break from training in Mugenkan.

"Besides, it's not like you're slacking off or anything. Your daily workouts here have been helping in showing us your limits in your physical and magical endurance. In fact, you have been steadily increasing your physical endurance as we continue with these exercises." I added with a smile and a squeeze on her shoulder. Instead of being happy about the compliment as I had hoped, Louise instead chose to hunch forward and give out a sigh as we exited the dormitory tower.

"Yes, I know. I've been noticing that my body has been getting...harder." Louise said with a shake of her head.

"And you find this troubling?" I asked with a raised brow. That seemed to have set something off in her and she suddenly spun around and glared at me.

"I'm a girl! I'm supposed to be a fair maiden! A delicate flower in the meadow! An embodiment of refinement and femininity like Chii-nee-sama! I don't want to end up with the body of a barbarian!" Louise yelled at me. That was what she was worried about? Good thing there still weren't any other students in the academy yet, otherwise that outburst would have made quite the scene. Not to mention what would happen if Kirche had heard that rant. Louise seemed to have realized it to a degree as well as her face suddenly went red with embarrassment before turning her head away from me.

"I think you are overreacting." I plainly stated before putting my hand on her head and gently rubbing it. I wasn't sure why I suddenly did that and based on Louise's expression, she didn't know why either. The moment we were having, which was a strange mix of comfort and awkwardness, was interrupted by none other by Ruukoto.

"There is no need for concern for the increase in your muscle tone, Mistress." Ruukoto addressed Louise in White Noise mode. The fact that it bothered to shift its operating mode likely meant that it wanted to tell say something to Louise that might have gotten lost in translation if it simply spoke normally. Both Louise and I turned to the gynoid and waited for it to continue.

"Your body fat percentage was reduced to the most optimal point for a female body of your age group due to your efforts. The development of your muscles provides an increase in overall physical strength, endurance, durability, and general health. The new difference in your muscle to fat ratio only increased your body weight by three pounds. All of it muscle, not fat. You are not giving yourself a disservice by doing this, Mistress. You are simply living an active and healthy lifestyle far beyond most people your age are willing or capable of doing. The benefits of continuing this lifestyle outweighs the superficial disadvantages it may have by a laughable margin." The gynoid said in its usual clinical manner. It was clear. It was concise. It was to the point. It covered all the major issues with this matter. It was also a roundabout way of showing that Ruukoto was worrying about Louise in its own way. Sadly, with the way Louise was looking at Ruukoto, it seemed that most of what it said simply sailed over the poor girl's head. Ruukoto seemed to notice it as well but simply chose to revert back to its normal mode, with its eyes going from blue to red.

"Fuga." It muttered in an almost disappointed manner. Indeed, it did not seem like it was able to convey its intentions as well as it would have wanted to.

"What Ruukoto was trying to say is that the development of your body is not a bad thing. You lose unnecessary body fat while making yourself stronger, tougher, and it gives you more endurance. As Ruukoto said, the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences it might give you." I gave an abridged version of Ruukoto's words in a way Louise might have an easier time comprehending.

"Even so...no one would want to marry a woman with muscles." Louise muttered even though I was certain that she was smart enough to realize that we were correct.

"Nonsense. Have you forgotten just how proficient your mother is in combat? Or how efficiently well Eleanore moves when necessary? Those aren't the kind of things one can develop solely because of magic." I pointed out some examples that were already in her own family. Louise gave out an 'urk' that indicated that she didn't really think about it in that way before.

"Not only that, I know a number of denizens of Gensokyo who have toned bodies but are most assuredly still feminine. Reika Hakurei, Hong Meiling, Kasen Ibara, Shou Toramaru, Momiji Inubashiri, Youmu Konpaku to name a few." I listed off some of the more well known close combat fighters Gensokyo had. I would have put my own name in but I never really had to train and work out physically to become as strong as I became. It simply came naturally to me as I gathered power while I slept.

"All of them were dedicated masters of their respective martial arts, often training for months without end. All of them are built tougher than stone walls. All of them still retain their elegance as women despite that." I pointed out with a warm smile as Louise continued to listen. She suddenly gave me a curious look when I started chuckling.

"I apologize. I suddenly remembered something." I explained while shaking my head. We started walking toward the open field which had pretty much become Louise's training grounds. As we walked, I told Louise about that memory that made me chuckle earlier.

"A long time ago...the Oni, Yuugi Hoshiguma, surprised everyone with her elegance as a woman when she went to the Hakurei Harvest Festival one time in a kimono. She lost a bet with the wind goddess, Kanako Yasaka and that was supposed to have been her punishment. Yuugi was never known for her feminine side after all." I started while shaking my head at the sheer oddity of that night.

"Imagine what was going through her mind when the usually brash and battle hungry Deva of the Mountain showed up in dazzling deep blue seven layer kimono supplied by none other than the exiled Lunarian Princess, Kaguya Houraisan. She even had light makeup and simple but elegant jewellery. Honestly, she looked nothing like the Yuugi we knew." I said with a smile. How Yuugi managed to get Kaguya's help, I'll never know. However all that matter was that she did and she blew Kanako and everyone else away with her beauty.

"What happened after that?" Louise asked, obviously very interested in the development in that story.

"Nearly every single male who was there, who didn't already have a female companion at the time, tried to talk to her." I answered with a sly grin.

"Even Yuugi didn't expect it and was quickly overwhelmed by the attention. She stammered at their compliments and was obviously embarrassed by them. I supposed that she wasn't really used to getting compliments about how beautiful she was." I continued before stopping suddenly and simply started outright laughing.

"Y-Yuka?" Louise called out to me. She was likely unsure on what to do about my sudden outburst. I took a breath to settle down before grinning at my master.

"Yuugi eventually got so fed up about the sudden attention she was getting. She ended up deciding to elegantly point it out to her would be suitors by saying that she would rip off each of their testicles and make them eat each other's genitals. She spent the rest of the festival accompanied by her friends and all the men gave her a very healthy amount of distance." I finished the story just as we arrived at the clearing.

"Did she ever wear that...kimono...again?" My master asked, having some difficulty pronouncing the word 'kimono' since it was an unfamiliar word to her.

"I don't really know. I heard that Kaguya let Yuugi keep it, a trophy to commemorate her victory over Kanako and as proof that the oni can do something that what was originally perceived to be impossible for her." I answered with a shrug as Louise started to go through the motions of stretching and warming up. She started doing this as routine since she quickly got cramps the first time we tried to do some serious training outside of Mugenkan. I had the oversight of assuming that her muscles did not need to go through the process of limbering up just because she never needed to in Mugenkan. I had forgotten that her dream self was much more robust and convenient than her real body.

"So, what will we do today? Targeting again?" Louise asked as she performed her last set of jumping jacks. Ruukoto was the one who provided the entire warm up and stretching process Louise uses prior to her exercises. I thought about it for a moment and decided to see if improving Louise's physical endurance will increase her overall willpower capacity or willpower recovery rate.

"Eleanore and I had a small discussion in Mugenkan about you actually." I started off, immediately getting my master's reaction because the mention of her eldest sister.

"What did you two talk about?" Louise asked. Her breathing was a bit more labored before and her forehead was starting to sweat because of the light warm up she just did.

"I asked her if there was any kind of standard unit of measurement for willpower. I also asked if there was any way to increase the maximum capacity for it as well as the rate in which you recover willpower." I explained to Louise the gist of what I talked about with Eleanore in my mansion.

"I've never heard of a standard measurement of willpower in any lectures or books. I don't even know if it's possible to increase it past the limit a mage already has. What did Big Sis Eleanore say?" My master mused as she drew on the teachings of her school before asking what her sister's opinion on the matter was.

"Inconclusive. It seems that there is no way to be able to be sure about those things because of how the magic system works. She said it would take a very large, very focused, very extensive and very unified effort by all the human countries in Halkeginia in order to make it happen. Of course, with the way the continent seems to be like at this time, that doesn't seem to be possible any time soon." I relayed Eleanore's take on that particular subject matter.

"Then why did you want to see if my workouts will have an effect on my willpower?" Louise asked with a tilt of her head. I merely shrugged and sighed.

"She said that it wouldn't hurt to try. She'll bring her notes on the subject the next time we meet at the mansion. Hopefully, Professor Colbert can give some new insight on the subject once classes here resume." I admitted before telling Louise our current plan of action for that issue.

"With that being said, you have been trying to hit a varied number of targets for a while now. I have decided that you have become skilled enough to try it the other way around." I stated with a jovial smile. My expression was contrasted with the way the color drained from Louise's face as well as her increasingly panicked expression.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-you're n-n-n-not going to let those chomping flowers go after me out here are you?" Louise stammered out the question in near hysteria. Considering what she had gone through with my piranha plants, that wasn't really much of a surprise.

"Not out here. Instead, I will be personally seeing to your training in practical evasion on the ground." I said while walking toward Louise with my right hand raised to show a glowing red energy bullet floating above my palm. Louise gulped before started to walk backwards away from me.

"Wait! I'm not ready! It's my first time! This is too sudden! I have to prepare my heart first! You can just force yourself on me like this!" Louise yelled at me in panic while waving her hands at me in a bid to prevent what was to come.

"Don't worry Louise. I understand that you are scared but I'll be sure to be gentle with you. It will only hurt for a moment but I'm certain that you'll be able to settle into a rhythm that you will be comfortable with soon enough." I assured her with a warm smile. Of course I had no intention of hurting the girl. Danmaku was designed specifically to be non-lethal. Some bullets tend to sting on impact but no permanent damage should come from it.

"Bu-bu-but..." Louise was still rather hesitant in going through with the training.

"Don't worry Louise. You should know better than anyone that I would never intentionally harm you. Rest assured, I will do my best to take is as slow as I can." I said in all seriousness and saw my master visibly relax.

"I...okay then. I trust you, Yuka. I guess it's fine if it's you." Louise said with a mildly shaky smile before taking a few deep breaths.

"Okay! I'm ready! Give it to me!" Louise yelled out in a bid to pscyhe herself up for what she was about to experience.

"Very well. Here I come Louise!" I declared before firing my first barrage.

Ruukoto remained oddly still and silent throughout that entire exchange. Odd.

...

"Uuuugh...I'm sore all over..." Louise groaned out as I piggybacked her on the return trip to her room. Louise performed admirably on her first try at dodging one of my barrages. She did not have the convenience of flying around so she only had two dimensions to work with instead of three. She still got hit a number of times but still soldiered on and endured three different non-spell card barrages that I used. All of them were on the Easy side but considering that Louise was a human from a place that knew nothing of Danmaku, that was still pretty good. Ruukoto went off to get Siesta to prepare some lunch and a lot of water for Louise considering all the exertion my master did during her exercise.

"Did I come at a bad time?" A hardened but familiar female voice suddenly made itself known. Both Louise and I looked at the source of the voice and saw none other than one of Henrietta's personal female knights standing by Louise's door. The blonde one that was trying to order me around...ummm...

"I'm sorry, what was your name again? I had forgotten thanks to everything that transpired when we first met." I asked with a shake of my head. The woman in question gave me an unflinching measured look for a few moments before giving a curt nod.

"My name is Agnes. Agnes Chevalier de Milan. Captain of the Musketeer Squadron under the direct command of Princess Henrietta de Tristain." She formally introduced herself before giving what I assumed was an official salute of some sort.

"Hello again Captain. How may we be of assistance?" Louise was the one who asked. I could see her face because of how I was carrying her but I assumed that she was giving Agnes a tired smile.

"I was sent by her Highness Princess Henrietta to find you. She has given an official summons for Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere and her familiar, Master Yuka Kazami. Your presence at the royal palace is requested as soon as possible. I had originally gone to the Valliere estate as it was assumed that you had returned there for the duration of the State of Emergency." She started to explain her purpose for being here before folding her arms and narrowing her eyes a bit.

"I did not expect to be told that you have gone back to the Academy by your own free will. I must say, I was curious as to why you chose to do so even though there wasn't any official notice for you to return." The woman stated in a curious tone of voice, almost as if...

"Now now, you're not assuming that Louise had anything untoward planned, did you? You know of her friendship with your Princess." I jokingly asked with a smirk. After everything my master had done for her old friend and her country, I would have expected her to be the least suspicious person in Tristain.

"Nevertheless. With the way things are right now, I cannot take any chances. Lest we get a repeat of what happened with Former Captain Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. Dame Valliere is close to both our Princess and the traitor which almost led to Albion invading our soil. Would you take a chance if given the same set of circumstances?" Agnes gave her reasoning before posing her question. A spontaneous test of loyalty for Louise? I was about to open my mouth to respond to such an insult to my master but the person in question decided to answer the inquiry herself.

"I probably wouldn't be as forgiving as you and throw that person in a dungeon in the deepest part of the castle." Louise answered confidently. Her answer made Agnes blink a few times before giving Louise a smile.

"Now I understand why her Highness trusts you so much." Agnes stated before giving by blushing master a raised brow.

"I assume that you're not exactly ready to make the trip to the capital yet?" The knight asked a rather rhetorical question.

"Probably in the afternoon after Louise has lunch and freshens up." I answered with a shrug as Agnes opened the door for us to proceed inside.

I was having my doubts about the whole thing though. I mean, every single time we've interacted with Henrietta something very inconvenient ended up happening to us.

I just hope this meeting finally breaks that streak.

...

Please R&R!


	32. Chapter 27

Author's Notes: Been a while huh? Work has been crazy lately so I haven't been able to write as much as I wanted. Also, this chapter is actually the first part of two of this arc. I had originally wanted to just post the whole thing as one chapter but it's become so long that I had to split it in half. The good news is the next part only has a couple more scenes to write before it is done.

As per usual, please enjoy~!

Disclaimer: The Shiranui Second is Yuuya's true waifu.

…

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga Fuga." Ruukoto stated from her seat beside me. We were had nearly arrived at the capital via carriage along with Agnes. Louise took a few hours to recover from her training enough to be considered fit for travel. By the time the city of Tristain was visible, the sun was already well on its way back down on the western horizon. I was seated next to the gynoid while Louise sat across me with Agnes to her side.

The trip itself was mostly spent in silence as the gentle rocking of the carriage ended up lolling Louise to sleep. My master was once again wearing her ever constant uniform, including the mantle, with the addition of her hat. I had idly entertained the thought that my own unchanging tastes in my wardrobe was finally starting to rub off on her. I shook away that thought and just chalked up her chosen clothing to her sense of practicality. After all, Louise seemed to have a nigh-infinite supply of her uniforms. Louise was currently slouched on her seat and was clearly still sleeping, her hat covered most of her face due to the positioning of her head.

Agnes herself was completely silent throughout the entire journey. The knight seemingly completely content in folding her arms under her chest with her eyes closed while seemingly having an expression that was bordering on displeasure. She only ever moved in order to open her eyes and take a glance out the window to take note of where we were. It was a rather interesting contrast to the sheer fire and ferocity she showed me at Tarbes after she showed her disapproval at how I addressed Henrietta.

"I see. That is unfortunate. Do you think that you can come up with a more solid formula once I receive Eleanore's notes on the subject matter?" I asked the gynoid while glancing at Louise's sleeping form. With absolutely nothing better to do for most of the trip, I decided it prudent to utilize one of the skills I had developed over the centuries of merely enjoying the day amongst the sunflowers in my garden. I spaced out.

Sadly, even that was not enough to save me from the boredom of being stuck inside a moving carriage with nothing to do. A thought suddenly popped into my head during that time and spoke to Ruukoto about it. I proceeded to ask the gynoid if it could calculate a means to be able to measure Louise's base willpower capacity and rate of recovery based on our workouts. Ruukoto explained that it did not have anywhere near enough data on Halkeginian mages or magic to be able to determine what I wanted it to. In addition, the nanomachines inside Louise's body were never made to be able to accurately measure what I wanted it to. At most, they can only compare the 'intensity' of Louise's willpower whenever it spikes in relation to when it was benign.

Ruukoto then suggested that a standardized formula to be able to determine the factors that I wanted would be the most ideal way to accurately measure capacity and rate of recovery. Obviously, there was no such thing available in Tristain as Eleanore had already confirmed. I then asked if it would be able to create a formula itself using its apparently impressive computational capabilities. It then told me that it did not have enough data to be able to create one. The data samples it currently had were too few and would thusly have a very high chance of being inaccurate or outright inapplicable to some mages.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga." And it seemed that Ruukoto was still uncertain even if it gets Eleanore's notes. Depending on the accuracy of Eleanore's findings and the age of the material her reaserch was based on, Ruukoto may or may not have enough to draft out a rough formula on it. It also reiterated that a large enough data sample is required for accuracy, preferably with racial variety. It seemed that Eleanore's thoughts on the matter were correct. There was simply no way to be able to find out what I wanted without enough information. I gave out a sigh knowing that trying to push the matter any further at the moment would simply be an exercise in futility. Might as well shelve the thought until I meet Eleanore again. I glanced outside and saw that were already in the city proper, Agnes was already fully alert and looking out the window as well.

"Louise? Louise, wake up. We've arrived at the capital." I said as I reached out and nudged Louise's shoulder. My master made a displeased grumbling sound before sitting up properly and rubbing her eyes with her right hand.

"What time is it? I feel like someone sat on the back of my neck for several hours." Louise said before rubbing the back of her neck with her right hand while tilting her head from side to side in order to get some kinks out. Based on her relieved expression after a few popping sounds, it seemed to have been effective.

"It's time to get up. You wouldn't want to look disheveled in front of your beloved Princess, now would you?" I asked the rhetorical question with a smirk.

"That would be bad...ow." Louise agreed before popping a few more kinks from her back.

"And you really shouldn't sleep while seated upright inside a moving vehicle. I hear that it's bad for your posture." I added offhandedly after noticing my master's current discomfort. Louise glared at me before trying to fix up her uniform as best she could while seated.

"Don't patronize me. I've slept inside a carriage a number of times in the past. It's only this bad because SOMEONE decided it prudent to suddenly start firing magic bolts at me without my prior knowledge or consent." Louise flatly stated with a rather upset expression. I then noticed that Agnes was looking between the two of us with a lot more interest than she previously had.

"Louise has been going through physical training for a while now. We started this as an experiment as well as for the practicality of improving her physical endurance, strength, dexterity and durability." I provided the for the knight due to her inquisitive look. Agnes blinked at me once, likely not expecting such a direct answer to a question she never vocally asked.

"I...see. I did not realize that Dame Valliere was going through a physical training regiment." Agnes admitted as she looked at Louise and gave a thoughtful hum.

"I was completely battered and exhausted when you saw me at the academy, Dame Milan. How do you think I ended up that way?" Louise shot back at the knight with a bit more edge than she had likely intended.

"I apologize for my incorrect assumption. I merely thought, as a student at the Tristain Magic Academy, that you were experiencing willpower depletion. With all due respect, few mages seem to bother with any training aside from magic." Agnes said before inclining her head towards Louise in a gesture of apology.

"No, it's alright Dame Milan. Honestly, if you said that back in early spring then I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you. Yuka merely insisted that this kind of training was very important for a mage as well so..." Louise responded before trailing off with a shrug. Agnes then turned to me with a raised brow and another silent question. Said question was 'why?'

"The body houses the mind and the soul. Regardless of how powerful a mage becomes, the body is still an important part of the spell casting process. Neglecting that will simply turn the mage into someone who can only wait for their doom should they face a foe that can get past their magic or a situation wherein their magic was useless. Besides, isn't one of Tristains greatest mages also a skilled conventional combatant?" I explained before throwing out the little fact that Louise's mother was an excellent physical specimen on top of being a gifted spell caster. Of course, Agnes knew the legend of the 'Heavy Wind' and nodded in agreement.

"Point made." She admitted just as the carriage came to a stop in front of the main entrance to the Royal Castle. The driver of the carriage opened the door for us and Agnes exited first. Louise went next with an offered hand from the driver. Ruukoto and I exited afterwards while Louise was thanking the driver for the ride. The poor man looked surprised at the amount of politeness Louise was giving a commoner like him and ended bowing to her repeatedly while saying that her thanks were not necessary. The carriage left a short time later and we turned to the castle entrance where Agnes was waiting alongside another blue haired female knight. The other woman had the same no-nonsense feel that Agnes had and I vaguely recalled seeing her at Tarbes at some point. However, it seemed that Louise did recognize her based on the smile on her face.

"Dame Falkenmayer!" Louise exclaimed, obviously rather happy to see the knight. The blue haired woman returned the smile Louise was giving her and raised her right hand in greeting.

"Greetings, Dame Valliere. It is good to see that you are well." The knight said as Ruukoto we walked up to her and Agnes. Louise nodded at her greeting before turning to Ruukoto and I.

"Yuka, Ruukoto, this is Helgarose Chevalier de La Falkenmayer. She was one of the knights who helped me with the evacuation at Tarbes." Louise formally introduced the knight to us before turning back to Helgarose.

"This is my familiar, Yuka Kazami, and my maid, Ruukoto." Louise introduced us to the knight while gesturing between us in turn.

"Yuka Kazami. A pleasure." I greeted with a warm smile and a tip of my hat.

"Fuga." Ruukoto also greeted with a much more formal bow. Helgarose gave us both a measured look before she gave what seemed to be a formal salute.

"I am Helgarose Chevalier de La Falkenmayer, second in command of the Royal Musketeer Squadron under the direct command of her Highness Princess Henrietta de Tristain." She formally introduced herself to us before looking around as if checking if there was anyone else in the immediate vicinity. I raised a brow at her actions but what she said next explained it.

"It is an honor to formally meet the Steel Goddess and the Winged Demon of Tarbes." Helgarose said with a wry smile. The titles she suddenly threw out elicited a sigh from Agnes, an 'urk' from Louise, a raised brow from myself, and pointed disinterest from Ruukoto.

"People aren't blind you know. They weren't able to accurately give a description of who you were during the battle but your actions spoke for themselves. A woman with pure white wings watched over and defended the village of Tarbes after it was attacked while a man with dark shadowy green wings tore apart the famed Red Dragon Knights of Albion." Helgarose pointed out with a shrug before placing her right hand on her hip.

"Yes...I supposed that we should have expected that. Was anyone able to positively identify Louise though?" I admitted before asking her a rather critical question that made my master stiffen up.

I had made it a point to try my best to keep my master's identity as a Void Mage a secret for as long as possible. Such a thing was unavoidable forever, especially with the kind of luck my master seemed to have when it came to getting involved in incidents. I had at least wanted to make sure that Louise would be strong enough to handle herself should she ever find herself without assistance. Also, I wanted to make sure that she would become wise enough to make sure that she wouldn't get taken advantage of...aside from Henrietta. It seemed that despite it all, Louise's faith and love for her old friend seemed to rival that of the Kochiya family's faith for Kanako and Suwako.

"No. Both Princess Henrietta and Prince Wales made it a priority to suppress any and all information that would even imply the involvement of Dame Valliere and her companions during the battle at Tarbes." Surprisingly, it was Agnes who answered my question with her seemingly permanent serious business face. It kind of reminded me of Karin actually.

"R-r-really? Why would the Prince and Princess do that for me?" My master asked in disbelief that Henrietta and Wales would go through such trouble to cover up Louise's and her friends' involvement at Tarbes.

"It would likely be best to ask them yourself. Neither Helgarose nor I can speak for the motive on their behalf on this matter." Agnes answered with a shake of her head. My master blinked before realizing what the knight meant by her words. Agnes and her subordinates were knights under the service of their princess. For the most part, they simply follow orders to the best of their abilities. It appeared that Agnes was a rather grounded person who knew where her limits in certain matters were. Speaking on behalf of her princess was one of them.

"Oh...yes. I understand." Louise acknowledged with a nod.

"If there is nothing else, her Highness and the Romalian Liaison are waiting. Please follow us." Agnes stated before starting for the entrance to the castle, Helgarose following in step by her side. Louise and I looked at each other before following the two knights into the depths of the castle with Ruukoto silently following behind us. It wasn't the first time we entered this castle so I more or less could tell that we were headed to Henrietta's private chambers. The walk was mostly spent in silence until Louise finally piped up and addressed the two women.

"If I may ask, where are Dame Feulner and Dame Wizleben?" Louise inquired. I did not know the names of which she spoke so she must have been talking about some other members of the musketeer squadron. My guess was confirmed by a sigh and an answer by Helgarose.

"Ilfriede and Lunateresia are on a mission along with some of the others. They'll likely be back in a few days though." The dark blue haired knight stated with a shrug. Louise seemed satisfied with the explanation but I had a question for them myself.

"You mentioned that there was someone else waiting aside from Princess Henrietta. A Romalian Liaison, you said?" I pointed out to the last part of the previous conversation.

"Yes. You may ask for the specifics from her Highness directly but the gist of it is that Prince Wales is now officially under the protection of the Papacy of Romalia. He will be granted sanctuary there until Albion is liberated from that swine Cromwell. In exchange, a liaison who is under the direct command of the pope was sent out as a go-between for Romalia and Tristain." Agnes explained just as we turned the corner to Henrietta's chambers. The knight rapped her knuckle at the door twice and waited for a response.

"Please enter." The familiar voice of the princess bid. Agnes opened the door and entered first alongside Helgarose before allowing the rest of us to go inside. The two knights bowed before their princess before Agnes spoke out.

"I apologize for the delay. Our information as to the whereabouts of Dame Valliere was slightly inaccurate." Agnes reported to Henrietta before gesturing towards us.

"Do not be so hard on yourself Agnes. You have accomplished your mission admirably as always." Henrietta said with a warm smile before turning to us.

"And it does my heart well to see you all in good health." The princess continued before walking up towards my master and, quite predictably, wrapping her up in a tight embrace.

"How I've missed you Louise Francoise!" Henrietta exclaimed with no small sense of glee in her voice. She then turned to Ruukoto and I with a smile.

"I am also happy to see you as well Mister Yuka, Lady Ruukoto." The princess personally greeted us with respective nods, all the while still keeping my master's head hostage within the depths of her bosom. Louise valiantly tried to fight for her freedom but her efforts seemed fruitless...especially since said effort only involved the aimless flailing of her arms.

"Fuga." Ruukoto returned the greeting with a low bow.

"I'm sure Louise feels the same way, despite her current actions." I responded with a nod. I noticed her smile falter just a bit and saw Agnes narrow her eyes at me. Understandable since I merely deflected her greeting instead of returning it. It may have been rude and childish but I was still less than pleased with the fact that Louise keeps getting herself involved in something whenever we talk with her.

"Though we really should make an effort to meet in more auspicious circumstances next time." I added as a giveaway with a shrug. Agnes' narrowed eyes turned into a full scowl at the obvious lack of respect for Henrietta.

"Indeed. How I hoped that I could meet my old friend just to relax and catch up. Alas, circumstances conspire against that wish..." The princess agreed with a sad smile. It seemed that instead of being offended by my words, Henrietta seemed to share my sentiment. My master used the apparent lapse in being smothered with affection to at least get her face clear of Henrietta's chest.

"I apologize for my familiar's attitude." She stated while giving me a withering gaze as best she could from her position before turning back to her princess and beaming.

"I am happy to see you again as well princess." My master continued more enthusiastically. The two of them shared one more hug before Henrietta finally released her dear friend. It was at that point that I noticed another person in the room.

It was a rather smug looking young man was leaning on the wall next to a window to our left. He had light blonde, slightly spiky, hair as well as dichromatic eyes. One blue and one red, right eye and left respectively. He looked to be around Louise's age, possibly a bt older. He wore what looked like a white formal double-breasted long coat with matching gloves, though most of it was covered with a blue cape. He also wore conspicuously tight black pants and brown shoes. Though he also had some sort of thin sword, possibly a rapier, secured on the left side of the belt that he wore over his coat. The utility or sense of wearing a belt over a coat instead of directly on one's pants evaded me at the time. Henrietta noticed by gaze and proceeded to gesture towards said young man.

"I would like to introduce you all to our Liaison to the papacy in Romalia." The princess started which prompted the apparent liaison to step forward and give a formal bow.

"Julio Cesare. I am but a humble priest in the service of Pope Vittorio Serevare, St. Aegis the 32nd, and am currently assigned as the direct human link between Tristain and Romalia." Julio introduced himself with a pleasant smile. His sickly sweet words dripped from his mouth in a very well practiced manner, though it was clearly all for show.

Then he walked right up to Louise, dismissing the presence of both Ruukoto and myself, before taking my master's left hand into his own.

"And you must be Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. Descriptions of your beauty belie the truth of which I see before me. Indeed, to be in the presence of such beautiful and delicate rose is a privilege in of itself." Julio delivered words that would have been right at home if Guiche had said it before kissing the hand he was holding.

"Oh my..." Henrietta managed to squeak out after witnessing the display. Ruukoto remained impassive as always and was mirrored by the two knights present. Louise simply stared at the so called priest for a few long moments while I entertained the thought of ripping that smug smile off his face along with most of his lower jaw.

"Agwaah!" Louise finally delivered her delayed reaction by way of jerking her hand away from Julio and covering it with her other hand. The then proceeded to take a few steps back while looking at the so called priest with a prominent blush on her face and an expression that made it look like she was violated in some way. Once again, Louise showed that she was still a young maiden...though much more prone to sudden meltdowns in the face of matters of the heart than what I would assume would be normal for girls her age. Lack of experience in such things and her time as a veritable social outcast with her peers were likely contributing factors as well.

"Are you alright, dear rose?" Julio asked as he tried to once again reach out to Louise. He was giving her a nickname now too? My master responded to the inquiry my taking another step back before deciding on a better course of action by scurrying to my side. Not exactly the most 'noble' of actions but still a rather sensible one considering who she ran to. Now to clear a few things up...

"I'm sure she is merely overwhelmed by your...actions." I stated coolly, an attempt to imitate Sakuya whenever she had to 'take out the trash' so to speak. The young man did not miss a beat and gave me another one of his 'winning smiles' that I was quickly getting annoyed with.

"And you must be the famous Yuka Kazami, the familiar of my dear rose. I have heard great things about your courage and loyalty from both Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta." Julio stated with a straight face. I felt my eyebrow twitch at the way he referred to Louise in a possessive context. Considering how Louise flinched at his words, I assumed that she wasn't too keen about the nickname the so called priest gave her.

"Indeed. Also, I would very much like to clarify a few misconceptions you may have with my master." I responded with the same 'Sakuya Voice' while positioning myself between him and Louise.

"Louise is neither 'delicate' nor a 'rose', least of all is she 'yours'." I started, making sure to counter the smile the whelp was giving with one of my own.

"Of course, I would not dare assume that she would be mine. A mere slip of the tongue can be forgiven in the face of her beauty, yes?" Julio amended his words without actually apologizing for his assumptions. I gave out a sigh before closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose. Again, Louise shared my sentiment if her displeased grumbling about 'precocious jerk' is to be believed.

"I've not the patience to play your games boy. Now while I am certain that Louise would be more than capable of demonstrating just how much she appreciates the way you refer to her, it would also imply that you would actually be worth the effort." I answered but this time without my previous smile. Peace said, I then turned my attention to the young woman that called us here in the first place.

"Now, are we actually here for any productive reason or do simply enjoy putting my master in troublesome situations?" I asked, not bothering to conceal my irritation at the way things seemed to have degraded.

"Watch your tongue Master Kazami, lest I forget that you are here as a guest of her Highness." Agnes darkly stated nearby. I glanced at her and saw that both she and Helgarose were glaring at me and had their hands on the hilt of their respective swords. My annoyance grew at the unnecessary increase in tensions in the room. I was about to voice out my thoughts on the matter when Louise spoke up before I did.

"Yuka! Knock it off!" My master yelled at me before hopping in order to smack the back of my head with her open palm. It didn't hurt at all but it got the point across that Louise was less than pleased with my actions.

"Fine. I apologize for my actions. My words were needlessly harsh and I request your consideration. It has been a long day and Agnes picked us up after Louise's morning training." I conceded with a sigh. I wasn't conceding to Henrietta or the others mind you. I was merely relenting to prevent further stress to myself and Louise. Clearly.

"Oh! I did not realize! Are you still tired Louise Francoise?" Henrietta suddenly exclaimed worriedly before taking Louise's hands into her own.

"I'm fine your Highness! I was able to take a nap and rest on the way here! There's no need to worry about me!" Louise, being the kind soul she was, immediately set about the task of assuring Henrietta that she was fine.

"Are you sure? If you want, I can arrange a room for you to sleep in until you feel sufficiently rested." And typically, Henrietta refused to listen. I decided to put a stop to them right there before they ended up going through an endless recursion of good intentions.

"With all due...respect, Louise has already stated that she was fine. Ruukoto and I can vouch for her health as well. She was simply fatigued from her morning workout but she had sufficient rest on the way here. Do you not trust her word?" I stated before folding my arms and leaning back. A bit a metaphorical arm-bending on my part but it got the point across if Henrietta's pensive expression was to be believed. Louise and the knights looked like they had something to say but the princess' smile toward my master silenced them.

"Indeed, your familiar is very wise. I apologize, my friend. I let my worry cloud my judgment." Henrietta said to Louise and seemingly only to Louise. My master's expression turned from worried to happy to resigned before settling on a smile of her own.

"Please don't apologize, your Highness. Things have been...stressful for everyone lately." Louise responded and the two friends proceeded to smile at each other while holding hands for a while.

"So...about the reason we were summoned here?" I asked, reminding the princess that we were likely called here for a specific reason other than for her and Louise to catch up.

"Oh, of course. You may want to sit down for this, we have much to talk about." Henrietta stated before turning to Agnes.

"You and Helgarose are dismissed. I thank you for your hard work as always. Please tell the servants to bring refreshments for us though if you would." She stated with a smile. Both knights bowed to her almost automatically.

"Of course." Was all Agnes said before she and Helgarose stepped out of the room. We then proceeded to be seated on the available seats in the room. Louise and I sat next to each other on a couch with Ruukoto standing dutifully behind its mistress. Henrietta and Julio sat across from us with a fine wooden table in between. The Princess and the so called priest were seated in respective comfy chairs. I was wondering if we were to wait for the refreshments before starting our discussions but Julio broke the ice with a question.

"Now then, what do you know about Void Magic?" A question that Louise and I didn't really expect at that moment...

Well, at least it confirms that meeting with Henrietta is synonymous with incidents and inconveniences.

...

"Void Magic eh? Who doesn't know the element wielded by Founder Brimir himself during the birth of our civilization? Ha ha ha ha ha..." Louise was currently demonstrating that her skill at feigning ignorance could use some more work. Henrietta's eyes flashed minor worry at Louise's reaction but quickly covered it up by closing her eyes and taking a sip of her tea.

"Indeed. However I was not referring to our dear Founder. Instead, I am referring to the possibility of Void Magic existing in the modern era. What do you think, Dame Valliere? Do you think it possible for those who have inherited our Founder's magic to be walking among us?" Julio clarified his question before once again smiling at my master as if such a subject was something to use as small talk. The room settled into an odd silence after that. Louise was as stiff as a board for the longest time until she took a few deep breaths to recompose herself and finally answer the so called priest's question.

"I am of the opinion that nothing in this world is impossible. I believe that those of appropriate power and qualities will appear should God deem their presence needed." My master stated without any of her previous nervousness.

"Well said." Julio stated with a more cheerful smile. However, it seemed that Louise was not finished with her words either.

"However, I am also of the opinion that nothing in this world is certain as well. There has after all been no record of any mage who wielded the power of the Founder in all our history." Louise added while pointing out something I pointed out to her after I presented evidence as to what her element was.

"It is not impossible for a Void Mage to exist in our time, Sir Cesare. However, I believe that such a thing to be highly improbable." Louise finished with confidence before taking a sip of her tea. I could not help but give out a small smirk at how well Louise turned the situation around. Glancing at Henrietta and Julio, they seemed to have been unexpectedly impressed as well.

"The qualities of wisdom as well as an open mind. Indeed, you are special even amongst nobility." Julio didn't miss a beat and proceeded to lay on the compliments thickly. Louise didn't seem flattered by his words at all while Henrietta maintained her calm collected expression.

"In any case, I would assume that you did not call us out here simply to poorly attempt to flirt with my master yes?" I spoke up while looking right at the boy.

"Indeed. It has come to our attention that certain...unconventional things have been happening in Albion as of late. Both Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta deemed it wise to have you and Dame Valliere be brought up to speed in the matter. Although..." Julio explained, immediately getting Louise and my attention, before trailing off to carefully glance at Ruukoto who was standing behind its mistress.

"...such discussion will have rather...sensitive information. With all due respect, I have only been cleared to divulge this to Dame Valliere and Master Kazami and to no one else." The so called priest continued without his previously annoying smile. Instead he looked at Ruukoto, then to me, and finally to Louise in turn with a very serious expression.

"Ummm...it is fine, Sir Cesare. Ruukoto has a lifelong contract with me. I personally vouch for her trustworthiness." Louise piped up. She stalled somewhat at the start due to the sudden shift in the so called priest's attitude. The boy didn't really looked convinced so I decided to pick up Louise's line of thought.

"Ruukoto acts as Louise's primary personal servant and secondary bodyguard. It doesn't matter if you send it out for the duration of this meeting since it will eventually learn of it once Louise and I discuss the matter in private at a later time." I pointed out with a shrug. It was very true. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Louise brought up the topic later with Siesta and Ruukoto present in her room...or with her sisters in Mugenkan. The boy still looked uncertain about talking about what he was supposed to be telling us in the presence of a maid but he then blinked after a moment before raising a inquisitive brow.

"It? You refer to your maid as an object, something less than human?" Julio asked with a slight edge, picking up on my particular use of pronouns for the gynoid. I was a bit surprise at the tone he used when he inquired. There was hostility there, very subtle and hidden, but hostility nonetheless.

"It's a long story." I provided with a shrug.

"I'm certain that it is..." He carefully stated. Louise and I shared a glance before looking back to Julio.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache." We both said at the same time. Julio blinked at us a few times before shifting his gaze towards Ruukoto once more. He was quiet for a few moments, likely trying to decide what to do in this situation.

"Please rest assured that Miss Ruukoto is one everyone in this room trusts. Mister Yuka's designation to her is with...some merit, though I would agree with them to not dwell on the matter too much." Henrietta finally spoke up on behalf of our party.

"Are you certain, your Highness?" Julio asked the rather rhetorical question.

"Indeed. I have complete trust in Louise Francoise's judgment." The princess responded without a hint of hesitation or doubt. The gesture in itself was enough to make my master blush and fidget around in her seat with embarrassment. Julio finally relented and sighed.

"Very well..." He stated before taking a breath and picking up his own cup of tea.

"Now, as you may already know by now, the countries of Tristain, Gallia, and Germania have formed a coalition under the blessing of Romalia and our pope." Julio began before taking a sip of tea.

"The coalition's purpose is to liberate the country of Albion from the clutches of the usurper of the throne, one Oliver Cromwell, and return it to the remaining rightful heir, Prince Wales Tudor." The so called priest continued and thus confirming what Louise's parents had discussed back at the Valliere manor.

"The idea of a united liberation front was proposed by Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta, though it was not approved by the rest of the rulers until they learned of what transpired at Tarbes." Julio explained in a concise manner. Both Louise and Henrietta tensed momentarily at the mention of Tarbes. If Julio had taken note of their reactions, he did not make them known.

"The Albion Armada, under the assumed direct order of Cromwell, attempted an invasion of Tristain through the village of Tarbes. Details of the battle are sketchy at best, but there were a few things that stood out in the reports on that battle." Julio said while pouring himself another cup of tea. I was only paying token attention to what he was saying at that point. I did not need to hear about the details of that battle. I was there.

"The main points of interest of the battle as a whole are the unusual number of Red Dragon Knights present, the mysterious appearance and disappearance of the so-called Steel Goddess and Winged Demon, and the appearance of a gigantic unknown creature that proceeded to initiate hostilities to both sides." The so called priest ticked off each point with a finger. Again, once again talking about things we already more or less knew about. Well, there was something to interest to Louise at least since made a questioning hum before speaking.

"What do you mean by an unusual number of Red Dragon Knights?" My master queried with a tilt of her head. Her question made me reconsider the thought myself. I admit that there was an...abundance of those dragon knights. However, I never really thought it unusual since they were part of an invading army.

"The number of Red Dragon Knights that were confirmed to have been slain in battle was far more than the known number that Albion had." Julio elaborated somewhat on the point.

"And how can you be certain of what their number should be? I doubt that Albion would openly declare the strength of their army to other nations if they could help it." I asked with a shrug. My knowledge when it comes to international relations is limited to those 'video games' from the outside world Cirno kept pestering me to try, specifically a series of games called 'Civilizating'...or something. It was standard procedure in those games to maintain benign to friendly relations with your neighboring nations...all the while amassing your armies in secret until such time you felt them ready to crush all others underfoot. I enjoyed that part the most. Cirno said that there were other, more peaceful means, of achieving victory but I didn't really care for them. Slow going at the start though, so it didn't hold my interest for too long.

"You are correct in your assumption, Master Kazami. However, nations often have very 'creative' means of acquiring various bits of information should they need such information." He gave away enough to get the implication across. Espionage then, likely of the tactical sort and maybe even action filled. Even in a place like Gensokyo, the Tengu made sure everyone were on their toes when it came to keeping certain things secret.

"Fair enough. Then you say that the numbers do not add up to the previous count?" I acknowledged the point before clarifying what he was previously trying to say.

"Indeed. Cross-checking sources from each nation in the coalition confirmed that the average number of Red Dragon Knights should have been more or less the same. The issue is that the number of knights encountered at Tarbes was nearly twice the number previously reported." Julio explained the discrepancy between what the number of knights was supposed to be and the number of knights that were actually there during the attack at Tarbes.

"Wouldn't it possible that they could have amassed that many in secret?" Louise asked while rubbing her chin with her left hand.

"I'm afraid it simply does not work that way. The previous report on the number of Red Dragon Knights enlisted and ready for action was made a little over one year ago." Julio pointed out with a shake of his head.

"It would normally be impossible to breed enough dragons for such a number to say nothing of training the beasts and the knights who would mount them." The so called priest added with an obviously displeased expression. Indeed, I would assume that it would likely take more than a year to achieve that in the span of a year.

"Normally...you suspect foul play?" I echoed before asking him. Julio responded by giving me a sardonic smile before responding.

"'Foul play' is a severe understatement in this situation. There are no natural means to be able to achieve the results they did with their Red Dragon Knights. Add to that the possibility of that giant monster being originally theirs and simply went out of control..." Julio responded before trailing off with an uncomfortable smile on his face.

"Do you believe that...Cromwell...do you believe that he could have forced heretically forbidden magic to yield these results?" Louise hesitantly asked, not really happy about the possibility of such a thing being even remotely possible.

"As much as I wanted it to be so, Dame Valliere..." Julio trailed off before looking like he was contemplating about something.

"Cromwell instigated the coup and usurp power in Albion in a matter of weeks. Very swift considering what was accomplished but unsurprising considering his possible backers. However, even that much time would not have been enough to form the ranks of those additional knights and dragons. The monster may have been created during his subsequent occupation of the country but the knight corps additions may have been going on long before he came into power." Julio stated in a somber tone. It was oddly remarkable to see how much his mood shifted from what it was moments ago.

"That means that..." Louise trailed off before gulping at the implication.

"Wales does not know if it was his father who made the initiative or if it was one of his advisors or generals. He isn't even sure if his family even knew about it. However, the evidence points to the possibility of the previous government being involved in artificially creating soldiers and fire dragons." Henrietta was the one who answered in a sad voice which made my master gasp in shock. Curious. Necromancy and now possibly even creation of Homunculi or even managing cloning through magic and alchemy. It was starting to seem that there were much more...clandestine means of applying the magic system in the realm than simple elemental manipulation.

"And you are certain of the involvement of artificial creation of life?" I asked with a raised brow. After all, doing such a thing isn't exactly easy. You either need to know exactly what was needed to be done to create life or have enough resources to engineer it from the correct amounts of raw materials.

"We have some...evidence of such actions. Although I am impressed that you do not seem at all disturbed about these revelations." Julio acknowledged before pointing out his observation. I merely sighed and shrugged my shoulders in return.

"I've had an interesting life." I stated noncommittally. Julio gave out a curious hum but did not pursue the matter further.

"To answer your question, yes. That does seem to be the most likely possibility, especially after what happened to the captured Red Dragon Knights. The fact is that, the more we investigate, the more disturbing the things we find become." The so called priest stated somberly.

"Why? What happened to the captured knights?" Louise latched onto that one point and immediately asked about it.

"Every single one of the captured knights and their respective mounts all died suddenly after two weeks of captivity...at the same time." Julio explained.

"What? How is that even..." My master trailed off, unable to even finish the question. I, however, had some idea as to why such a thing happened.

"Whatever was sustaining them wore off." I postulated and earned a nod from Julio.

"Indeed. It appeared that they were all...manufactured at the same time for the expressed purpose of the invasion of Tristain. Destined to be thrown away after they have outlived their usefulness. That was also the likely reason why none of the captured knights could perform magic." Julio confirmed before elaborating on it and pointing out something I also noticed during the battle of Tarbes.

"Is it really that unusual though? The knights being incapable of wielding magic I mean." I asked as I poured more tea for Louise and myself.

"It is usually standard practice to make sure that all mounted knights to be of at least line rank. This is to ensure the maximum use of both knight and mount on any possible situation. As Sir Cesare previously pointed out, it is not easy to breed mounts." Henrietta answered on behalf of the young man. It made sense. Beasts that can be bred and trained would have likely been a rather limited resource.

"So the reason why they couldn't use magic was because they were not born with the talent...because they were not likely 'born' in the first place. Hmmm...that raises an interesting point though." I thought out loud before raising a new thought based on what had already been established.

"Which is?" Julio asked with a raised brow.

"If Albion can artificially create soldiers and dragons, however temporary they were, then it stands to reason that they can make foot solders as well." I stated. It was, after all, reasonable to expect mass production on something once you establish the proof of concept for the methods in doing so. Of course, I doubted that Louise's civilization understood the concept of mass production yet since their relative industrial capabilities seemed to be on par with early renaissance Europe back on Earth.

"That...is indeed a possibility. A frightening one...but a possibility nonetheless." Henrietta agreed and her expression showed her distress over that matter.

"Let me guess, it gets worse right?" Louise seemed to have completely given up on being optimistic about our discussion and just simply prepared for the worst that might happen. Henrietta looked at her friend with obvious worry while Julio simply gave her a sheepish smile.

"Well there are...reports...of a most unusual female Earth Mage who has been acting as the protector of Albion's port cities." The so called priest responded. Louise and I immediately shared a glance at what Julio just said. I saw my master doing her best to keep calm and not immediately start panicking again. Unfortunately, it was taking up all of her focus and willpower to do so and she was likely unable to speak at that moment because of it.

"Interesting. Would to you care to elaborate on that?" I asked while keeping up my poker face. Julio proceeded to explain what we had already heard back in the Valliere manor. A mysterious Earth Mage wearing a jester's mask and hat demolished Germania's elite strike force and wore something that seemed to have been inspired from Mima's clothes. In addition to that, she was also wielding what seemed to be the evil spirit's chained crescent staff. Louise and I shared another glance after Julio was finished confirming what we already knew.

"This mage, on top of what has already been previously mentioned, was more than enough to convince the members of the coalition of the very real threat the current government of Albion poses to everyone." The young man finished before drinking the rest of his tea. Conversation suddenly dried up afterwards and Louise ended up idly nursing her cup of tea, likely worrying about the true identity of that mystery earth magician. I, on the other hand was wondering about something else entirely.

Why did Henrietta summon us here?

If it was simply to divulge information that I was assuming was currently should be a state secret, she could have done so personally. There was no real reason to involve someone else, especially an outsider from a completely different country, in the discussion. Doing so would do nothing but raise suspicion since Julio seemed sly enough to consider the same things I was. I was missing something here but I couldn't put my finger on it at the time. It was rather annoying really.

"I had originally wanted to have the State of Emergency lifted after the united coalition had been established. Unfortunately, there are still certain...complications that must be dealt with." Henrietta suddenly broke through the silence like an oni punching through a wall. Louise glanced up to her old friend but made no move to inquire about the new topic.

"Complications?" I asked the question that no one else seemed to be willing to.

"Indeed. There have been unconfirmed reports of a traitor in the court who is consorting with agents of Cromwell's backers. Leaking classified information and spreading misinformation in turn. All in exchange for money and the assurance of power once Tristain falls." The princess answered with a nod. I had expected a surprised gasp from my master followed by a slew of curses and damnations at the offending individual. Instead, Louise did the exact opposite. She simply sat there with a distant look in her eyes. Louise didn't seem to be looking at Henrietta rather, she seemed to be looking past her.

"Hawaaa!" My master suddenly yelped out when I gently nudged her shoulder. Her eyes quickly darted around to take in her surroundings before finally realizing where she was and what was happening.

"Louise Francoise? Are you alright?" Henrietta asked with obvious concern.

"Yes..." Louise immediately answered but without much conviction.

"Are you-" Henrietta was about to say but was surprisingly cut off by my master.

"I am." Said in a clipped tone.

"I...just have a few things on my mind and fatigue is starting to creep up again. I'm sorry, does anyone know who the traitor could be?" Louise explained before turning the conversation back to the main topic. The princess maintained her worried expression and wasn't sure she should believe what her old friend told her. The silence met only lasted for a few moments before Henrietta finally responded.

"Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover the identity of the traitor. However, we have reason to believe it to be a member of the court who has a prominent rank and significant influence." Henrietta answered and got a nod of understanding from Louise. Julio remained silent throughout all this and simply looked like he was enjoying his tea without a care in the world.

"Are you sure there is only one traitor?" Louise followed up with another question. I was actually surprised that she was able to immediately come up with that question instead of taking Henrietta's answer in face value.

"Ha! A wise question." Julio piped up with a compliment and a wink at Louise which she wisely chose to ignore.

"Yes. We have a very short list of potential suspects and are currently in the brink of launching an operation to catch the true culprit in the act." Henrietta answered with a certain sense of confidence...almost as if she already knew who the traitor was. If so, she was probably going through with her plan to be able to prove it.

"Of course...due to the political clout of the ones suspected of being the traitor, I only have very few people whom I can trust." The princess continued before giving out a tired sigh. I was having a very annoying feeling that she would either ask Louise for help in her little plan or imply that she could use our help on this. Oddly, that did not happen...

"Do you need our help to accomplish this, your Highness?" ...because my master offered our services on her own. I suppressed a sigh and started thinking about how Ruukoto and I would be the most effective when it came to that kind of situation since I was certain at the time that Henrietta would jump at the chance at getting our help again considering our consistent record so far in getting things done. Oddly, that did not happen either...

"No, I believe that we already have everything we need to accomplish our objective. It would be best if you return to the academy for some much needed rest. Thank you for coming here despite everything my friend." ...because Henrietta just adjourned our meeting and asked us to go back to the academy. It was so unexpected that it made Louise and I blink at each her a few times before looking at each other then back to her.

"A-are you certain?" I asked in mild disbelief. Contrary to our confusion, Henrietta simply gave us a warm smile.

"Indeed I am. I can have a carriage arranged for you at once." The princess casually stated with the same smile.

"No, that won't be necessary." My master responded with a shake of her head. Henrietta and Julio both gave her questioning gazes while I just raised at brow at her. Was she planning on helping Henrietta with her plans anyway?

"It has been a while since we last went to the capital. I have a few things I'd like to take care of while I'm here. I am deeply grateful for your generosity but I assure you that we can safely make our way back on our own once I am finished with my business." Louise explained with a small smile. Reasonable enough I supposed. I doubt that Henrietta would doubt that Louise can safely return to the academy, especially with Ruukoto and I with her.

"Very well." The princess acknowledged before standing up. The rest of us ended up standing up as well since the little meeting seemed to have already ended. As if to punctuate the point, Henrietta walked up to Louise and gave her another hug.

"Even with everything that is happening all around us. Even under the circumstances that brought us together once more. Even with our country is at the brink of war. I am so very happy to see you again, my dear friend." Henrietta whispered in a subdued voice. My master on her part hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace.

"Your highness..." Louise whispered back. I wasn't really any good in these situations so I simply remained quiet throughout the exchange.

"More and more, I continue to feel as if you are my only true friend anymore in this hard world of nobility." Henrietta added with a far more weary voice. I noticed Louise shift and realized that she was hugging Henrietta tighter.

"I will always be your friend, your Highness. No matter what happens, you can count on that." My master declared, sounding far more mature than she normally was.

"Thank you..." Was the obvious response. They stayed that way for a few more moments before they finally broke off their embrace and we excused ourselves. Julio apparently still had some business with the princess so he stayed behind.

"So..." I spoke up as we were escorted out of the palace by Agnes and Helgarose.

"We will need to return to our other duties now. Will you all be able to take care of yourselves from here on out?" The blonde knight pointed out before asking Louise.

"We should be fine now. Thank you again Dame Milan." Louise responded before turning to the other knight.

"It was nice to see you again, Dame Falkenmayer. Please give Dame Wizleben and Dame Feulner my regards." My master said with a smile which Helgarose returned.

"I'll be sure to do so. Stay safe, Dame Valliere." The knight responded before she and Agnes went back into the castle.

"So..." I started after the three of us were left alone.

"So..." Louise repeated after adjusting her hat.

"Fuga..." Ruukoto repeated as well without much fanfare.

"I was wondering just what kind of business you would want to take care of here." I asked Louise with a raised brow. She nodded before starting towards the darkening streets of the city proper.

"Charming Fairy Inn." Was all she said. We ended up walking around the city for a while before I noticed something rather pertinent to our situation.

"Louise..." I slowly intoned just as my master stopped walking to look around.

"...do you even remember where the Inn is located?" I sighed when Louise's trademark 'urk' answered the question for me.

...

Please R&R~!


	33. Chapter 28

Author's Notes: Well here's the second part of this particular arc. You should all be able to tell where this is going after reading through the chapter. Next one will take a bit longer since I'll be taking a break from writing to devote my time to play Darksiders 2 which just arrived in the mail today. Huzzah!

In the meantime, please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Having disposable income is fun~

...

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" I pointed out with a raised brow as the three of us stood in front of a familiar building. Louise grumbled a bit and didn't seem like she was happy about it. My master's old stubborn side shone through during our walk around the city as she repeatedly refused to simply ask directions from one of the city guards or the citizens who lived there.

Louise reasoning was that she wouldn't be caught dead asking people where to find a place like the Charming Fairy Inn. She said that asking such a thing would have been unbecoming of a pure maiden such as her.

Being a maiden, I wasn't really going to argue with her. Purity though? Even I had a pretty good idea of the kind of novels she and Siesta liked to read whenever they thought no one noticed. Louise might not have any practical experience in the matter, but I was certain that she wasn't clueless about it either.

In the end I got fed up with walking aimlessly with the sun almost completely set and asked a shop keeper for directions. We then proceeded to our destination with relative ease save for Louise's protests on how shameful it was for me to up and out asking such a thing.

"Well, the door won't open by itself so..." I stated while ignoring Louise's grumbling. I opened the door inward to see if anyone was around...

"Aaaahn~!"

...and immediately shut it again before pressing my back against the door.

"Perhaps we still got the wrong place. It's already dark out anyway. Why don't we simply return to the academy for now and try again some other day?" I quickly stated while making sure to keep my back against the wooden barrier to prevent anything inside from getting loose.

"Yuka...it says 'Charming Fairy Inn' right above the door." Louise deadpanned while pointing at the large sign that was indeed above the door.

"An establishment of the same name then. It is not impossible as I doubt that Tristain has trademark or copyright laws in place. Thus, I propose to return to the academy post haste." I presented my counter-argument while nodding to myself. Indeed, vacating the immediate vicinity would be the wisest plan of action.

Obviously I wasn't planning on running away or anything.

Far from it.

Insinuating such a thing was preposterous.

One should be in the middle of combat or under hostile threat for the concept of 'running away' to apply. Clearly.

"Yuka, we're at the right place, move out of the way. I'm too weary to deal with this right now." Louise glowered at me before stomping forward.

"No need to be hasty, Louise. I trust that one such as you knows the value of discretion." I reasoned while pressing myself harder against the door, the only thing keeping us separated from the unfathomable horror on the other side.

"Yuka. Move. Now." My master slowly growled at me.

"Louise, be reasonable. You should simply trust my judgment on this matter. Nothing beneficial is on the other side of this door. There will only be pain, suffering, and regret. Now quickly, before it is too late-" I was unable to finish my statement as I suddenly heard something I did not want to hear at the moment.

"Aaaahn~! Is someone there~?"

"Ruukoto! Get Louise as far away from here as you can! I will hold the door for as long as I can!" I stated with great urgency while bracing against the door. Louise and Ruukoto stared at me for a moment before glancing at each other and back to me.

"What the blazes are you talking about?" My master asked me while sporting a look that clearly said 'you are crazy'. Not a question, but a statement.

"Fuga." Ruukoto added. The gynoid pointing out that it could not detect anything that could possibly become a threat to Louise. Doubly so since we were both within close proximity with my master.

"You fools don't understand! Just do as I say and get Louise out of here right now you walking paperweight! Fly you fools! Go! Go now!" I started shouting at them. Louise looked rather surprised at my sudden outbursts and we were getting odd looks and stares from others but I didn't care. All that mattered was to be able to get away before-

"That sounded like Matilda's beloved~!" The horror stated from the other side of the door. The wood suddenly stirred, indicating that someone was trying to open it. I put my full weight upon the door in hopes that it would have been enough to hold back a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, I somehow miscalculated a bit in my planning. It was demonstrated as such when the door swung open...inward, making me lose my balance and stumbling right upon that which I was trying to save Louise from.

It wore a gaudy blonde wig that had a tiara on it. It was also wearing what looked like the formal dress of some princess from a child's fairytale. Nowhere near anything as fine as what Henrietta wore but it was enough to make the distinction that the creature was trying to pass itself off as royalty.

"Aaaahn~! What a strange and wonderful chance happening~! For a shining knight to fall upon the bosom of the princess instead~!" It exclaimed moments before it clutched me with its gloved hands.

The horror...

The horror...

...

"Oh come off it Yuka! It can't have been that bad!" My master's words remain unheeded as I continued to stand at a far corner of the inn's first floor. It appeared that our timing was most...unique as the Scarron and the ladies of the inn were apparently preparing to perform some manner of play in order to increase revenue and publicity for their business.

"You say so because you did not experience it." I muttered bitterly before once again feeling a chill down my spine. I wished to forget that entire thing, purge it from my mind with Ultimate Magic if need be. Louise merely sighed while shaking her head. Ruukoto was standing by her side and did not deem it necessary to comment on my current behavior. Whether because it had some understanding as to the horror I had just experienced or if it deemed the whole scene as not worth its full attention, I did not know.

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost." Jessica asked worriedly as she approached us. She was dressed up in fine white regalia indicative of a prince of some far-off country. Apparently, she was her father's counterpart and love interest in the play. The thought made me reel.

"I have seen ghosts before, Jessica. None of them could compare to what I had just experienced." I spat out at the young woman who simply raised a brow at me.

"Don't tell me that you're still freaked out about dad hugging you earlier." The young woman asked. She gave out a hum of understanding when I responded by giving out a low growl.

"Oh get over it." I heard my master say before turning to Jessica after the girl poked her shoulder.

"Where is Big Sis? And who is this?" Jessica asked the most obvious questions.

"Oh, this is Ruukoto. A maid we found while adventuring a while back. She's currently under my employ as a personal maid of mine. As for Matilda..." Louise explained before trailing off.

"We were actually wondering of you could help us out with that." I continued for Louise while doing my best to shake off my previous discomfort.

"Why? What happ-" The young woman's question was cut off by the very source of my previous discomfort.

"Jessica~! Where have you been~? We need to prepare to open up shop~!" The beast stated as it...pranced towards us wearing its usual garbs. Usual...but no less terrible. Scarron regarded the three of us for a few moments before proceeding to flex its muscles.

"I must say~! It is wonderful to see you once more Louise~! You look as lovely as ever~" The creature exclaimed before winking at my master.

"Umm...yes, thank you." Louise responded in a rather uneasy manner. Scarron nodded to her once before turning its beastly eyes towards me instead.

"And I must apologize for my earlier actions, Yuka~! I did not realize that my womanly charms would overwhelm you so~" The beast remarked its mockery of an apology. I remained impassive and silent for a while, a scowl on my face after it reminded me what it did to me. I only relented before Louise struck my side with her elbow. It didn't hurt but the action conveyed her meaning.

"It is...fine." I forced out, if only to get it over with.

"And who is this lovely girl~?" Scarron then turned its attention to the remaining member of our current party. Ruukoto regarded him for a few moments as a few streams of light ran across its eyes. It then blinked before giving Scarron a bow.

"Fuga. Fuga." The gynoid introduced itself...before commenting that it was an honor to meet a being that could strike such fear into the likes of Yuka Kazami. Cute.

"It's nice to meet you too...um...Ruukoto right? I'm not really sure if dad can really 'strike fear' on Yuka here though..." Jessica responded while rubbing the back of her head. Louise and I blinked at her for a moment before glancing at each other.

"You can understand what she is saying?" I asked the girl with clear curiosity.

"Well sure. She sounds like she can improve on her accent and expressiveness though." The young woman explained with a shrug and a raised brow. Louise and I shared another glance while Jessica looked at us like we were idiots.

"Truly~? All I could hear was a repeated word~" The beast suddenly cut in and was about as confused as one could be with the current situation.

"What? Do you need to get your ears cleaned again?" The young woman reprimanded her still rather confused...father. I coughed deliberately to get their attention.

"It is of no fault of your...father...that he cannot fully comprehend Ruukoto's words. Ruukoto is...unique and not from around here originally. Don't think about too hard, you'll just get a headache." I answered in hopes of the topic being dropped so we can move forward with the conversation. However, I made sure to keep the little tidbit that Jessica can understand Ruukoto at the back of my mind just in case. Scarron took that time to look around before looking rather confused about something.

"And just where is Matilda then~?" Scarron asked as if it just realized that we came here without Matilda. Louise gave me a worried look when she realized that both Scarron and Jessica had expected that Matilda should have been with us still.

"Matilda had things she wished to deal with personally by herself. She simply left us a letter stating that she would return once she has accomplished her goals, whatever they may be." I explained with a shrug.

"But that was over a month ago, we haven't heard from her since. Has she been here by any chance?" Louise continued with a sigh and an obviously concerned tone of voice. Both father and daughter shared a look before turning back to us. I didn't like that look.

"She did pass by here several weeks ago actually." Jessica admitted but her expression was not of relief.

"Matilda was asking where she could get supplies for travel~! We had simply assumed that she was shopping for another family outing of yours but~" Scarron trailed off with a thoughtful look.

"Did she mention to you her possible reasons or destination?" I immediately asked. This was, after all, our first lead on Matilda's actual whereabouts. A small cynical part of my mind sneered and mentioned that it was all but guaranteed that the mystery earth mage wielding a copy of Mima's staff was none other than our missing companion herself.

"She wouldn't say. Big Sis just said that she was just preparing for a little something and she'll be fine. She's always has been so we thought...she's not in trouble is she?" Jessica said before asking her question with a growing sense of worry.

"I would certainly hope not..." I immediately responded with a frown.

"Yuka." Louise called out my name and held my left hand with both of her's. I turned to her and saw that she was giving me a look of concern.

"Your hand is trembling..." My master continued, making me blink in confusion. I turned my attention to my hands and realized that I had them clenched so hard that my knuckles were turning white. I took a few breaths in order to calm myself down.

"I'm fine. I...do not know what came over me." I stated. As a matter of fact, I really didn't know why I reacted the way I did. I hadn't even realized what I was doing until Louise pointed it out. No doubt that I would have likely even dug my nails into my skin and drew blood if left alone.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head~! It is normal to worry about the woman you love~" Scarron assured me with a very unassuring wink. Jessica looked between her father and my hands before giving me a searching look.

"Mi Mademoiselle! We're almost ready to open!" One of the many girls of the Charming Fairy Inn yelled out.

"Well, nothing for it~! It is already dark out so the three of you might as well spend the night here~! I've no doubt that none of you are really up for travelling right now anyway~" Scarron offered, a reasonable one to give regular people considering the situation. Louise looked at me and Ruukoto in turn to gauge our reactions to the offer. I simply shrugged while the gynoid nodded to show its consent to the suggestion.

"Well, I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to-whaaa!" Louise's agreement to the arrangement was quickly interrupted when Scarron pulled her and Ruukoto by their arms.

"Tres Bien~! Jessica~! Have these two fitted~! Quickly now~!" The creature happily stated before shoving Louise and Ruukoto right at Jessica.

"Wait what?!" My master quickly exclaimed as Jessica took hold of her and Ruukoto's arms.

"You didn't really expect to get a room in the Charming Fairy Inn without paying or working for it did you?" Jessica asked while flashing Louise a predatory grin.

"Right..." Oddly, Louise did not really protest and simply followed the older girl to the changing room. Ruukoto also followed without issue after seeing its mistress agree to the terms given. It was too late for me to realize that what just happened left me alone with the beast itself.

"Now then~! As Jessica said, you either need to pay or work here to be able to stay~! Therefore you, Matilda's beloved, must pay~! Using~! Your~! Body~! Aaaahn~" The creature exclaimed as if flexed to emphasize each word at the end of its statement. I was close, so very close, in Master Sparking it right there. I was glad that I had enough self-restraint to prevent myself from doing so as such action would have likely just given more problems to my master.

"As such I want you to do some~! Heavy~! Lifting~! In~! The~! Back~!" Scarron continued while flexing before ending the series of poses by elaborately pointing towards the kitchen area.

"I'm certain that a strapping man such as yourself would be more than capable of such work, yes~?" It added while giving me a wink I made sure to completely dismiss. I considered the offer for a few moments. I then recalled the last time we were here and remembered that Scarron tended to hover around the patrons and the waitresses. It seemed that it was the way to keep an eye on everything and serve as some sort of horrid deterrent to customers who might think of crossing a metaphorical line the beast established beforehand.

By that logic, if I wanted to keep away from the creature as much as possible, taking it up on its offer would have been wise.

"Indeed. Such work should be of little issue for me." I stated as much. If it was simply moving around heavy objects, then it would have been nothing more than a minor chore for me.

"Tres Bien!" The creature exclaimed before ushering me into the kitchen area. I was quickly put to work moving boxes around that seemed to be too heavy to be carried around by young women...then again, there were young women like Siesta.

Jessica and a few other girls eventually came down with Louise and Ruukoto. My master was once again wearing the light pink skimpy outfit she wore last time while the gynoid was wearing the dark green outfit that Matilda wore. Oddly, it suited it as well. It was probably the hair. Interestingly, Ruukoto was still wearing its visor-like head piece, arm bracers, and boots. I didn't get to speak with either of them as they were quickly ushered by the beast to start serving customers.

Ruukoto met the challenge with its usual stoicism. It was quick and efficient at taking orders and such but it didn't really interact with any of the men it was serving aside from the occasional 'Fuga' that they likely heard. The customers seemed to be rather put off by the treatment at first...until they realized that Ruukoto didn't protest whenever someone tried to cop a feel at her rear end. Scarron made sure it never escalated beyond that though and Ruukoto didn't seem to care either way.

Louise on the other hand was greeted by some of the patrons and were referring to her as the 'Little Fairy Princess'. It seemed that there were people who were here the last time she worked here. Louise was embarrassed by her impromptu title at first but she eventually warmed up to it after it seemed like the patrons were treating her like a little sister, a niece, or even a daughter. In the end, she adapted and used her newfound title to her advantage when it came to interacting with the patrons.

The night wore on with me moving around boxes as directed by Jessica, Scarron, or one of the other girls. Louise and Ruukoto had already gotten into a rhythm at serving the patrons and my master even looked like she was almost having fun. Well, she was until we all heard a very exuberant and overly pleased voice from the entrance.

"Hahaha! What a fantastic establishment this is! My! I seem to have been so taken by the good cheer that I almost thought I saw my dearest rose serving drinks! How silly! Hahaha!" The empty barrels I was lugging around in each hand suddenly creaked under my grip as I heard the unmistakable voice of none other than Julio Cesare. I set the barrels down and took a look out from the kitchen area.

I saw Louise trying her best to look as inconspicuous as possible and likely hoping that the so called priest would simply go away. Sadly, it was not to be so as Julio quickly took a table before surrounding himself with a few of the girls. He then looked straight at Louise and beckoned her to join them. That was enough to make my master turn away and make a break upstairs to hide. Unfortunately for her, Jessica managed to nab her and drag her to Julio's table.

"He already has enough girls with him! There's no need for me to be there!" I heard Louise exclaim. Ruukoto simply continued to serve the customers without much care for Louise's situation. I was about to step in and confront the boy when I noticed Scarron from the corner of my vision. The beast was looking at Julio's table very closely before it noticed my eyes on it and it winked at me and gave me a thumbs up. As appalled as I was at the gesture, its message was clear. I supposed that there were worse things to trust Louise's well-being to. Besides, Jessica and Ruukoto were there as well and I doubted that Julio would try anything on my master considering her relationship with Princess Henrietta.

Reluctantly, I went back to the kitchen to continue my chores while noting that Julio had pulled Louise close and was apparently whispering something to her. Well, if worse comes to worse, I was sure that Louise had at least one of her wands on her person...somewhere in that skimpy outfit of hers.

I was asked to take some boxes filled with empty bottles out the back door of the inn. Apparently, this was so they would be picked up by someone in the following morning. I wasn't really interested in the ins and outs of how those kinds of things worked so I simply agreed to get it over with. The back entrance of the inn was situated in an alley between it and another building. I set the boxes down on the ground next to the door as instructed and was about to go back inside when I noticed something.

"Did you find anything?"

"Where is the rest of the company?"

"How did this even happen?"

"Just shut up and move to the next area! We have to find her as soon as we can!"

I raised a brow at the commotion going on in the streets. From what I could see from within the alley, it seemed that there were quite a number of armored and armed men running around at a frantic pace. Odd.

I wondered if this was part of whatever plan Henrietta had to deal with the traitor she was talking about. I was considering telling Louise about it when I felt something bump into my back before falling to the ground with a surprised and very feminine 'kya'. I turned to the source of the sudden 'attack' and found the perpetrator on the ground. I couldn't see her face since most of her person was covered with a heavy cloak...a cloak I could have sworn that I've seen before.

"Are you alri-"

"I'm sorry for bumping into-"

Suddenly, that cloak became very familiar to me.

"Mister Yuka?" And indeed, the person who bumped into me revealed herself to be none other than Princess Henrietta de Tristain. The princess gave out a rather uncomfortable laugh after I started scowling at her.

"There is a very good reason for all of this, I assure you." The princess hurriedly stated as she tried to get to her feet. I gave out a sigh and helped her up. She looked like she was about to thank me when we both noticed several heavy footfalls coming closer.

"Get inside. We can talk later." I stated after I saw that she put the hood of her cloak back on. I opened the door that led back into the inn and suddenly felt Henrietta press herself to my side.

"Thank you. Please don't tell Louise Francoise that I am here..." She whispered before looking up at me with pleading eyes and a desperate expression.

"...you alone are the one I need tonight, Mister Yuka. So please...take me somewhere private." Henrietta added as her hand grabbed onto the sleeve of my shirt. I gave out an audible sigh before freeing my arm from her grasp.

"Just get inside." I grumbled before pulling the princess into the inn.

Why can't situations in this realm just be simple and straightforward?

...

The sound of the door's iron deadbolt locking into place echoed throughout the otherwise silent room. It was the same room that was provided by Scarron for my personal use the last time we stayed here. Louise and Matilda were provided a different room for apparently obvious reasons, a room I assumed that my master will share with Ruukoto once their work had finished.

The silence that followed punctuated the mood that settled inside the darkened room. I turned from the door and saw Henrietta sitting on the bed, her cloak had been removed and was neatly folded on her lap. She was wearing a white one piece dress and leather shoes. It was a bit of an experience to see her without her usual gown and tiara but the novelty of it wore out rather quickly after I remembered what the current situation was.

"So..." I intoned while folding my arms and leaning back against the door.

"S-so..." The princess responded a bit hesitantly after realizing my current displeasure.

"Can you please help me understand why you were running around the alleyways of a particularly less reputable part of your capital city like a fugitive?" I asked with a raised brow. Henrietta glanced away for a moment before turning back to me and taking a breath.

"And would it have anything to do with the soldiers scouring the streets like men possessed?" I followed up with a dismissive wave before she could speak.

"Ummm...perhaps..." Henrietta responded with a hesitant laugh before wringing her hands and falling silent once more.

"Well? I'm waiting for that very good explanation." I asked expectantly because I honestly wanted to know what in the Hell of Blazing Fires she was planning. The princess took another deep breath before placing her cloak on the bed and rising to her feet.

"You would recall that I mentioned that we were planning an entrapment operation to expose a high ranking traitor inside the country, yes?" Henrietta started, calling back to our little meeting back in the Royal Palace earlier that day. I nodded once in acknowledgement and waited for her to continue.

"In order to incriminate the suspect without question, we needed to catch him in the act of speaking with an Albion agent about high treason." She continued though her words made me raise a brow.

"He? You are certain that this...traitor is male?" I asked and got a nod from her.

"The short list I mentioned only has male officials in it. I apologize but those names are very sensitive and cannot be disclosed to anyone. If the innocent parties somehow discover our suspicions despite their loyalty..." Henrietta explained before trailing off.

"The results would be rather inconvenient for you." I finished the train of thought for her.

"Indeed." She agreed with a wry smile.

"I still don't understand how this involves you being here in relatively casual clothes and specifically asking for my personal assistance." I pointed out while gesturing to her with my hand.

"Ah, yes. The reason why is we needed to be sure that the traitor would meet with the Albion agent without fear, therefore maximizing the chances of him incriminating himself to the crime. Thus I had Agnes and the musketeer squadron report to the Palace Guards that I have gone missing." Henrietta proudly declared her master stroke to me with a confident -almost cocky- smile.

"Wait..." I said as I raised my right hand to her while pinching the bridge of my nose with my left.

"You are telling me that the reason why you were running around in the dark corners of this city is because you fully believed that doing so would make this traitor overconfident and expose himself enough to be captured in the act of committing high treason?" I asked with clarity and a small amount of confusion.

"Of course! Not all who wander are lost, Mister Yuka." The princess declared with full confidence in herself and her planned course of action. I stared at her for a few moments before shaking my head.

"That is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. A fine addition to the long sad history of bad ideas." I stated while looking at Henrietta with an incredulous expression.

"I'm sorry? I don't think I understand..." She asked as her previous confidence started to falter.

"There are too many risks involved. As you previously stated, the whole plan hinged on the premise that this traitor of yours would be bullheaded enough to take your bait. The very same traitor that has thus avoided detection and capture until very recently. In addition, what would you have done had Louise simply decided to return to the academy? Did you have a backup plan in case we left the capital?" I explained before asking for clarification on the most obvious flaws on her plan. She was silent for a few moments but she met my questions with the same kind of confidence she had a short while ago.

"I was confident that Louise Francoise would stay to at least investigate." She stated with certainty. The sheer confidence she exuded made me raise a brow. It reminded me of the complete and absolute confidence and trust my master had for the young woman who was trying to stare me down. Interesting.

"And if Louise had chosen a different place to stay? Somewhere at a completely different point in your city? Do you think you would have found us in time to execute your plan? Even our meeting earlier was purely by chance." I asked before pointing out that we only met because she literally bumped into me. Had I not been distracted by the commotion made by those soldiers then I would have simply gone back inside the Inn without much fuss. Doing so would have completely averted our meeting in the first place.

"I am confident that I would have found you regardless." Henrietta responded with a smile that made me frown.

"How can you be so sure?" I voiced my skepticism on the matter while folding my arms and leaning back.

"Fate." The princess of Tristain stated clearly as if it was one of the simple truths of the Universe.

"...fate?" I repeated in a more questioning manner. I was not unfamiliar with the concept, that things were predetermined to happen in a certain way. It was Remilia's specialty after all.

"I was confident that Justice was fated to be served. I was certain that I would meet you and be able to bring our plan to fruition. I have faith that it was destiny which dictated that my closest childhood friend is the inheritor to our Founder's magic as well as one of his legendary familiars." Henrietta elaborated while placing both of her hands on her chest and closing her eyes. I gave out a thoughtful hum before rubbing my chin with my left hand.

"You place a lot of faith in an unsubstantiated truth." I pointed out while gesturing towards her with my other hand. To my surprise, instead of being offended by my words, the princess actually let out a good natured giggle of all things.

"I do not believe that my faith is misplaced." Henrietta stated with a good natured smile. In fact, her expression was so sincere that it actually unnerved me a bit. She took a breath after I did not give and response and continued.

"The summoning of a powerful human familiar..." She stated while giving me a warm smile. I scoffed at her words. A 'human' familiar indeed. Heedless of my reaction, the princess continued.

"The retrieval of the Staff of Destruction and the subsequent vanquishment of Fouqet the Crumbling Dirt." The princess pointed out before sitting down on the hard mattress of the bed in the room.

"The exposure and subsequent incarceration of a corrupt tax collector." She then mentioned the time when we first ended up in the Charming Fairy Inn.

"The infiltration of a foreign country under the control of madman, the rescue and successful extraction of an exiled prince, and the elimination of a villainous traitor." She then decided to remind me of the headache we went through when she asked us to go to Albion to retrieve some letter from her secret lover, Prince Wales Tudor. A retrieval mission that ended up as a rescue mission after the late Viscount Wardes decided to switch sides and attempted to kill the prince and Louise after she stepped forward to defend him.

"The revelation that the power of our Founder was still among us to this very day." As well as the little slip of the tongue that revealed Louise to be a Void Magician.

"The rediscovery and acquisition of the service of a local legendary deity revered by an otherwise nondescript village." And of course, the time when we stumbled on Ruukoto's hangar because of a treasure map from Kirche of all people. I didn't even know where and how exactly she got it aside from her saying it was from 'an acquaintance of the family'.

"The defense of village under threat of total destruction by an armada and a monster intent on invading our country." And she added the battle at Tarbes as the metaphorical cherry on top. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, the naive looking smile on her face vanished and all I saw was a young woman that had nothing but confidence and certainty.

"Tell me Yuka Kazami, do you really think that a regular student of the Tristain Magic Academy can have such accomplishments?" Henrietta asked her rhetorical question. Obviously, going by the examples of the average student at the academy, it was rather certain that nearly all of them would have not been able to do what Louise has done. The most likely person who would be capable of such was Tabitha and she wasn't exactly normal for a girl her age. Kirche 'might' have with enough discipline and training but that would have still be quite a stretch.

"I firmly believe that Louise Francoise is destined for great things. I am confident that if there was anyone who I can truly rely on above all else, it would be Louise Francoise and those who follow her." Henrietta said with a renewed confident smile. Everything she has stated was indeed correct. After our initial encounter with Matilda while she was still after the Staff of Destruction, I had personally made sure that Louise would eventually become capable of handling herself in most, if not all, hostile situations.

"Point made." I conceded with a sigh which made the princess smile even brighter. I then shook my head at the rather obvious proof that Henrietta had about as much faith in Louise as my master did in her.

Believe in she who believes in you.

They were about as bad as that Kochiya girl's faith in Kanako.

"Can I count on your assistance in this matter then?" She asked, her expression full of hope and confidence after I went silent for a moment.

"Tell me one thing. What would you really have done if for some reason you were never able to find me or I refused to help you in this situation?" I responded with a question of my own. It was more of a curiosity on my part to know if Henrietta even had the sense to prepare a contingency plan just in case. The princess blinked at my question a few times before giving out a nervous laugh.

"I'm certain that Agnes and I would have been able to improvise something..." Henrietta stated with far less confidence than before.

"And are you actually sure that this traitor would really reveal himself using this ruse you created?" I followed up after it was clear that this whole mess hinged on my apparent cooperation from that point on.

"You underestimate how frivolous some nobles can be, Mister Yuka." Henrietta sheepishly admitted before giving out another rather demure giggle.

"'Some' indeed..." I muttered under my breath. Due to our relative proximity and the general silence of the room, I was sure that she still would have heard me but gave no indication of it. I considered my options while giving out a thoughtful hum...who was I kidding?

"I liked this sort of thing better back when it was a Shrine Maiden's problem and not mine." I followed up before pinching the bridge of my nose once more.

"Alright, I'll lend you my strength this one time." I finally stated after another moment of silence. The seemingly adventurous princess gave out a genuine smile of relief and gratitude before taking a step forward with her hands clutched close to her chest. I held up my right hand to interrupt her when I noticed that she was about it speak, my expression far less happy than hers was.

"Make no mistake Henrietta de Tristain, I am not willingly going along with this idiocy for your sake much less your country's." I clearly said before putting my hand back down. Henrietta's smile faltered but I cared little for it and continued.

"I am doing this for the girl who thought herself worthless yet still persevered. I am doing this for the girl who somehow summoned an old monster who used to think that humans were as insignificant as ants underfoot." I said while looking right into the young woman's eyes. Her expression shifted to one of surprise when I started twisting her earlier words.

"I am doing this for the girl who managed to recover a stolen artifact and defeated the one who stole it, albeit with close assistance. I am doing this for the girl who willingly swallowed her pride as a noble and worked as a commoner. All in order to find and smoke out a pitiful example of her social class who couldn't even do his job properly." I proceeded while taking a step forward toward the princess. Most others would have instinctively taken a step back but I was slightly surprised when Henrietta held her ground. Obviously, I made sure not to let my surprise show.

"I am doing this for the girl who saved a prince. I am doing this for the girl who helped protect a village and subsequently helped prevent this country from being invaded." Not missing a beat, I continued to turn her previous statements against her before taking another step forward.

"I am doing this for the sake of a girl who never had to do any of those things yet did so anyway to the best of her abilities. I am doing this for the girl who once had the foolish idea that she could deal with everything on her own, shouldering every problem she comes across by herself. It took quite a bit of effort to let her realize that she didn't have to. That she had those who she could rely on during those times. That she was still only human." I said with a thoughtful expression as I recalled those moments where I was reminded how very human Louise was. I suddenly noticed that my voice became softer as I recounted those moments and quickly shook my head before narrowing my eyes at Henrietta once more.

"Remove all delusions you may have about my master, Princess of Tristain. Louise is not a convenient existence, someone who you can simply shove your problems onto and expect results. My master is not a hero." I said in a way that left no room for argument. A statement of fact and was neither a suggestion nor opinion. I then found that I had once again underestimated the human before me. Instead of backing down and letting me have the final word in our little argument, Henrietta saw it fit to return my steely gaze before responding.

"She is a Void mage, inheritor and direct descendant to our Founder Brimir's power." She declared like it was a decree or something, as if that was the perfect answer to everything.

"Irrelevant. The origin of her magic has no bearing on what kind of life she should lead." I flippantly dismissed her words with a sneer and a wave of my right hand.

"Why are you so opposed to Louise achieving greater things through her deeds and power?" Henrietta asked a frown and an edge in her voice as she folded her arms under her chest.

"I am not opposed to such things for her so long as they are things that she actively sought after, something she actually really wanted for herself. Certainly not because of something inherited from a man long dead or the will of a whimsical princess." I countered while folding my arms across my own chest while mirroring her expression. We simply stood there for a few moments frowning at each other until the princess' expression softened before giving out a sigh.

"I am starting to get the odd feeling that you seem to dislike me, Mister Yuka." She mused while slowly shaking her head, her expression turning into one of melancholy and weariness.

"Only because interacting with you in any capacity seem to bring nothing but inconveniences for my master." I pointed out while shrugging my shoulders. Henrietta fidgeted a bit before taking a breath and once again looking right into my eyes.

"I apologize if that is what your perception towards me is like. However, I would like to believe that I am merely helping my old friend along in order to realize her destiny." The princess reasoned out while squaring her shoulders at me, clearly still not backing down.

"Destiny is nothing more than an excuse made up by those who are too afraid to accept the fact that their actions have consequences. Everyone is responsible for their own actions no matter how insignificant they may seem. Fate can be manipulated. Even destiny can be outright overcome with great effort." I stated with thinly disguised contempt for that line of argument. After all, if everything one does in life is dictated by fate or destiny, there would be no need for beings like Shikieiki to judge the dead based on what they did during their lives.

"A valid point, however...I..." Henrietta's counter-point suddenly came to a crashing halt when she shook her head before placing her right hand on her forehead.

"Is something wrong?" I asked even though it was already rather obvious that the princess was having some sort of headache.

"I...apologize. It would seem that recent events have finally taken its toll on me." I raised a brow when I saw the young woman take a seat on the bed and started massaging her forehead with her hands. The way she looked terribly frail at the moment made me wonder about a few things about this whole situation. I gave out a sigh before walking over and taking a seat right next to her on the bed.

"You've been wandering around since we left the palace?" I asked while staring at a nondescript part of the wall in front of me.

"I started getting ready as soon as you all left the room but we've been preparing for this moment for days now. I can barely even remember the last time I've slept soundly since the battle at Tarbes ended. This is our best chance to catch this traitor in the act. We may not have another opportunity to do so, it has to be tonight." She responded. I gave her a sideward glance and saw her weakly smile at me.

"I truly need your help, Mister Yuka. So please..." Henrietta repeated her earlier plea. I let out an audible sigh and stood up before facing the princess.

"Stop your groveling, Henrietta. Louise would be beside herself if she ever saw you in that state." I stated with a raised brow. Henrietta blinked at me a few times before giving me a soft smile.

"That is the reason why I did not want Louise Francoise to know about this until it was done." She sheepishly pointed out.

"In any case, I already said that I would aid you in this matter. That said, how I do exactly play into this whole thing anyway?" I asked. Since she managed to goad me into helping I decided that I might as well do what I can to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Thank you, Mister Yuka. I need you as my personal guard to escort me to the Theater in this district." She quickly explained as her complexion started looking better.

"The...Theater?" I repeated as her words as I remembered that Scarron had set up some sort of play that he and the rest of the girls at the inn will perform.

"Indeed. A local troupe will be performing there later on tonight and our sources indicate that the traitor and his contact with Albion will use that play as a meeting point." The princess responded with a determined nod before elaborating.

"And you need me to get you to that Theater." I stated, following her train of thought.

"Correct. As you already know, the city guards are on high alert trying to scour the city in order to try to look for me." Henrietta said with a nod. What she said made me give out a thoughtful hum though.

"They don't believe that whoever took you could have already left the city?" I asked with a raised brow. I would have assumed that there would have been search parties all over the nearby countryside by now. In response, Henrietta gave me a sly smile.

"That is part of our gambit and why my Musketeer Squadron is not by my side. I had them posted at all the entrances to the city and report that they were able to secure all routes to the outside soon after I was reported missing." She explained while nodding to herself.

"Which means that everyone thinks that you're still inside the city walls." I continued with a nod. I was mildly impressed. It seemed that Henrietta really did think this plan through.

"I am admittedly not familiar with the streets of this city. Do you know the way to the Theater from here?" I pointed out with a bit of a grimace.

"If it is from walking around the main streets, then yes. Unfortunately, I did not have time to competently memorize all the back alley routes in my city." Henrietta added with a wince and a shake of her head.

"That is a problem then as I would assume that all the guards know what you look like. Will you be using your cloak for this then?" I pointed out before asking as I pointed at the folded up cloak she used earlier.

"No, it would be too suspicious if I were to use it out in the streets. Are there any other clothes that I can use?" She responded with a shake of her head before posing her question.

"Wait here." I instructed before stepping out and closing the door. I was rather thankful that it was busy downstairs and no one conveniently decided to go upstairs or try to look for me. I slipped into Louise's room and rummaged around for anything Henrietta could possibly use.

I had considered having her use Ruukoto's outfit but decided against it as I wasn't sure if the gynoid had anything integrated to its maid uniform that might end up harming anyone else trying to use it. I checked the cabinets and chests inside the room but didn't find anything she could use...except Louise's own uniform.

Somewhere at the back of my mind, I just knew my subconscious was screaming at me at how stupid this idea was.

...

"How in the blazing fires is this working?" I hissed out at the sheer absurdity of the current situation. Henrietta had eventually decided to wear Louise's uniform instead of her own dress but had the sense to use her own shoes.

However, due to the difference in their body types, the only articles of clothing that fit were the white shirt and the black skirt. Even then, I use the term 'fit' loosely in this case as my master's clothing highlighted just how developed the Princess' body was compared to Louise's. The skirt was large enough to fit around her waist, true. However, since Henrietta was taller than Louise, it barely managed to cover up her modesty and thus ended up exposing a generous view of her legs.

In addition, since Louise's shirt was meant to be used by one of my master's slender body type, the poor article of clothing was only barely able to hold in Henrietta's chest. In fact, the shirt was so small for her that she was only able to button it up halfway before her chest made it physically impossible to secure the rest. The entire ensemble made for quite the scandalous look considering she was the princess of that country. Strangely, and rather infuriatingly on my part, Henrietta seemed to have a rather competent grasp of the human male psyche.

Because even though her face was open for all to see, every male we passed as we walked by were looking at her entire body 'except' her face.

Men...

"Hm?" I made an inquiring hum when I noticed that Henrietta had latched herself onto my arm instead of simply walking close to my side. I quickly found out why when I noticed a group of guards in our path questioning a couple. I was considering ducking into an alleyway or into a nearby building when I suddenly noted a very warm softness pressing harder against my arm. I turned to Henrietta and saw that she had most of her face buried behind my shoulder while placing my arm between her breasts.

It was both a rather daring and a clever move from the young woman. The action made her face obscure enough to be nearly unnoticeable thanks to the darkness and the placement of my arm accentuated her chest even further. The effectiveness was proven as the group of guards gave the two of us only the briefest of glances before focusing solely on Henrietta's state of dress.

"Gentlemen, is something wrong?" I asked the three armed men as the two of us came up to them. Since they were situated in the middle of the walkway, there wasn't any way for us to pass by without rousing suspicion. Hopefully, Henrietta's...distractions would be enough to deter any invasive inquiries. As if sensing my intent, the princess pushed herself harder against my arm. The effect seemed sound if the muffled gasp from one of the guards was to be believed.

"N-no...move along..." The apparent lead guard muttered before turning to the others.

"Move out to the next area! Go!" He roared out before leading his men to another part of the city. I made sure that they were out of sight before turning back to the direction we were walking toward to proceed. That was the plan anyway until I noticed Henrietta leaning rather heavily on me, more than she was a moment ago.

"What is it?" I asked and saw that the princess had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

"I've...rarely been that scared..." She admitted with a shaky smile and an equally shaky voice. I raised a brow at her sudden demeanor and she shook her head in response.

"They were so very close...and the way they were looking at me." She admitted while slightly trembling against my arm.

"This was your plan of action for this situation was it not?" I reminded her when she stubbornly insisted that walking out in the open street in that kind of attire was a smart idea.

"It still doesn't change how terrifying it really was." She reasoned out with a bitter chuckle.

"Indeed. Let's get this over with as quickly as possible then before anyone else starts leering at your body." I said with a shrug of my shoulders before once again leading Henrietta down the path she said would take us to the theater.

...

"Did you have problems arriving at the rendezvous point, your highness?" A green haired female knight in civilian clothing I couldn't really be bothered to identify personally greeted us after we arrived at what I presumed was somewhere at the back of the theater. Though it was interesting that the knight did not even flinch or question her liege's state of attire after we arrived. I shrugged the thought off as something they may have prepared or planned for as I didn't really have any interest with the fine details of how Henrietta was supposed to pull her little plan off.

"There few obstacles thanks to one Yuka Kazami." The princess stated with a small hint of pride while gesturing to me with a small wink. The knight eyed me for a moment before giving me what I assumed was a salute.

"On behalf of the Royal Musketeer Squadron, you have our thanks for keeping the princess safe Master Yuka Kazami." The woman said with a small smile and a bow. I huffed at her and shook my head before shrugging.

"Such gestures are unnecessary. Your princess was doing fine before she ran into me. In fact, I believe that she would have been able to find her way here on her own eventually even without my assistance." I said with a dismissive wave. It was true though. It was no simple feat for an apparently sheltered princess like Henrietta to evade detection and capture by guards who are trained to know every inch of their city in order to keep it secure, to say nothing of whoever else might have gotten their hands on her.

"Even so, it gives us great relief to know that she had a competent bodyguard by her side." She responded with a curt nod.

"Indeed. Do not sell your deed short, Mister Yuka. I would not have been able to make it here with time to spare if not for you. If I had tried to get here on my own, the chance to catch the traitor would have long passed by the time I would have arrived." Henrietta added a valid, and likely intended, point. I then decided that further argument on whether or not what I did was of any actual significance would only needlessly grate on my patience.

"Fine, believe what you wish. I don't think I'll be able to change either of your minds in the matter so shall we simply proceed with your ploy and get whole thing over with?" I gave them their little victory in favor of moving things forward.

"Agreed. Preparations are nearly complete, please follow me inside." The knight stated before opening the door behind her for Henrietta and myself. We entered the building and into a dimly lit corridor before being led into a seemingly innocuous room. Seemingly being the working term since it was filled with other women, presumably more members of Agnes' command. The women proceeded to confirm my guess when they all suddenly snapped at attention and collectively gave Henrietta a crisp salute.

"Well met my knights. Is everyone ready Helga?" Henrietta greeted the women before giving out an inquiry by name to one of them. A familiar blue haired woman stepped forward to answer, Dame Helgarose from the palace earlier.

"The Captain is in place. A change of clothing has been prepared for you just in case. We are as ready as we will ever be." The blue haired knight responded. Henrietta nodded approvingly before turning to me.

"I thank you for bringing me here to my knights, Mister Yuka. You may not think of your actions as anything significant but know that no one else I trust would have been able to accomplish what you did this night." The princess told me with a brilliant and sincere smile that would have likely made my master swoon if she saw it. A moment after though, Helgarose walked up and placed herself between Henrietta and myself.

"Thank you for your hard work. I will escort you to the backstage of the theater. I am informed that you are acquainted with the group that will be performing so you should be able to go there without raising too much suspicion." The knight said with no small sense of gratitude and respect. However, the way she said it...

"So quick to get rid of me after I have done my part in your little plan? You wound me, Dame Helgarose." I said with a hurt expression while my voice rang mock sadness. I had expected the woman to be slow on the uptake for such jests due to her rather strict behavior so it was simply too much of a temptation to pass up teasing her a bit. They had their small victory earlier, I had the right to mine.

"N-n-no! Her highness needs to change her attire into something more suited for her. We cannot allow anyone to view her highness in such a state. Obviously, we cannot allow any man to see her while she dresses so..." Helgarose quickly justified her previous words in way that was amusingly close to embarrassment. I noted that she had enough self control to make her blush only barely noticeable to the naked eye. Fun had, I gave the woman a smile and a dismissive wave.

"I was only joking dear knight. I'll be in the backstage if anyone needs me. Good luck in whatever masterstroke you have planned for the evening. I look forward to the amusement it might bring me." I said as a giveaway before leaving the room and heading left, not even waiting for Helgarose to escort me in consideration that I had a good chuckle at her expense. Why left you ask? Well, as Reimu used to say: "When in doubt, head left."

My choice was proven correct when I saw the familiar sight of the girls of the Charming Fairy Inn in various costumes milling about and preparing props and set pieces for their performance. I briefly wondered if they even realized that their little play was going to be used for a real drama starring a real princess. The girls didn't really pay me much mind aside from the casual smiles and greetings. I supposed that they were far too involved in their preparations for them to be concerned as to what I was doing here. I dared a peek to the other side of the curtain to see the audience that came to see the play and to see where Henrietta and her knights placed themselves. I was barely able to pick out a few of them in the crowd when a rather familiar and welcomed voice made itself known.

"Yuka!" Louise's yell pierced through the background noise of various other activities around me like one of Sakuya's knives piercing the hindquarters of a certain sleepy gate guard. My master stomped towards me with a scowl on her face and an impassive gynoid following close behind. I also noted that they were both still wearing their waitress outfits from the Inn.

"Hello Louise. Here to watch the play as well?" I casually asked with a measure of nonchalance.

"I am so not in the mood right now. Where is the princess?" My master hissed at me while placing her hands on her hips in, what I came to realize, a pose she copied from her older sister Eleanore.

"And how would you know about something like that?" I asked her with a raised brow. From what Henrietta told me, she didn't want Louise to be involved with this particular operation so it was a bit of a wonder where she got that information.

"Julio told me that there was something going on in the city before he left the inn. Then you disappear without even telling me and I suddenly saw Agnes following someone while Ruukoto and I went out to look for you. She told me that you were to be the bodyguard of the princess for some secret mission but she wouldn't tell me more than that other than she needed to get to the theater." My master explained before pulling me by my plaid vest...which ended up with her pulling herself up off the ground instead of pulling me down to her. Louise's glare allowed me only a moment to note the surprising improvement of her upper body strength. Another product of her training I suppose.

"Now what in the Founder's name is going on?!" Louise growled at me. I looked between her and Ruukoto in turn, the gynoid merely giving me a small shrug in response to my look. I was about to respond when I was once more interrupted before I could speak.

"Aaaahhn~! Magnifique~! What luck for the two of you to be here in our time of need~" Scarron called out to us from the other end of the stage. We turned to it and saw that the creature was once more wearing that horrid pink princess costume and wig. It was such a jarring sight that I nearly did not notice Jessica standing beside the beast in her own costume.

"What are you talk-" Louise's inquiry was cut short when several of the girls from the Inn suddenly surrounded us without warning.

"Excellent~! No go my fairies~! Transform these two into suitable actors for our production~" Scarron declared with an overly flamboyant wave of its arms.

"Oui mi Mademoiselle~!" The girls all said in unison in a manner that would have likely made Henrietta's Musketeer Squardon proud before latching onto my master and me and dragging us off to the dressing rooms.

"What?! Hey! I didn't agree to this! Release me! I command you!" Louise defiantly yelled out as she was lifted up and carried away. The girls gleefully ignored her words and proceeded to the women's dressing room with a collective smile on their faces. Ruukoto followed Louise at a much more sedate pace but didn't seem inclined to rescue its master from the other girls. I looked at the girls who were surrounding me and saw that they were all giving me expectant smiles.

"Be gentle?" I said with a wry smile. The girls' smiles widened with more than one sporting a blush. I sighed and wondered what kind of ridiculous costume they were going to make me wear as I was dragged into a changing room next to the one Louise was using.

...

"Well, that wasn't so bad..." I idly mused while standing on the stage with my master as we waited for the curtain to be drawn. It was amusing to discover that my usual attire was so 'plain' that I didn't really need to change much to be able to convincingly play my intended part. All I really needed was a straw hat. The hat provided to me was not my own but it was comfortable enough to be worn without issue. Said part was that of a local farmer and father of Louise's character, a shepherd girl.

Speaking of Louise, she was standing a little over two feet away from me and was wearing a full brown on white shepherd girl outfit, including the headdress. She was even holding a wooden shepherd staff in her right hand which was taller than she was. You must also be wondering about that space between us. Well, the reason why we were standing a few feet apart is because there was something placed in between. It was a finely crafted life sized sheep prop complete with a full coat of wool. It was very well made and rather lifelike in appearance.

Louise proceeded to name it 'Vera'. Arbitrarily.

"You never answered my question." Louise suddenly said after a few moments. The rest of the people involved in the play were all either back stage or too far away to hear. In fact, the closest person to us at that time was Ruukoto and it was at the edge of stage left which would have very nearly made her visible to the audience.

"Remember when Henrietta mentioned that she was planning on catching a traitor within the royal court?" I asked her, referring of course to a part of the discussion we had at the palace. Louise nodded in response after a moment of consideration.

"Well, to keep things simple for you, she basically took a very large gamble to be able to know definitively who the traitor was. I just happened to be involved in said gamble." I explained the gist of the whole situation with a shrug.

"I don't understand why the princess needed to do all that just for information. Was all this really necessary?" Louise asked with a weary sigh. Obviously she was worried about her old friend and princess, especially since she wasn't involved with Henrietta's plan.

"There is a very famous saying from the Outside a long time ago when it came to understanding such motivations." I mused out loud when the odd thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"What saying?" Louise inquired with a raised brow.

"Knowing is half the battle." I stated with my eyes closed and nodding sagely to myself. My master gave out a hum while moving the cane she was holding from one hand to the other.

"And what's the other half?" She asked.

"Violence." I said with a smirk and chuckled a bit when Louise rolled her eyes at me. Further discussion was interrupted when we heard someone speak from the other side of the curtain which was followed by applause before the curtain finally opened.

Since Scarron merely dragged Louise and I to the dressing rooms without any other prompt or explanation, we weren't really provided any lines to say during the play. That wasn't really important apparently since all we literally had to do was stand around and take up space on the left side of the stage. Louise was oddly silent throughout the whole thing and looked rather uncomfortable for some reason. Whether it was because of her own shyness in front of strangers or the possible embarrassment of being seen in commoner's clothing, I didn't really know at the time.

Instead, I decided to scan the audience to try to find Henrietta and whoever else I could. It wasn't really that hard to find the princess since I quickly spotted a rather familiar hooded figure seated in the middle of the audience. It was rather odd that no one called her out on her flimsy and quite honestly very suspicious disguise...least of all the two gentlemen who were seated directly in front of her. It was really very silly since, even at this distance, I could tell that those two men were up to something.

"I have heard more than enough Minister Richmon!" Henrietta suddenly yelled out before standing up from her seat and discarding her hood. Louise then proceeded to openly gawk at her princess' actions, and expression mirrored by the two men Henrietta was currently glaring at.

"Princess Henrietta! How?! Weren't you abducted?! You were reported missing by those commoner women you knighted!" One of the men, Richmon I supposed, exclaimed before he and the other man stood as well. The princess of Tristain then gave them a confident smile before dismissing his claim with a wave of her hand.

"The reports of my abduction were greatly exaggerated." Henrietta responded in a tone that almost sounded like she was joking.

"It is time for you to face justice, Minister Richmon." Her voice suddenly turned frigid. I had to blink at the sudden change in her attitude since even her expression turned dead cold while staring right at the man in question.

"You are a fool, Henrietta de Tristain! The current state of our country is because of you! Our fleet was dismembered by the Albion Armada! Our country was almost invaded! If we had adequate time and preparation, we could have saved our men!" Richmon suddenly yelled out indignantly at Henrietta in addition to pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, you have been found guilty of consorting with an Albion agent. As the crown princess of the kingdom of Tristain, I hereby place you under arrest under the charge of high treason." Henrietta responded with the same impassive expression and cold voice. On that apparent cue, several members of the audience who were seated beside and behind Henrietta stood before discarding their disguises in a single motion to reveal the women of the Musketeer Squadron that I saw earlier...with each and every one of them fully equipped with their armor and armed with swords. I was wondering how all of them were able to hide that from the rest of the people in the audience when Richmon started laughing.

"Always ignoring the voices of other nobility in favor of commoners! Bah! This is why the current monarchy is not suitable to lead us! Through the united power of the nobility under Reconquista, we shall restore Tristain to the glory it deserves!" The man ranted before the members of the audience who were seated at his side and in front of him stood to reveal several men armed with their own swords.

"Protect her highness!" One of the knights suddenly yelled out before the whole thing turned into a massive indoor fight between the two sides.

"This is just ridiculous..." I muttered while rubbing my forehead with my right hand. The whole situation was just absurd. How in blazes did either side not know about each others' presence if they had that many people with them? The two sides took up more than two-thirds of the total number of people in the audience! I glanced to my side and saw that Louise had already pulled out her main wand and was taking aim at the general direction of the fighting but had a look of frustration on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked with a raised brow. Louise's frown deepened as she shifted her aim again and again without actually casting any of her broken spells.

"Everyone is in the way! I can't get a clear shot without risking one of the knights!" Louise explained with gritted teeth before glaring at me.

"And why aren't you helping?!" My master suddenly yelled at me. Odd that she didn't ask the same question to Ruukoto who was still hadn't moved from its spot just off the stage. I merely shrugged before glancing back at the fight and had to suppress a sigh when I saw Henrietta standing around in the middle of it all. The princess wasn't even doing anything despite her earlier words. She was just...there. No one was even paying any mind to the young woman.

"This really isn't my fight." I honestly said, much to the obvious displeasure of my master.

"Henrietta has her knights. If they are as competent as they seem, then they should be more than capable of handling things here." I reasoned while gesturing to the female knights who were still locked in combat with their foes but there slowly starting to seize the advantage.

"Prepare yourself Henrietta de Tristain!" One of the enemy soldiers suddenly yelled out before going into a breaking run right at the princess with his sword at the ready for an overhand strike.

"Yuka! Do something!" Louise suddenly yelled out at me.

"She could just move away from him..." I commented while looking at Louise with a raised brow.

"Yuka!" My master yelled again and I sighed as the man was only a few feet away from Henrietta, who 'still' hadn't made any effort to move away from the obvious threat. I sighed again before my gaze settled upon our other companion. In a flash of inspiration, I decided to put our new friend to good use.

"Fly true little one." I softly stated before lifting up the prop sheep and throwing it at the man who was about to kill Henrietta.

In one glorious visceral moment, the diminutive sheep my master named Vera saved the life of the princess of Tristain.

"Well done, little one." I sad while nodding in approval at the result of our action. I then had to blink when I abruptly felt Louise's magic spike a massive amount before she crouched while sporting a 'very' upset expression.

"Oh! That! Is! It! Raaaagh!" My master roared before leaping off the stage and right into the middle of the frenzy. It appeared that the sudden and direct attempt at Henrietta's life smashed any remaining form of hesitation Louise may have had in engaging the enemy in such close quarters with several allies in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, I could still keep track of my master thanks to her rather vibrant hair color.

"Fuga Fuga?" Ruukoto asked after walking up to my side. It was asking if we should be worried considering my master's rash actions and the fact that there were several pointy metal objects swinging around everywhere.

"I don't really think so. Henrietta's knights seem more than capable of routing Richmond's men if given a bit more time and besides..." I responded while gesturing to the fight that was still going on. Due to the height of the stage, we had a perfect view of everyone who was fighting. Included of course was Louise who was making her way towards the-still-standing-around Henrietta. Louise bobbed and weaved through the crowd, avoiding friend and foe alike. One of the men tried to strike her down with a swing of his sword but Louise easily managed to side-step it before pointing her wand right at the man's chest point blank and...

"Zero!" ...sent the man flying to the other end of the room, surprisingly missing everyone else along the way.

"...it is a good opportunity for Louise to apply her hard work while protecting her beloved princess." I continued while gesturing to Louise who deftly proved my point. She then proceeded to meet up with Henrietta and they started to exchange a few words before Louise's attention was taken by three more enemy swordsmen trying to take down the princess.

Louise responded by placing herself between the men and her princess before rushing to intercept the men. My master ducked under one horizontal slash from the first man before stepping past him to poke her wand at the next man's chest and...

"Zero!" Blowing him right into the third one before reaching into her clothes with her left hand and pulling out her spare wand. She then spun around and dodged another sword swing from the first one before poking his midsection with her spare wand.

"Zero!" Louise four, nameless goons zero. I nodded in approval at how well my master handled herself despite facing multiple foes. Rather comically incompetent foes, but still...

"Hm?" I raised a brow when I noticed that man who Richmon was speaking to earlier was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He slinked through the fighting before disappearing through one of the side passages.

"Take care of that, would you? I'll try to see if I can expedite the end of the fight." I said to the gynoid while pointing to where that other man, the Albion Agent I assumed, ran to.

"Fuga." Ruukoto nodded before jogging after the fleeing man. I highly doubted that he would be able to outrun or hide from the gynoid so I decided to turn my attention to other matters. I looked around and saw some suitable targets. I hopped off the stage before casually walking up to where two men were trying to overwhelm Helgarose in combat. I approached the two men from behind before grabbing them both by the back of their necks.

"Shoo." I said before tossing both men aside and right into a pile of chairs. I turned to Helgarose and saw the woman looking at me with a wary expression.

"Was all of this really necessary?" I asked the knight while looking around at the fights that were still going. The Musketeer Squadron was obviously winning but it was slow going.

"I admit that we did not expect Richmon to have the audacity to try something like this. We were originally brought along simply to make sure he does not escape but-" The knight's explanation was interrupted when she suddenly stepped past me to block an oncoming sword strike aimed at my head.

"Cowardice!" The blue-haired woman yelled before parrying the strike and driving her sword into the man's chest and ending his life.

"That wasn't really needed you know." I pointed out just as Helgarose turned back to me. She gave me a slight frown before shaking her head.

"The honor of a knight." She said simply before taking in the current situation.

"The others should be able to take care of the rest. We should go and end this by apprehending the traitor and his contact." The knight stated while looking around for what I assume would be the aforementioned targets.

"The Albion agent has already left the immediate area a few moments ago." I pointed out, making Helgarose face me with an expression that showed fear and anger. I held up a hand before she could respond to prevent any unnecessary outbursts.

"I already sent Ruukoto to subdue that man so that's already covered. At this point, all we need to do now would be to catch that Richmon character and mop up what's left of his men." I explained which seemed to have calmed the knight down significantly.

"Yuka! The stage!" Sadly, that calm was painfully short lived as my master's voice rang out in alarm. Everyone who heard turned to the stage to see the man in question leaping on the stage before moving to the center of it.

"This is not over!" He said in order to get the last word in before tapping the floor with the tip of his cane. The action made a hidden trap door open at his feet, sending him falling with a smug smile on his face.

Not bad. Not bad at all. He might have been overconfident in this particular situation, but he showed just why he was able to be successful as a traitor despite apparently being such an important member of Henrietta's court all the while evading suspicion and persecution for so long.

"Yuka! Get him!" Louise yelled out to me while dodging the slow and ineffectual attacks of Richmon's remaining men.

Actually, Louise at the time was acting as a distraction to give Henrietta's knights time to recover and attack. She would get their attention by simply being a target or by blowing one of them across the room. She then proceeded to completely evade everything they threw at her, giving the knights ample time to pick them off at leisure. Considering what she has already been though, this much is to be expected from Louise at that point.

"The things I do for that girl..." I mused out loud with a wry smile before jogging up to the stage and looking down the trap door Richmon dropped down into. It looked to be a sheer drop down a dark shaft that led to who-knows-where. I can't even begin to imagine what that man thought to be able to set something up like this in a theater of all placed. Then again, it wasn't really any of my business. With that in mind, I hopped down into the darkness. I dropped straight down for around five seconds before I noticed a bright red glow coming from the bottom of the shaft. Fire? Was Richmon fighting something?

"Hm!" I grunted as I landed on the ground with a crouch to more or less absorb the impact. I idly noted that I seemed to have ended up in some sort of underground tunnel network.

"These fangs have waited years to be bared at the ones responsible for the injustices done against us." I immediately turned around after hearing Agnes' voice. She was standing in front of Richmon in a lunge while holding her sword. Her armor looked badly damaged though and parts of it that covered her upper body seemed to have been burned off. That answered what that red glow I saw earlier was.

Obviously, considering their relative distance to each other and the way their bodies were positioned, Agnes seemed to have run right through some form of fire attack and stabbed the man in the chest with her sword. Impressive feat for a regular human.

"Know this, Richmon. The last daughter of D'Angleterre has finally taken her first step towards justice." Agnes continued. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about at the time so I merely remained quiet since this seemed important. Going by the way Richmon's expression turned into that of horror, it seemed that the old man did though.

"Do yourself a favor before you die and tell me who the captain of the unit that burned down my village was?" Agnes continued with barely contained rage before slightly shifting her arms which made Richmon groan out in pain.

"You are a fool...if you want to know the truth then find it for yourself inside the secret archives under the Tristain Magic Academy. You'll get no answers from me. Search them out yourself and see if your precious truth...is...worth...it." Richmon managed to say before finally dying. I briefly wondered how he was able to speak so coherently for so long while having a sword running through his chest when Agnes suddenly let out her own groan before dropping to a knee.

I walked up to her in order to check if the was still alive, making sure to file away their conversation for later consideration. I then noticed that her leather armor was non-existent now as well as her cape. Her upper body was down to a cloth undershirt that was already partially burned away, revealing large burn marks on her back and left shoulder. The only reason why the article of clothing was even on anymore was due to the right side of her shirt was still relatively intact. I assumed that she charged at Richmon's attack left shoulder first with the full intention of plunging her sword into his body.

"Those scars don't seem new." I idly commented while helping the knight captain to her feet when I noticed some older scars on various parts of her back that were exposed. I looked in her eyes and saw nothing but cold hatred as she continued to stare at the corpse at her feet.

"Our scars have the unique power to remind us that the past was real." She said simply before tearing her eyes away from her dead target in order to glare at me.

"You were supposed to stay with the princess to ensure her safety." She pointed out in a lecturing tone. I simply gave her a shrug of my shoulders before answering.

"Henrietta has more than adequate protection at this point. Your subordinates had full control of the situation and Louise ensured that no one could even get near your princess if they tried. Though, I was amused at that man's words when he tried to reason out his actions as righteous." I explained before gesturing to the late minister with a tilt of my head. Agnes scoffed at the implication that the man she killed was in the right.

"I am no longer amazed by how quickly a man will justify his change of heart when backed into a corner." The knight captain said with much distaste before groaning in pain again and nearly falling over. I managed to catch her though and slung her right arm over my shoulder to keep her on her feet. I had the feeling that a woman such as her would not have appreciated being carried in my arms.

"And on that note, you wouldn't happen to know how to get back out would you?" I asked while adjusting my grip on her.

"Straight ahead." She responded while gesturing to the other end of the tunnel we were on. Course set, I started walking in the direction she indicated, fully intent on getting out of this dank hole in the ground and finally being done with this whole mess.

"Thank you..." Agnes softly said, barely even a whisper. It was so soft that a normal human wouldn't have been able to hear it. I made no reaction to her thanks, thinking that she would have appreciated that more.

...

"So..." I muttered as Louise, Ruukoto, and I stood outside the theater. I handed off Agnes to her comrades who quickly took her to healers who were sent for by Henrietta. The princess was quickly taken back to the palace for security reasons and the rest of the Musketeer Squardon started coordinating with the city guards to clean up the mess. With nothing else to do, the three of us simply stood around to wind down.

"So..." Louise repeated as she leaned back against a conveniently placed tree for support.

"Fuga." Ruukoto responded just for convenience.

"Quite a day eh?" I mused before chuckling at Louise's groan.

"That reminds me...other than looking for me and meeting Agnes, did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" I asked with a raised brow. The other eyebrow went up as well when Louise inexplicably blushed harder than she ever had before.

"Louise?" I called out to her when she wouldn't respond.

"Academy. Now. No more questions." Louise stated in a clearly upset voice before stomping off. I turned to Ruukoto for an explanation but it simply shook its head before gesturing that its lips were sealed. With nothing better to do, we went off to follow Louise. I just hoped she had the sense of mind to stop over at the Charming Fairy Inn first since she and Ruukoto were still wearing those skimpy maid outfits.

...

Vera is awesome. That is all.

Please R&R~!


	34. Chapter 29

Author's Notes: A new chapter? Why yes it is! More talking, interactions, and magic theory inbound. Not sure why but I love writing those things and they always end up longer than I originally thought. Anyway, please enjoy~

Disclaimer: Dog Days 2 is almost over...Leo-sama!

...

"Stance! Strike! Stance! Strike! Stance! Strike!" Agnes repeatedly yelled out at the assorted number of 'fresh recruits' that she was assigned to train. Now normally, this wouldn't really much of an issue. The woman was a knight Captain after all. However, her usual routines were out of place at the time considering 'who' she was currently running through those repetitions.

Instead of her fellow knights or even regular soldiers, Agnes was currently barking at the female students of the Tristain Magic Academy. Included amongst them were of course Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Monmon, and the rest of their peers. The male students were also at a different part of the castle and were apparently being trained by Helgarose and her cohorts. Imagine everyone's surprise when, after the State of Emergency over Tristain was finally lifted and classes finally resumed, what awaited them were not the teaching staff. Instead, they got Agnes and the rest of the Royal Musketeer Squadron.

Apparently, the whispers of war were more real than I had originally expected. The opening acts of the campaign between the allied countries against Albion were already underway and each country seemed to be bent on covering all of their bases. It also seemed that part of that preparation was to make sure that all available combat capable nobles were to be trained to ensure that they can be called upon for military service should the need arise. Hence, the current situation.

I stood a distance away from the students Agnes were drilling with Ruukoto by my side. I had my hat on and my parasol open with it leaning on my right shoulder. I looked on as the knight captain kept barking out the same repetition over and over again. The girls were all wearing their usual uniforms but instead of holding a wand in their hand, they found themselves equipped with simple wooden staves.

Obviously, the whole thing was met with no small amount of protest from the student body. That was until Agnes and the Headmaster informed them that the training was a Royal Mandate and thus mandatory for each and every one of them. They still didn't like it though.

Regardless, none of them really had any means to go against the order and thus all morning classes were converted into training hours under the Royal Musketeer Squadron. They've all been at it for quite a while now with most of the female student population starting to get really tired. In fact, the only ones who weren't showing signs of fatigue were Louise and Tabitha. The Gallian girl continued with the drill with her usual expression of indifference. The only thing that I could imagine that would bother her about this is the fact that she couldn't exactly read a book while performing those drills. On the other hand, my master looked absolutely bored with the whole thing. Her expression showed weariness but it wasn't because of fatigue. Instead, she looked like she found the whole thing tedious but kept going anyway. Understandable, considering her usual training regiment under me.

"Enough!" The knight captain ordered, much to the great relief of the students. Nearly all of them quickly either sat down or collapsed from exhaustion from their drills. The only ones who didn't were Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche. Well, in Kirche's case, she was on her knees and using her staff to support herself. Tabitha was standing at her side with her own staff on one hand and a pocketbook on the other. Louise was standing over a collapsed Monmon and fanning her with a small handkerchief with her staff forgotten on the ground. I glanced back at Agnes and found that she was looking over the students as if she was looking at a bunch of weaklings. I should know, I've had that expression a few times back in the day.

"Stay here and rest. I have something I need to check on. I will return momentarily." She curtly stated before motioning to the other knights she was with to follow her. I waited for them to leave before approaching Louise and her friends with Ruukoto following close behind.

"I'd say something witty right now but I don't think any of you are in any condition to appreciate it." I stated while twirling my parasol. Monmon responded by covering her eyes with her right arm and groaning at me.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto offered I hummed thoughtfully before relaying her words to the others.

"Ruukoto is asking if it should get some servants to get you girls some water." I stated and got groans of assent from Monmon and several others who were too tired to give a coherent vocal response. The gynoid wordlessly walked off in order to do what it said it would.

"I...don't...get...it..." Kirche wheezed out nearby. We all turned to her, except Monmon of course, and found her sitting down on the grass next to Tabitha. The young Chevaliere was now sitting next to her best friend and had her full attention directed to the book she was reading. The redheaded Germanian took another shuddering breath before continuing.

"Now, Tabitha I can understand, but how can Louise still be fine after all that?" The redhead seemed to complain as Louise didn't seem worse for wear despite all the exertion they all did during Agnes' drills.

"What's wrong Zerbst? Can't accept that I just have more endurance than you do?" Louise asked back with no small sense of pride of being able to get one up over her long-time rival.

"Don't get overconfident Valliere. Your family has a very consistent history of falling flat on their faces whenever they underestimate mine." Kirche obviously retaliated in return. My master let out an 'urk' at the insult to her family and was about to respond when someone else beat her to it.

"Hoh? Would you like to repeat that to my face, little Zerbst?" A voice I was sure none of us there expected to hear suddenly asked. We all turned to the source of the voice and found none other than Eleanore wearing the same kind of dress she usually does whenever I see her, that weren't her nightgown of course. I briefly wondered if the Valliere family as a whole had a penchant for having several sets of the same kind of clothing when Louise decided to voice her own surprise.

"Big Sis Eleanore!" That caught everyone else's attention as all the female students there proceeded to look at the new arrival with varying degrees of difficulty due to their apparent exhaustion.

"No need to get up, I understand how tired most of you are after experiencing a basic combat drill." Agnes said after noticing that the girls started groaning and were trying to pick themselves up off the ground.

"As per a direct request to the Oriz Magic Academy in the capital, Professor Eleanore Albertine Le Blanc De La Blois De La Valliere has been sent here to be your instructor in utilizing your magic in more combat oriented situations." Agnes explained while gesturing to the eldest sister who was adjusting her trademark pointy glasses. The news that Louise's sister was to be their apparent combat magic instructor took everyone by surprise, to say nothing about Louise's own shocked expression. I was also mildly surprise by the news since she never said anything that would have hinted such a move back in Mugenkan. The Valliere in question cleared her throat and stepped forward, getting everyone's attention.

"To remove any possible misconceptions any of you may have with this arrangement. Let me first assure you that my dear little sister will not have sort of special treatment." Eleanore stated while giving her youngest sister a rather sweet smile. A smile that made Louise let out a very frightened 'Eep' before scurrying in order to hide behind me. Looking rather pleased with herself, Eleanore then turned her gaze to the rest of the students there.

"Make no mistake. I'm not here to teach you some secret ultimate spell that can rend armies and make you invincible on the battlefield. Get those childish fantasies out of your heads and you just might keep them if you are called to battle." The blonde followed up in all seriousness. Her expression changing instantly from her smile to a hardened expression that made no doubt that she was Karin's eldest child. All the female students there stiffened from her sudden shift and words, aside from Tabitha anyway, while Louise just started trembling behind me.

"I am here to ensure that each and every one of you will have the awareness and critical thinking required to keep yourselves and your allies alive. You will learn how to be able to cast your magic under the most unreasonable of circumstances, both against Might and against Magic." She continued without letting anyone else get a word in. The way she spoke commanded respect and power, certainly among a group of school children. Though, even Agnes and her fellow knights looked to her with interest.

"You will learn to manage your willpower to the drop. You will learn to decide which spell will be the most appropriate to use depending on the circumstance. You will learn how to work in tandem with your fellow nobility on how to effectively use your magic together." Eleanore listed out the things she intended to teach Louise and her peers during her stay. Though she should have already known that Louise's options for spells were limited but the applications of which were no less numerous than regular elemental magic.

"I was personally requested to make sure that all of you learn what it will take to survive a war and come back home. That is exactly what I will do. This will not be easy, I assure you. Of course, nothing worthwhile is ever easy to achieve." The eldest sister concluded while placing her right hand on her hip while adjusting her glasses with her left hand. By the end of it, all the girls were looking at her with no small sense of awe by her words.

"Are there any questions?" Eleanore asked after taking time to look at each of the students there. Hesitantly, one of the girls raised her hand. She was one of Louise's classmates, I remembered her attending the lessons I sat in with before. A rather unremarkable young woman with dark red hair and red eyes but a rather ordinary face.

"You name, girl?" Eleanore asked after nodding toward the girl.

"Marialena Maria Sistina de La Cervantes, Lady Valliere." The girl responded after taking a breath.

"On your feet, girl. I won't dignify a question from a noble flopping around on the ground." Eleanore stated with an edge of tone akin to a sharpened knife. Immediately, the girl who identified herself as Marialena, stood up before dusting herself off. Interestingly, nearly all the other girls quickly followed. The only ones who didn't were Tabitha, Kirche, and Monmon...Louise was already standing, or should I say cowering, behind me at the time anyway. If Eleanore thought the whole thing strange, she did not show it.

"And what is your question, Miss Marialena?" Eleanore asked, showing much more respect to the girl than she previously did. It seemed that she noticed it as well if the blush she was showing was any indication.

"Ummm...I...was wondering...if...ummm..." The girl suddenly started mumbling and looked rather unsure of herself. Considering what I knew about the eldest sister, that was a kind of attitude that...

"Speak up, girl! What good is your voice if you don't even use it to get people to listen to you?" ...Eleanore does not really tolerate. The girl in question gasped before nodding furiously and taking a deep breath.

"Would it be fine if I called you Onee-sama, Professor Valliere?" She blurted out in a near-shout with a blush covering her entire face. The entire field was silent for several moments and the girl suddenly looked around like she just did something horrible.

"...what?" Marialena timidly asked again.

"What?" I repeated the word for a different reason.

"WHAT?!" Louise exclaimed with anger in her face, making the other girl give out her own 'eek'.

"For the founder's sake..." Eleanore muttered to herself while rubbing her forehead. I looked around and shook my head at the sight before me. Why? Because it almost seemed like some of the other girls were also interested on what Eleanore would answer.

...

"Interesting that you not once mentioned that you were called on to teach here." I pointed out as we walked with Eleanore to the room she was using for the duration of her stay.

Louise had Ruukoto stay in the field to help the other servants serve water to the students who were still Too tired to move too far under their own power. Guiche showed up some time later and ended up tending to Monmon in place of Louise. Kirche decided to go back to her room to pass out for a while and bodily dragged Tabitha along with her. The quiet girl didn't seem to mind or care as her attention was till glued to her book at the time.

I was actually surprised that Marialena, as well as the other girls who were apparently interested in getting closer to Eleanore, didn't follow us. The poor girl was quickly ushered off by a few other girls into the dormitory tower after Agnes dismissed everyone for the rest of the morning. Hence it was just Eleanore, Louise and myself at that point.

"Obviously, it's because you never asked." The blonde pointed out with a sneer just when we made it to the door to her room.

"Cute." I shot back with my own smirk when I noted that the door seemed to have opened by itself.

"Not even a day in and the two of you are already flirting with one another." The source of the oddly amused voice came from none other than Cattleya, thereby answering the mystery of the alleged sentient wooden door. Both Eleanore and myself automatically frowned at her for what she said but any vocal response from either of us was interrupted by a very predictable reaction from Louise.

"Chii-nee-sama~!" My master launched herself at her beloved older sister in what very nearly looked like a flying tackle. To my surprise, Cattleya actually managed to withstand it with no visible sign of strain or pain. She must either be tougher than she seemed or she must just be used to such greetings from my master.''

"It is wonderful to see you again in the flesh, Louise." Cattleya cooed at my master as Louise immediately proceeded to snuggle against her sister. As much as it warmed my heart to see Louise in such a state to joy and contentment, there was something that I wanted to confirm first before the conversation proceeded anywhere else.

"How are you feeling?" I asked the seemingly innocuous question. The middle sister blinked at me before considering the question for a moment.

"To be honest, it was a bit unnerving the way Lady Yamame's ability worked. There were times when I had to go to sleep and worried that everything was just a very elaborate delusion and I was actually just in my bed...on the very verge of death." The middle sister started with a sad smile. She absentmindedly ran her left hand through Louise's hair and doing her best to return my master's hug with her right arm.

"But every time I woke up, I realize that it wasn't a dream...that I no longer needed to fear a moment of weakness when I would just start coughing up blood. Quite honestly, I can't remember that last time I've felt this healthy." She said with a radiant smile. It was an oddly roundabout way of doing so, but she was able to answer my question.

"Are you sure? Are you sure that you are well enough to travel like this? What are you even doing here anyway? Did Big Sis Eleanore bring you here? For what purpose? How many bodies needed to be disposed of?" And that was apparently enough to set Louise off as she started to ask question after question while looking up worriedly at Cattleya. Well, looking up as best as she could from between the middle sister's breasts. Cattleya was never able to respond though as Louise was suddenly yanked back by Eleanore before spinning her around and pinching her cheeks.

"And just what kind of fantasy is bouncing around in your head that would make you ask those kinds of questions? Huh?" The eldest sister hissed at the youngest.

"Haauuuu! I'm sorry!" Louise pleaded while flailing her arms around. I sighed at how quickly the three of them ended up behaving the way they usually do. The middle sister used the opportunity to walk up to my side before giving out a very demure giggle as she watched the antics of her siblings.

"They really missed each other. Don't you think so?" Cattleya commented before asking me with a small but genuine smile.

"I...I'm not sure we are looking at the same thing." I said with a raised brow since what I was seeing was my master's cheeks getting tested for their elasticity by Eleanore.

"That's just their way of showing affection to each other." The middle sister waved off the implications of my statement. Affections? Taken in strict context, Eleanore's way of showing affection would be by inflicting varying degrees of pain. On the other side of the coin, Louise would have been showing her affection by taking the abuse with only a very feeble token resistance. The implications of which were somewhat unnerving.

"These days have been the most we've been around each other since we were children. They may not look like it but I can clearly see how much those two are cherishing these moments while they can." The middle sister elaborated while nodding to her sisters who were still going at it.

"I'm not going to pretend that I understand how you came to that conclusion or how the relationship between you three works, so I'll just take your word for it." I stated with a shrug before giving out a thoughtful hum.

"Though, Louise did raise a valid point. You are indeed quite a ways away from home, Cattleya." I continued before turning to Cattleya with my inquiry. Instead of the middle sister, Eleanore was the one who ended up responding as she continued her apparent ministrations on Louise.

"That sly little 'Cat' invited herself along after I mistakenly mentioned the academy's request during one of our conversations. It was back when neither of you showed up in your mansion for Cattleya's treatment." The blonde Valliere sister explained with a rather displeased look directed at her sister. I assumed that she was talking about the time when Henrietta summoned us to the capital. A meeting, which resulted in something that became much more troublesome that I had originally expected it to be.

"I see. Although, I'm rather surprised that your parents allowed you to do so. I was certain that at least Karin would be opposed to you travelling around the country." I stated while tilting my head to the side. Cattleya simply gave me a warm smile while Eleanore finally let my master go in order to direct her attention to me. Louise simply remained quiet and started to rub her reddened cheeks with her hands.

"If you think so, then you're a lot more naive than I expected you to be." The blonde said while shaking her head and placing her hands on her hips.

"That 'Cat' can wrap both mother and father around her little finger should she be so inclined to do so. She never does without good cause in order to prevent them from catching on, especially mother." Eleanore elaborated while giving a flat stare at her younger sister. Cattleya on her part, simply blinked at the blonde a few times before placing her right index finger under her chin.

"Why sister, I know not what you mean by your words." Cattleya coyly stated with pursed lips. Now, there are beings in Gensokyo who have turned that kind of attitude into some sort of twisted art...myself included among them. The fact that someone as sharp as Eleanore would say something like that about her sister, a woman who had spent most of her life living with a terrible life threatening condition for a magician, it was enough to make me a bit more cautious when interacting with the middle sister.

"Oh, shut it. I shudder to think what you might have been capable of if you didn't have your illness growing up." The blonde shot back with half-a-glare. More and more, the Valliere sisters continued to show that they were each far more than what they seem to be on the surface.

"We may never know, Big Sister Eleanore." Cattelya said with a helpless shrug. The blonde merely sighed as Louise drifted back to Cattleya's side.

"In any case, Yamame wanted you two to know that she was going to stop Cattleya's treatments for now." Eleanore changed the subject without so much as a segue as she stepped into the room Cattleya came out of. The three of us followed her inside and saw that the two of them seemed to be sharing the room, obvious from the fact that the room was larger than Louise's and that there were two beds.

"What? Why would she stop the treatment?!" Louise asked, her voice rife with worry, while looking between her elder sisters. I raised a brow as well. There were only two possible reasons why the Earth Spider would suddenly stop something she had already put so much work into. Considering Cattleya's disposition at that moment...

"It is finished, Louise." Cattleya answered with a warm smile. It took Louise a moment to finally comprehend what that statement meant. When she did, my master stared long and hard at the middle sister with a searching expression.

"That means...you're...cured?" Louise hesitantly asked in a hushed voice. In response Cattleya simply gave my master a big hug and Louise immediately started sobbing into her sister's bosom.

"The treatment is complete?" I asked Eleanore so as not to disturb the other two sisters in their moment of bonding.

"Yamame sure thinks so. She said she wanted to give Cattleya something called a 'recovery period' to check if she doesn't get a...recoil? Or was it a rebound? Or a...return?" Eleanore explained before she began to seemingly struggle with a word. Considering that Yamame might have been speaking in medical terms...

"Do you mean a 'relapse'?" I provided and was rewarded with a sudden change in Eleanore's expression, one that showed realization and understanding.

"That's it! She said that she wanted to make sure that whatever she did was going to be permanent and won't have any negative effects on Cattleya later on in her life." The eldest sister said while nodding towards Cattleya.

"And what did your parents have to say about it?" I asked another important point. If Cattleya was finally cured of her condition, I can't imagine Karin and Eugene not making a big deal about it.

"We haven't told them yet." Eleanore immediately answered.

"It is to prevent them from getting suspicious about how Cattleya suddenly got cured. We are trying to make it seem like a gradual process of recovery rather than a sudden inexplicable miracle." The blonde added after seeing my raised brow.

"And do you think that they won't catch on to the truth?" I followed up. Eleanore responded with a shrug before turning back to her younger sisters.

"So long as she's careful and doesn't do anything crazy to attract undue attention, she likely has enough skill to make it look like the treatments she was getting from our healers was the cause of her recovery." She answered. It was simple and sound plan with very few things that could go wrong.

"Of course, this comes with her coming up with ridiculous ideas anyway..." Eleanore suddenly added irritably.

"Ideas? What kind?" I asked and was greeted with a big smile from the woman in question.

"I shall have mother and father enroll me into the Tristain Magic Academy once they are satisfied with my health!" Cattleya said with far more enthusiasm that she normally had whenever talking about something. I blinked at her words in mild surprise. Eleanore sighed and shook her head in obvious exasperation. Louise...abruptly stopped sobbing and remained eerily quiet for several moments, her face still buried between the middle sister's breasts. The three of us turned to her with varying degrees of concern. We let out a collective metaphorical breath we were holding when Louise stepped away from Cattleya and stared at her. My master looked like she was at a complete loss for words but managed to say something before any of us did.

"Vhaat?" Louise squawked out after her mind finally caught up with what Cattleya just said.

"Is that even allowed? Cattleya is a bit older than the standard age of students here." I inquired. Eleanore considered the question for a moment while Louise continued to stare at Cattleya in genuine surprise. To her credit, the middle sister simply returned the stare with a warm smile.

"I'm certain that mother and father can make it happen if they really wanted to. Cattleya was never given any structured formal education in magic due to her illness, so learning in the best Magic Academy in Halkeginia would be the best course of action. Even the best home tutors can't compare to an actual school of such reputation." Eleanore answered, once again reminding me of how much influence their family had among the nobility of Tristain. Cattleya decided to pick up the conversation by turning back to her still stunned younger sister.

"If it all goes well, we will finally be able to study magic together like you always wanted." The middle sister beamed, and expression Louise mirrored.

"That would be wonderful!" My master exclaimed so before once again hugging Cattleya. I could not help but smile along with them as they joy seemed mildly infectious in such a closed area.

"Are you sure you don't want to join in? I'm certain that they would appreciate it." I pointed out to Eleanore as we both looked on her younger sisters.

"That won't be necessary." The blonde brushed off my words as she continued to watch over her younger sisters. It was barely noticeable, but I was certain that she had a small smile at the time. I supposed that she was happy about the situation in her own way and left it at that. I turned my attention back to the other two sisters and heard Louise list out in rapid succession all the things Cattleya can look forward to once she gets enrolled in the academy. Eveything from lectures, to meals, to practical exercises, to summoning a familiar.

"Cattleya has yet to summon a familiar?" I suddenly cut in because of the last point. All three sisters turned to me at once but once again, Eleanore was the one who answered the question.

"Obviously, summoning a familiar is a taxing thing for any mage. You are basically reaching across the fabric of reality to call upon a familiar you need and would suit you the best. Father and Mother forbade her from even trying because no one knew if Cattleya could survive the ritual with her state of health." The blonde explained. It made sense, I supposed. Such a spell would have gottent Cattleya a familiar but likely at the great personal cost. Though it opened up a rather curious topic...

"More on that though, I don't believe that I have ever seen your familiar, Eleanore." I pointed out. I was certain that one as skilled in Halkeginian magic as Eleanore would have a familiar by now. Even so, not once during our visit to the Valliere manor did I see Eleanore's familiar. Then again, I don't think Matilda had a familiar either...

"I left Stradivarius in the capital when mother ordered me to retrieve the runt back then. He really isn't the kind of familiar that would be practical to bring for that kind of thing." The blonde responded. So her familiar's name is Stradivarius? Oddly, I then noticed Louise start to tremble in Cattleya's arms at the mention of the name.

"Oh, don't be so scared. Stradivarius is a very kind familiar." Cattleya assured her younger sister with a smile.

"Still scary..." Though my master seemed to be unconvinced by even Cattleya's words. Eleanore rolled her eyes at Louise's reaction before sighing.

"Oh, grow up." The blonde voiced her displeasure at her sister's attitude toward her own familiar.

"What manner of creature is your familiar anyway? If your element is Earth then that should narrow down the possibilities." I asked the eldest sister. Eleanore adjusted her glasses before giving out a hum and nodding to me.

"Oh...well, Stradivarius is an adamantine plated Earth Scorpion." Eleanore waved it off as if it wasn't really that big of a deal. Though...

"And how is that different from a regular scorpion?" I continued the line of questioning.

"You mean aside from it being a horrible scary giant bug?" Louise answered incredulously from Cattleya's side. I raised a brow at her description and turned back to Eleanore for a more coherent answer.

"Stradivarius is a giant scorpion the size of a large wolf and its carapace is made up of a metal known as adamantine. Its tail can also inject venom that can paralyze an adult griffin instantly or kill a man in moments with the same dose." Eleanore stated nonchalantly as she described what her summoned familiar was. I blinked at her as I tried to visualize what such a creature would look like.

"That...certainly would be quite a specimen..." I admitted. Indeed, a giant metal plated scorpion that was roughly as large as Guiche's giant mole would have been quite a sight.

"...scary..." Louise repeated from Cattleya side.

...

"Woo! That's what I'm talking about!" Cirno cheered as we both just saw Louise successfully blast a perfectly shaped circular hole the size of a Hakurei Yin-Yang Orb clean through a wall of ice that Cirno made.

We were back in Mugenkan for the night after Louise went to sleep. It was just me, Louise, and Cirno there this time like it used to be. Yamame apparently was back in the Underground but was eagerly looking forward to the long-term results of her treatment of Cattleya. Yukari gapped in to deposit Cirno into Mugenkan but left just as quickly saying that she needed to discuss something with Yuyuko. Eleanore had to take care of a few things for her stay at the academy and Cattleya was helping her with it. Because of those circumstances, Mugenkan was a lot less crowded than it was a few days ago.

"I did it! Did you see that Yuka? I finally did it!" Louise cried out in joy as she gave me a bright smile while pointing at the hole she made with her broken spell.

"Indeed I did. Well done, Louise." I responded with my own smile and a nod. Indeed the amount of control Louise had over her broken spells was incomparable from what it was like when she first summoned me. In a matter of months, my little master was able to turn something she considered as her failing quality into an advantage. Turning weakness into a strength she can take advantage of in a number of situations.

"I'll say. I knew that directing all the force of your explosions would pack a serious punch but not this much. At most, I thought that you'd just crack the ice wall. I sure wouldn't want to be on the other end of that kind of explosion." The ice fairy added with a lopsided grin. Louise was blushing and had her own stupid grin on her face as well.

"It seems that making her visualize the flow of the spell was the correct course of action to bring about the desired effect." I recalled Cirno's suggestion after multiple attempts by Louise to create a directed shaped charge explosion were unsuccessful.

At first, Louise simply tried to force her explosion through sheer force of frustration and will. Obviously, it didn't pan out and it just made her tired. After several more experiments on casting time, range, and intensity, my former student decided to have Louise adjust something more internal instead.

So, instead of trying to shape the explosion once it detonates, Cirno had Louise shape the explosion in her mind before she even casts her spell. It also took a while to get her used to the idea but it helped a lot when Cirno suggested that she just visualizes every spell she casts as a drill that pierces her target. This was why the result of her efforts was a clean circular hole whenever she uses a shaped charge broken spell.

"Well, it was either that worked or we seriously had to look into the possibility of getting Louise a new kind of spell focus for that specific purpose." Cirno admitted with a shrug before making the wall of ice Louise just blew through shatter and vanish. I merely hummed in acknowledgement as I conjured up a table with three chairs and a full compliment of tea and snacks.

"A new kind of focus?" Louise perked up at the idea before sitting down on one of the available chairs.

"Yep. Your wand is pretty much a general purpose focus. It's great for casting nearly any kind of spell but it usually sucks if you want a very specific kind of spell or effect that you simply can't cast for one reason or another." Cirno explained before plopping on a chair before swiping an unsuspecting cupcake from the table.

"So what kind of focus did you think would work in case this method didn't work?" I asked while taking a seat on the remaining chair before pouring some tea for myself and Louise. Cirno chewed on the question for a moment while chewing on her cupcake at the same time.

"It would either be a Hakkero or a Dual-Helix shot staff. Though, it would probably take some work to train Louise to be comfortable enough to use either. If it came to that, it probably wouldn't have been worth the trouble anymore." My former student said while gesturing towards Louise with what was left of her cupcake. She then ate what the last bit of her snack and grinned at my master.

"Concept proven though. This now means that Louise could potentially shape her explosions into all kinds of stuff!" The ice fairy exclaimed before pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" Louise immediately asked, clearly intrigued as to what else her explosive broken spells might be capable of.

"Shotgun spreads. Singularity isolated explosions. Pinpoint sized explosions that heat up to fusion temperatures. A coherent pyroclastic stream of kaboom. Explosions small enough to split a certain kind of atom and cause a chain reaction that would make the hydrogen in the air and-" My former student rattled of as she enumerated the vast number of ways to exploit explosions for varying kinds of collateral damage. However...

"Cirno." I called out to the ice fairy, interrupting her and turning her attention to me.

"What?" She asked with a blink and a tilted head.

"We're not here to turn Louise into a weapon of mass destruction." I stated, making the girl in question give me a searching look. I said nothing more on the matter but I was actually drawing back to my previous resolution of making sure that my master did not turn into some sort of monster.

I was enough of a monster for the both of us.

"That's...as correct as you are, that statement feels so wrong coming from you." Cirno with a stupid grin and a shake of her head.

"Noted. In any case, did you have anything else you want to go over with Louise?" I acknowledged with a shrug, it 'was' a rather odd thing for me to say, before posing my question. Cirno hummed thoughtfully at that as she sipped her drink. Louise stayed quiet but was clearly interested in what Cirno had to say.

"Nothing off the top of my head. Louise actually managed to clear everything I wanted to cover a lot faster than I thought. As far as using her explosions effectively, she already has it down pat. The only thing left is more practice and refinement, maybe even innovation by developing her own kinds of explosions." My former student answered with a smile. So, Louise's foundations were already set in terms of using her broken spells effectively. The only thing that needed to be done would be to build upon what she put so much work into.

"Well, if there wasn't anything you'd like to teach her then I would like to address something instead." I said while taking a sip of my own tea.

"What kind of something?" Louise asked me with a raised brow.

"I would like to call back to when you and Eleanore challenged me." I started by making them remember that match we had back when we visited the Valliere manor.

"An excellent showing from both you and your sister to be sure. However, it also showed that you have absolutely no experience or personal instinct to act in tandem with another." I pointed out to both of them. Louise seemed to be offended by this and proceeded to scowl at me.

"I did just fine when working with Big Sis Eleanore!" My master defended her performance indignantly. I expected as much since she did put in a lot of effort during that match as a pursuer. However...

"That was simply you trying your best to stay out of Eleanore's way while trying to tag me with your own explosions. The two of you weren't really coordinating with one another to defeat me." I clarified before picking up a random biscuit and popping it into my mouth. Louise was about to protest but I held up my right hand to prevent her from doing so.

"Case in point would be the times when you accidentally hit your sister's constructs inadvertently, thus giving me a chance to get away." I pointed out, getting an 'urk' from Louise at the very clear example I gave.

"Not exactly an easy thing to train on considering that there isn't anyone who can tag team with her at will." Cirno stated with a casual shrug. A shrug that she froze in the middle of when she saw the way I was smiling at her.

"Nonsense. We have someone clearly suited for the job right here. I mean, who else would be better as a partner that one who had a hand at training her?" I laid out my proposal to the two of them.

"You mean...working together with Cirno-nee?" Louise asked in clarification. Her voice and expression betrayed anticipation and excitement.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't another human be the best bet? Training on that kind of thing with a fairy would probably have the opposite effect since she'll likely end up working alongside other humans more than youkai. Heck, as far as we know, you're the only youkai there." Cirno asked before giving out a valid point and showing a thoughtful expression.

"Someone like Touya, or Rise, or even Manami could work well enough for that." My former student offered with a wave of her hand.

"Manami?" Louise asked, obviously unfamiliar with the name.

"She's a descendant of Marisa's. A magician with an odd sort of capability, both impractical yet can have infinite potential at the same time." I supplied while rubbing my chin with my right hand before shaking my head and moving on through the list.

"Rise is out of consideration. I mean, do you honestly think that she would willingly take time off her duties to help a magician who isn't even from Gensokyo? To say nothing of where said training would take place and who would be involved in it." I continued by pointing out why the wind priestess was a terrible choice for the matter.

"Point taken. What about Touya then? They already know each other so getting him up to speed shouldn't be a problem. Besides, he's such a nice guy so he'll probably jump at the chance to help out Louise considering he wasn't able to the last few times he wanted to help her." Cirno presented her counter-point. Indeed, Touya would have been the best option because of the points Cirno mentioned. However...

"As much as that choice makes sense, I am hesitant to ask for his help in this matter." I admitted with a sigh.

"How come? Don't tell me that it's because he's a guy." Cirno asked dubiously.

"Of course not. However, I'd like it better if Mugenkan did not become involved with the antics of the boy's day to day life." I explained, hoping that I was giving away enough for my former student to catch on.

"Day to day life? Would going here interfere with his duties then?" Louise picked up the line of conversation with questions of her own. Cirno and I blinked at Louise before glancing at each other and chuckling.

"Not so. Most of the time, barring some sort of incident of course, the boy would simply go about taking care of his chores at the shrine before lazing about for the rest of the day." I answered with a dismissive wave of my hand.

"Yeah. For the most part, being a Hakurei involves a few spots of crazy excitement every now and then but things are usually pretty peaceful otherwise. I'm thinking that Teach here is more worried about the people around Touya rather than the guy himself." Cirno answered before taking a shot at what she thought the reason for my apprehension on involving the boy in Louise's training.

"Indeed. Getting Touya involved would invariably get those three involved as well as that wind priestess at the very least. Worst case would be if Kanako and the others decide to 'intervene' for the 'best interest' of Touya and their respective charges. That kind of situation would blow up, one way or another." I confirmed before elaborating on my point. By now, Louise was already substantially lost and it showed with the way she was looking between the two of us.

"What in the Founder's name are you two even talking about now? I can't follow even half of what you are saying!" Louise let her frustration at being left out of the loop known.

"And if we're lucky, you never will. Believe me when I say that there will be nothing but trouble for everyone involved if we ask Touya Hakurei for help in your training." I answered, fully intending on leaving it at that. Louise seemed to understand and let the matter drop. My master most of all knew that the last thing she needed was even more problems to deal with.

"Dialing back a bit then, you never really said that Manami would be a bad idea. In fact, I'm sure that she and Louise could empathize with one another considering their respective circumstances." My former student immediately backpedalled to a previous suggestion she made. Obviously, what she said perked Louise curiosity.

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong with her?" Louise asked, immediately associating any sort of empathy between her and another magician with her previous failings as a conventional Halkeginian magician.

"Well, I wouldn't really say that. She can 'use' magic...it's just that she just can't cast spells the way everyone else normally can." Cirno started and I could see and hear that she wasn't really certain on how to breach the subject. With that in mind, I decided to do it for her.

"Manami Kirisame's odd limitation is that she cannot craft or cast danmaku or spell cards using her own magical power. For some odd reason, her internal reserves simply refuse to manifest itself for her personal use. Whether her magical energy is sealed or there simply isn't any in the first place, no one knows. In that sense, she is like yourself, unable to use the conventional magic of her realm despite coming from a family made famous because of their magic." I elaborated, each word making Louise eyes grow wider and wider.

"She's...like me..." She muttered to herself.

"In a way. However, Manami found out her limitation at an early age and quickly sought to find a means around it. Hence, she became what she personally coined as a 'Magician in Finding'." I added while doing quotation marks with my hands at the words 'Magician in Finding'. Louise blinked at the term before frowning at me and tilting her head to the side.

"Wait, don't you mean Magician in Training?" She asked with dubious confidence that she simply heard me wrong the first time.

"Nope. Teach is right with the term and it's actually really clever on her part too." Cirno picked up the explanation while snatching another cupcake before continuing.

"Remember, Manami couldn't use magic. At all. She couldn't craft spell cards. She couldn't use spell cards. She couldn't even dispense piddly rice grain danmaku. Even with the help of the original Hakkero, she couldn't get anything going. That's why she stopped trying to force something that clearly didn't work and looked for another way to cast magic. So, the very first thing she did was to look for someone who could help her with it. Hence, Magician in Finding." The ice fairy finished her explanation with a smile before chomping on her snack. Throughout Cirno's words, Louise remained quiet and had a look of deep concentration the whole time. Even after my former student finished, my master continued to remain silent.

"So she sought out a teacher...someone who could help her overcome her weakness. She actively took the matter into her own hands and tried to do something about it. I...never even thought of trying that..." Louise muttered mostly to herself as she stared at her own reflection on her cooling cup of tea.

"Hey, don't feel so bad about it. Especially since your teachers ended up finding you instead." Cirno said with a stupid grin on her face in order to lift Louise's spirits. Her words were true as well. Her improvement, particularly in utilizing her broken spells, grew drastically after we started training her in my border of dreams.

"And if I never summoned Yuka? If I summoned something else entirely? Founder forbid, what would I end up becoming if I ended up summoning a commoner instead?" Louise started rattling off. As she spoke, her face started turning paler and paler. It only stopped when I placed my right hand on her shoulder before giving it a soft squeeze.

"But you did summon me. Not another magical beast. Not another human. Certainly not a commoner. You have me instead. Never forget that fact, Louise." I clearly said in order to assure my little master. It seemed that even with all her emotional progress, hearing about Manami's past dug up some of her old stigma.

"I...did she find her Magician?" Louise started before shaking her head and asking more about the troublesome Kirisame.

"Indeed she did. She went to the usual suspects first of course. Alice, Patchouli, Byakuren, even Ran but none of them could figure out a way around her limitations. However, her salvation and teacher was found in the most unexpected of places." I answered before letting go of Louise's shoulder after I was certain that she had finally calmed down.

"Who became her teacher then?" Louise asked the obvious question.

"Her teacher was a long term resident of the Underground. In hindsight, she was the perfect one to help Manami along. Her teacher is Satori Komeji." I answered with a warm smile.

"Satori...Komeji. She's the youkai that can read minds right?" My master repeated Satori's name before clarifying who she was supposed to be.

"You got it~! One of Satori's trademarks is being able to copy other people's spell cards by taking their memory from the ones who used or encountered them. She calls those cards 'recollection' spell cards. That should clue you in on what Manami ended up learning from her." Cirno confirmed Louise's guess before giving another clue which related to Manami's studies in magic.

"Copying spell cards? I thought that she couldn't make or use them." Louise asked while furrowing her brows at the seemingly conflicting information.

"The only reason why she couldn't was because she didn't have any magical energy to be able to do so. Satori helped her get around that based on a certain concept." I answered before trailing off and sipping my tea.

"And that concept is..." Louise led while gesturing with her hands for either of us to continue.

"If she can't get magical energy from herself, why not get it from the ones she will be facing?" I posed the concept that Satori proposed to Manami. Louise blinked at me a few times before giving me an incredulous expression after she fully understood the implications of the question.

"Danmaku is inherently non-lethal. Even the most intimidating spell cards could do nothing worse than shred someone's clothes off their back. Satori decided to take advantage of that fact and helped Manami develop something that would use her opponents' Danmaku against them. Cirno, could you please show one of your spell cards to Louise?" I explained before asking my former student for a spell card. Cirno raised a brow at me, likely in silent wonder as to why I didn't use one of my own cards, before shrugging and snapping her fingers. A standard spell card appeared an inch above her hand that had a picture of falling icicles on it. She placed it face up on the table and I saw that it was one of her old Icicle Fall cards, the Easy Mode one.

"Thank you. As you can see, the face of the card has a visual representation of what the spell invoked would likely be like. This was to make it easier for the user to distinguish between cards." I started before flipping the card over and showing the intricate magic equation etched at the back. Louise's eyes widened at all the things written on the back of the spell card.

"The values and symbols you see are what actually shapes the spell into what it becomes once it activates. Usually, the caster needs to put in enough magical energy to initiate the spell itself which is why there is often a delay of a few seconds between a spell card's declaration and activation." I continued while tapping on the intricate yet purposeful designs on the back of Cirno's spell card with my right index finger.

"So you have to craft each spell card yourself?" Louise asked before reaching out and touching Cirno's Icicle Fall ~Easy~ spell card.

"Not exactly. The spell cards actually take care of the specifics of embedding the spell into the card automatically. All the user needs to do is to visualize what spell they want to store in the card and what it will end up turning into. One has to provide the magical energy the card needs to craft the spell into itself but, aside from those requirements, the card will take care of the rest from there." I clarified. The simplicity of creating spell cards was important for the less talented youkai to have a chance at making their own cards. This also allowed any newcomer from Gensokyo to be able to start making spell cards relatively quickly. The simplicity backfires of course since this allowed newcomers to the realm to start up incidents almost as soon as they show up.

"So how does any of this explain how Manami could create her own spells despite not having any access to magical energy?" Louise asked while flipping the spell card over to reveal the picture of my former student's icicles.

"Well, Satori taught Manami how to change how the cards worked. Instead of being used to craft and deploy spells, they modified Manami's card to do the opposite. They turned them into Capture Cards." I answered and let Louise comprehend the meaning of those words.

"So instead of making the card automatically craft the spell based on what someone wants...they made it so it will gather a spell instead?" My master ventured with a look of intense concentration.

"Got it in one. Good job~" Cirno praised her with a big grin, making Louise blush, before continuing the train of thought.

"Satori helped Manami develop the first and only Capture Cards in the history of Gensokyo. Since no one else who uses Danmaku has such a limitation, Manami is the only one who ever uses those cards." The ice fairy stated before picking up her spell card and flipping it between her fingers.

"So how does she use them then?" Louise asked the next obvious question.

"Not really sure on the specifics on how they pulled it off, but I do know that the cards themselves are empty. The only thing in there is the command to absorb and store whatever magic it comes in contact with. Obviously, the preferred kind of magic would be from Danmaku or other spell cards." Cirno responded while tapping on the face of her spell card.

"Wait...doesn't that mean that she needs to be in a duel in the first place to be able to gather magic inside those cards?" Louise suddenly exclaimed in realization. I decided to pick up the conversation at that point.

"Correct. That is both Manami's new limitation as well as what gives her great potential at the same time." I affirmed with a nod. Louise gave out a thoughtful hum before taking a cupcake to chew on.

"You see, Manami's Capture Cards do not record the pattern of the danmaku they absorb. The cards don't actually absorb and copy her opponent's spell cards outright. They simply gather the magical energy and record what the source looked like. This continues until the card is 'full'. Once the card is full, she can utilize what was captured as she saw fit. This is where her cards start becoming very interesting." I continued before shaking my head at how innovative yet limited the whole thing was.

"How so? If her cards just absorb the blasts until they fill up, doesn't that mean that the patterns would be random once she uses them?" I couldn't help but smile at how quickly Louise started picking things up.

"Normally yes. But naturally, Satori already put that into consideration when she came up with the Capture Cards. Remember when I said that regular spell cards automatically engrave the spell into themselves based on what the user wanted and how much power they put into it?" I answered before asking my question to make Louise recall a previous point in the conversation. At her nod I continued with the explanation.

"Satori removed that function to deal with the issue that you asked about. This meant that Manami had to manually arrange her patterns depending on what she had stored in each card." I explained as best I could based on what I had heard from Patchouli after Manami started using her Capture Cards in duels.

"That...sounds like a lot of work." Louise stated. Based on the pause she made before finishing her statement, she may have tried to visualize trying to manually arrange individual bullets into actual danmaku patterns.

"It probably is. However, this method is a double-edged sword for the girl." I responded with a nod before folding my arms and leaning back into my chair.

"How so?" Came the next obvious question.

"The biggest advantage of her cards is that you will never face the exact same pattern. It will always be different. Always. Her spell card patterns may seem similar but that is how she was able to achieve most of her victories. Her opponent gets hit by a stray bullet or orb or laser or kunai that wasn't there the last time they faced that pattern. Unpredictability is her greatest asset." I explained the strong points of Manami's Capture Cards.

"And the downsides?" Louise followed up by asking about the other side of the coin.

"All of her cards are one time use only." Cirno answered after she finished off yet another cupcake.

"One time use?" My master repeated the term in question form.

"Remember, Louise. Manami's Capture Cards can only absorb magic and bullets. She can also rearrange them the way she wants but they lose their magical energy as soon as she uses them since it was all borrowed energy in the first place. Once she uses a card, that's it. She needs to refill that card and do the whole process all over again." Cirno clarified while emphasizing the major limitation of Manami's developed system.

"Wait...isn't that really wasteful?" Louise reasoned out.

"Of course it is. However that was the only way for her to be able to utilize spell cards. Without her Capture Cards, she wouldn't even be able to participate in danmaku and spell card duels." Cirno countered with the reality that Manami faced if she didn't rely on her Capture Cards. After think about it for a few moments Louise just quietly nodded and looked a bit depressed. I supposed that she could relate to the girl on that level.

"It really isn't as bad as you'd think. She has Haki-chan with her to help her out on refilling her cards with the Kirisame trademark star-shaped bullets and lasers and such." Cirno quickly added after seeing her expression. Louise lifted her gaze to look at my former student and tilted her head to the side.

"Haki-chan?" Louise repeated the obviously unfamiliar name.

"The original Hakkero of Marisa Kirisame. Remember when I first explained how youkai can be created, yes?" I explained before calling back to our discussion way back when I first gave a glance at what I was truly capable of when Guiche challenged me to a duel. Louise looked deep in thought, likely recalling what we talked about at that time.

"You said that youkai are either just born the way they are or are animals or objects that have been around for so long or have been infused by magic that they gain awareness and turn into youkai." Louise stated with her eyes closed as if repeating a previously given lecture. Her eyes immediately shot open after she realized what she just said.

"Wait...you mean that magical focus you said that Marisa Kirisame used to copy your Master Spark became a youkai?" My master asked in surprise.

"Considering how old and how much magic it has been exposed to, I'd be surprised if it didn't. But yeah, Haki-chan is the original Hakkero that Marisa used to use to throw sparks around. In fact I wonder what Haki will think once Haki finds out that Teach is a guy now?" Cirno confirmed before asking her question with a sly smile directed towards me. I made sure to clear my throat to indicate that I did not wish to talk about the Hakkero.

"Huh? Why? And why do you keep regarding Haki by name?" Louise asked a question that I really wasn't really comfortable with.

"Oh~! That's because Haki refuses to confirm what Haki's real gender is. Also, Haki also had a certain 'fixation' towards Teach~" Cirno was having far too much fun milking that fact.

"W-w-w-what?! How can you not tell what a person's gender is?" Louise once again asked the obvious question.

"Well~! Haki-chan can pass as either a male or female and wears a loose kimono that doesn't really reveal much in regards to Haki's gender. As for Haki's 'attraction' towards Teach, I think that just wants to graze Teach's Master Spark with Haki's hitbo-" I didn't let Cirno finish as I immediately dismissed the table and chairs I conjured up as well as the snacks and tea. Both Cirno and Louise fell on the ground with respective yelps and looked at me to complain but stopped when they saw my smile.

"Well, we have plenty of time to discuss that another time. For now, I'm sure Cirno would be more than willing to be your partner tonight." I stated with a beatific smile that both Louise and Cirno trembled under. I maintained my smile even as my sunflowers all turned to the two of them all at once and they immediately started running. Well, Louise ran while Cirno flew.

"Let's begin~"

...

So yeah...Cattleya will be attending the Tristain Magic Academy in the future. Still deciding on what year to put her in. However, time for some reader participation. Cattleya does not have a familiar yet because it was too dangerous for her to try to summon one with her health. Obviously this isn't an issue anymore. Hence, I am taking suggestions as to what her familiar should be. Cattleya is a rather powerful Earth Mage, easily on par with Eleanore and maybe even Matilda. Also take into consideration that her Mom's familiar is a Manticore, her older sister's familiar is a giant metal scorpion, and her younger sister's familiar is YUKA KAZAMI.

My only restriction is that the familiar suggestions must NOT BE FROM GENSOKYO. So Yamame is automatically out. Also, keep it reasonable too. No Tarrasques, no Ultima Weapons, no Dune Sand Worms, etc.

I look forward to what you guys will suggest.

Please R&R~!


	35. Interlude 6: Cirno's Advent

Author's Notes: Here is a bit of a throwback to the Lunarian Invasion Event that happened around five-hundred years ago. This is also an experiment for me as I wanted to try to write something in nothing but narrative without any dialogue.

Also, I have decided to make Cattleya's familiar be a Sabertooth Tiger. No, I will no name it Diego. It won't be summoned until much later in the story though.

Disclaimer: I have discarded my humanity JOJO!

...

It was a peaceful night in Gensokyo. None more peaceful than at the shores of the lake of mists from the perspective of a certain ice fairy. The blue haired resident of the lake was finishing up another busy day of trying out several new methods of freezing frogs she found near the shore. The number of frogs that became encased in her ice was a new personal record for her. It was another proud achievement for the self-styled strongest fairy of Gensokyo.

Satisfied with another productive day of hard work, the ice fairy was just about ready to head back to her tree to get some sleep. Tossing back the frogs she froze back into the lake to thaw, she had discovered that doing so would give her a constant supply of the amphibians to freeze the day after, she turned from the shore and started her flight back into the woods.

That was when she heard the boom.

Cirno felt her whole body shake in the wake of the loudness of it all. It took her a moment to get her orientation the way it was supposed to be, quickly reminding herself that the ground should not be floating above her head. She then looked up after noticing the ground become illuminated with a multicolored glow. She knew instinctively what those colors normally represented. With curiosity and excitement, the fairy looked up and was in shock.

The night sky was alight with more colors than she could ever imagine was possible.

She momentarily wondered what was going on. Was someone having a Spell Card Duel? A duel in the middle of the night?

The fairy blinked as several streams of white light fell from the sky, seemingly aimed at the mansion situated in the middle of the lake. The structure known as the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

The lights stopped short of their target though as a very large multi-colored magic circle prevented them from hitting the mansion. A moment later, a very frightening roar of rage came from within the structure, followed by a spear made of red light that shot up into the sky.

Cirno immediately felt that what was happening high in the sky was no ordinary Spell Card Duel. Something was happening, likely another one of those incidents the Shrine Maidens tend to butt into.

As if to punctuate the point, she suddenly heard the sounds of several beams and danmaku being fired from within the woods. The fairy prepared herself for whatever came out of the woodwork as it were. She just didn't expect the thing to come out was her best friend. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on but Daiyousei quickly yelled at her to get down before tackling the fairy into the ground.

Cirno grunted as she landed roughly with her frind on top of her. It wasn't something to cry about as she had experienced far more painful things in the past.

She heared Daiyousei scream in fear as several of the strange white streams of light flew above their prone forms. Cirno didn't know what was happening but she knew that her friend was scared. She immediately rolled the two of them over so she was on top of the frightened fairy before encasing the two of them under the strongest dome of ice she could make in such a situation.

She felt the dome shudder after getting hit over and over again by those white lights. The ice fairy was getting more and more upset at whoever was shooting at them but she still had the sense of mind to prioritize her friend over her own pride. Cirno then noticed a lull in the attack, as if whoever was shooting at them suddenly gave up. That was the impression she got anyway and decided to capitalize on the oppportunity it presented her. She grinned to herself before shattering the dome of ice. Cirno got to her feet and declared her intent to enact cold vengeance upon the one who dared to harm her and her friend.

Her declaration was cut short when she realized a few things...

One: It turned out that there was more than one person shooting at them.

Two: Those 'people' looked oddly like that one wabbit from the bamboo forest who kept flashing her knickers at everyone but they were holding odd looking staves.

Three: Far from running away, the unknown wabbit seemed to be surrounding them in all directions.

She heard Daiyousei call out her name worriedly from the ground. The wabbits pointed the end of their weapons at the two fairies and were telling them to surrender themselves to their custody. Cirno didn't really know what the blazes they were talking about but they certainly did not look very friendly. The ice fairy declared who she and her friend were and laughed at the follishness of the wabbits who dared attack them.

Cirno pulled out a spell card and all the wabbits immediately pointed their weapons solely at her. The green haired fairy immediately started yelling at her, desperately trying to tell her friend something but it was too late.

The simple ice fairy of the Misty Lake couldn't have possibly known who the individuals surrounding her were.

She couldn't have known that the foes she faced were all professional soldiers, trained to kill with the weapons in their hands.

She couldn't have known that the spell card rules were thrown out the window just moments ago.

She couldn't have known that the lights in the sky were signs of a desperate pitched battle.

She couldn't have known that the Lunarians were invading Gensokyo.

Ice Sign ~Icicle Fa-

Light Sign ~Earth Light Ray~

Cirno's spell card declaration was interrupted by a faster one from above. All the wabbits trained their weapons upwards but were too late as each and every one of them go hit by an intense but accurate blast of white light. They all screamed in pain before collapsing on the ground a moment later. Cirno knew that spell, she had been hit by it several times before. That was why she was confused as to why the wabbits weren't getting back up after getting hit. The fairy's thoughts were interrupted when she felt Daiyousei pull at her arm before yelling at her to get away from the wabbits. Surprised at the sudden forcefulness of her friend, Cirno allowed herself to be dragged away from their now motionless foes.

The two fairies then looked up when a frantic voice called out their names. Cirno immediately recognized the newcomer by the black and white witch's outfit and the broom she constantly rode on, even though the fairy knew that she can fly without it when she got older, which confirmed who the spell came from.

The adult, by human standards, Ordinary Witch of Gensokyo landed next to them and quickly asked if they were fine. This prompted the greater fairy to say that she was mostly okay thanks to the efforts of the ice fairy. Surprisingly, Marisa Kirisame smiled at the blue haired fairy before ruffling her hair and congratulating her at a job well done.

However, the smile faded in an instant when she told the two of them to get to somewhere safe like deep inside the Forest of Magic. The ice fairy asked what was going on but the witch had already hopped onto her broom before quickly telling them that there was no time and to get to safety. Neither fairy managed to get another word in edgewise as the witch quickly zoomed off towards the mansion on the lake.

The two fairies looked a each other before quickly deciding to go somewhere else. Cirno suggested to look for the rest of their friends, worried that they might have been attacked in the same way. The two of them looked up when great streams of fire danced across the skies along with the countless bullets and lasers that continued to be fired. Daiyousei said that she was scared. Cirno assured her that they would be safe if they stayed together. The greater fairy remained quiet and simply held on to her friend's hand as they flew into the woods.

...

Ice Sign ~Icicle Machine Gun~

The ice fairy put down more and more of the wabbits that seemed to constantly get in their way. Cirno didn't even have time to notice that her icicles were physically embedding themselves into their targets and drawing blood. She most certainly did not notice that all the wabbits she hit didn't get up anymore. What she did notice was that there were a lot of wabbits and youkai who were lying on the ground everywhere and not moving. Even some of the random fairies looked like they were burned or ripped apart by something. Cirno didn't think anything of it since she had seen worse being done to fairies and they'd just reincarnate good as new. Indeed, even she had been through worse 'deaths' and she reincarnated just fine afterwards.

On the other hand, her best friend was getting more and more worried about the whole situation. She hadn't told Cirno but she passed those fairies and youkai as she tried to escape those wabbits who were trying to shoot her down. The greater fairy knew that the bodies of the fallen fairies at least should have already poofed out of existence to await reincarnation after a time, but none of them were doing that. All the fairies that fell to the weapons of the wabbits were not automatically trying to reincarnate. That fact scared the greater fairy a great deal.

They managed to clear the woods after avoiding what seemed to be more and more of those wabbits before they came up to what should have been the sunflower field. Cirno didn't have the awareness or reflex to cover her ears when Daiyousei decided to scream her lungs out at what they saw. The result was rather painful and mildly disorienting for the ice fairy.

In front of them was the Garden of the Sun. Normally a veritable ocean of yellow with all the giant sunflowers that called it home, it was instead stained all over with red. Chunks of meat that may or may not have been wabbit parts littered all over the sunflower field. Cirno pointed up to the sky where more of those wabbits were descending towards the garden. Daiyousei screamed again and turned her eyes away from the horror as the wabbits were fired upon by the bloody sunflowers below.

The invaders did not seem to know or understand who laid claim to the domain of the sunflowers. For if they knew, they wouldn't have kept throwing more and more of their soldiers at it. Who knew what went on in the mind of the one who caused this clash of power between the Moon and the Eastern Wonderland. It could be that the one in charge knew exactly who it was at the center of that sunflower field but simply did not care or was clearly underestimating the one who had the innate power over flowers.

Cirno was completely mesmerized by the exchange of lights between the sunflowers and the dwindling number of wabbits in the sky. Their previous plan of finding their friends and getting to a safe place was momentarily put to a halt at the sheer facination of the ice fairy. Then, for the second time that night, her found herself tackled to the ground by her friend. Cirno briefly wondered for a split-second if that was going to be a thing between them from then on when she heard the greater fairy scream in pain after a flash of light hit her body.

The ice fairy quickly got Daiyousei off her and saw that the other fairy was bleeding from a wound somewhere on her back. The greater fairy grimaced in pain whenever she tried to move and couldn't coherently respond to her friend's worried calls. Cirno then turned to the source of the lights and saw a few more of those wabbits appearing from within the woods and aiming their strange weapons at them. They were spouting nonsense about not fighting back or else they would be punished in the name of the moon. The ice fairy didn't care what they said even if she could have comprehended their words.

They hurt her friend. She was fully committed to returning the favor.

She quickly flew to the side in order to get the attention of the wabbits on her and away from her wounded friend. She was quickly fired upon by the wabbits and it took everything she had to simply avoid the beams of light for a few scant seconds, enough time to pull out and declare a spell card.

Cold Sign ~Insta-Freeze Beam~

She was not even aiming when she fired the beam of cold. Due to the harried attacks of the wabbits, all she could manage was to point the freeze beam in their general direction. The cries of pain and the lessened number of beams seemed to mean that she found some measure of success in her counter attack. She did not see that she managed to hit several of the wabbits in the face. The freezing beam either preventing them from breathing or simply froze their entire head all the way into their brain. The remaining wabbits began chasing her after she started to get more distance between them.

The ice fairy then heard a strange whisper in the air. She couldn't recognize off the top of her head who the voice belonged to, she was rather busy at the moment, but it tried to compel her to fly into the sunflower field.

Normally, Cirno would have probably stayed away from the sunflower field, especially considering its current state. She had never seen the field of yellow stained red before, not having been present there when the residents of Makai barged into the realm. However, the obvious cover that the bloody giant sunflowers provided quickly convinced the ice fairy to duck into the field anyway.

She weaved through the sunflowers with mild difficulty. It was nothing she hadn't already dealt with in spell card duels but it was still a challenge since she wasn't used to avoiding so many stems. Cirno's concentration was fully committed to not crashing into the sunflowers in her drive to get deeper into the field that she never noticed that the wabbits who were chasing her were already gone.

The wabbits did not get lost in the field of giant sunflowers. Not at all. Instead, the poor Lunar Rabbits were turned into plant food by the flowers themselves. The mistress of the field did not take kindly to the way the wabbits treated her sunflowers when they first arrived and thus provided them the means by which to defend themselves with.

The ice fairy kept flying until she inexplicably managed to get to the middle of the field without getting lost or turned around along the way. In the center of the field, she found the Flower Master of the Four Seasons. The woman was standing in the middle of a clearing at the center of the Garden of the Sun. Her eyes were closed and her parasol was open and was leaning on her right shoulder. She had a refreshed and contented expression, so much so that the ice fairy almost thought that there was glow about her. It was the scene of perfect serenity.

Well, it would have been if her hair, clothing, face, and parasol did not have warm blood everywhere. Mind, the Sleeping Terror was not completely covered in lifeblood, but merely had splotches liberally applied on her person. Puddles of red liquid and chunks of meat were littered on the ground surrounding the ancient monster as well.

The mistress of the sunflower field opened her eyes and turned to the near-haggard ice fairy. She raised a brow in momentary wonder before musing to herself that she never instructed her flowers to devour anything other than Lunar Rabbits that wandered too close to them. She then narrowed her eyes at the ice fairy before dropping the small smile that was on her face.

The youkai known as Yuuka Kazami then stated that she remembered the the blue fairy that floated before her. The fairy that laid claim to a chance victory against her during an incident at the end of the most recent sixty year cycle of the Sanzu. Cirno flinched at her words for she too remembered her previous duel against the plaid-clad youkai. The flower youkai then commented on the foolishness of the fairy, wandering into her domain in the middle of such a situation. This prompted the fairy to belt out question after question from who those wabbits were to what was going on everywhere.

The flower youkai shook her head at the fairy's questions and merely looked up. The ice fairy looked up as well on reflex and saw the continuing massive danmaku battle that was seemingly going on. The fairy then turned back to the old monster when she said one thing without a hint of humor.

The sky is falling

The fairy tilted her head to the side and blinked several times at the elder youkai. Her mind was unable to comprehend why she said those words or why her expression was no longer content or relaxed. The old flower then turned back to her when she suddenly gasped in realization of something important. Before any more words could be exchanged, the fairy suddenly flew back into the mass of sunflowers in an arbitrary direction.

The ice fairy was in a state of panic as she blasted through the field once more. She mentally kicked herself for leaving Dai on her own, injured at that, while she was talking to the old youkai.

The Sleeping Terror of Gensokyo sighed and shrugged at the impulsiveness of the ice fairy. She didn't bother to try to tell blue fairy that she started flying in the wrong direction. It wasn't really her problem anyway. Instead, she turned her attention back to the skies just in time to block another blast from a Lunar Rabbit's beam rifle with her parasol. The smile on Yuuka Kazami's face returned once more a moment before she resumed her favorite pastime.

The ice fairy yelled out her friend's name after she finally managed to get out of the sea of sunflowers. She looked around in alarm when she did not find Dai in the immediate vicinity. It was then that she finally realized that she ended up coming out from a completely different part of the sunflower field. The ice fairy decided to take the advice that the Hakurei Shrine Maiden once gave Cirno and her friends in case they ever get lost.

When in doubt, head left.

Obviously, since the Garden of the Sun was vaguely circular in its coverage of the area, Cirno was eventually able to return to the place where she left Daiyousei. The problem was, she was in the process of being poked at by more of those wabbits. They were speaking to each other while poking at her injured friend with their weapons and the ice fairy was not happy about their treatment of her friend.

She pulled out a spell card and charged in with a mighty battle cry before declaring it.

Ice Cube ~Great Crusher~

A very large crudely shaped hammer made of ice formed in the fairy's hands. She spun around in the air to gain more momentum before slamming the great hammer into the nearest available wabbit. She continued the crazed assault, even using the hammer to block or simply smash through any attempts of defense or counter attack. The fairy grazed several blasts by the weapons of the wabbits, if only barely. It ended up her arms and legs badly burned but she was able to smash every last one of the wabbits that were there.

Cirno let what was left of Great Crusher slip out of her numbing hands before stumbling to her friend. The ice fairy did not even notice the skirmish that just ended back at the center of the Garden of the Sun. Daiyousei was still unconscious and her breathing was shallow. Cirno couldn't have possibly realized that her friend was starting to go into shock due to blood loss. She couldn't have possibly comprehended that Daiyousei would die permanently, without reincarnation, if she died from the wounds she received from Lunarian weapons. However, she knew well enough that she needed to get her friend to a safer place. The ice fairy immediately hefted the injured greater fairy on her back and flew right back into the sunflower field.

The flower youkai blinked when she saw the ice fairy return with yet another fairy on her back. Yuuka noted that they both seemed injured, the green one moreso than the blue one considering she wasn't conscious.

Cirno proceeded to implore the plaid-clad monster for medical assistance for her friend. Yuuka pointed out that the Garden of the Sun wasn't exactly the place to bring the injured for treatment. She added that the only reason why the ice fairy was tolerated in her presence in the first place was because of all the wabbits that kept throwing themselves at her. She waited for a moment before telling the both of them to leave her garden.

The ice fairy winced but merely repeated her request for aid. The flower youkai sighed and shook her head, reasoning out that they would be better off going to Eientei. Cirno quickly countered with the fact that the won't make it with their injuries and all the wabbits everywhere. Yuuka then smiled and suggested that she simply abandon the dying green fairy and seek shelter for herself instead.

That earned her a furious scowl from the ice fairy. Cirno shook her head and emphatically declared that she will never abandon one of her friends who were in need. She ignored the older youkai's taunts that such a belief was stupid before being asked where she got such a silly concept in the first place. The ice fairy declared that her way was not stupid or silly. She stated that it was an important lesson that Letty Whiterock taught her and her friends after their group was formed. She was looking down on the ground while tightened her grip on the girl on her back when she made that statement.

Yuuka Kazami stared at the fairies in front of her and considered the blue one's words. She was not unfamiliar with the name 'Letty Whiterock'. Indeed, she and the youkai of winter have clashed on several occasions back when the realm that would eventually be known as the Eastern Wonderland was still young and hostile. With her being the closest thing to the Embodiment of Summer and the snow woman being the Embodiment of Winter, it would be inevitable for them to battle one another.

The snow woman had the distinct honor of being one of the few beings who have been able to fight her in her garden and hold her ground without breaking under her power. They would usually test each other's mettle near the end of Autumn, when they would be the most equal. Yuuka's power would be slowly waning while Letty's would still be building up, providing a small precious window for them to face one another in battle with no silly advantage over the other.

Unfortunately, that also meant that they have never faced one another at full power. It was a sad byproduct of their respective natures. However, the duels they did have were enjoyable all the same. Though a few of those matches 'may' have gone a 'tad' out of hand, which required direct intervention from a certain youkai of borders. Each time, with the woman expressing her annoyance at them doing so much damage right when she was about to go to sleep for the winter.

Meanwhile, Cirno seriously considered just making a break for Eientei or to the Hakurei Shrine with her injured friend and deal with whatever they might run into. Imagine her surprise when the flower youkai suddenly noted that they would likely be safe in her mansion. The ice fairy blinked at her words before absentmindedly looking around for the aforementioned mansion. Yuuka quickly noticed the confusion and clarified that her mansion was in a pocket realm she had in the border of dreams. In the face of the ice fairy's sheer abject incomprehension to what she was talking about, the green haired woman sighed and merely conjured a door to her realm. She instructed the ice fairy to bring her friend through the door and her gatekeeper should be able to take care of the rest.

The Gatekeeper of Mugenkan had become rather adept when it came to mending injuries, usually her own due to her profession and who she was working for. Granted, things have been significantly quiet for the scythe-wielder for a while...so much so that she was not even aware of the massive battle going on outside.

Cirno beamed at the flower youkai and thanked her over and over again. She then started babbling about her plans once she left her friend in the apparently capable hands of Yuuka's gatekeeper. The core of which was to gather the rest of her friends in the safety of the sunflower field and go from there.

The Flower Master of the Four Seasons enjoyed a moment of mirth at the idea of someone considering her garden a place of 'safety'. She then interrupted the now bouncing blue ball of energy by saying that the invitation was only for her and her injured friend. No other additions. When asked why, the old monster merely smiled and deftly twirled her open parasol in her hands. She stated that the only reason why she was doing this was because of a whim which stemmed from her personal respect for the youkai of winter. Her conditions for taking them in were that the privilage was only restricted to them and they are not to allowed leave her border of dreams until such time that she called for them.

Outraged, the ice fairy demanded to know why she was doing this to them. At those words, Yuuka's smile grew more sinister. She reminded the fairy of her earlier words of not abandoning her friend no matter what. She then asked if that was just a convenient lie if she was so willing to just leave her in the hands of strangers without a second thought. Cirno reasoned that she was going to look for her other friends and see if they were safe. To that, the flower youkai merely laughed at the smaller girl's face before shaking her head. She then reminded the fairy that, regardless of what the condition of her other friends were, the fairy on her back needed her 'now'. And just like that, the smile faded and the monster known as Kazami stated her ultimatum. Either comply to her earlier conditions or leave lest they too became stains on the earth at her feet.

The ice fairy was cornered and she knew it. With much bitter reluctance, she nodded and entered the magically opened door to the border of dreams, the weight of her injured friend seemingly heavier than she remembered.

...

Yuuka Kazami sighed as she saw the two fairies freely enter her realm and wondered just what had gotten into her to allow such a thing. In the end, she decided not to think on it too much, lest she ended up with a headache. She merely chalked it up to all the good feelings she was having after finally being allowed to kill so many after so very long.

She then sighed once more when someone burst into the clearing she was in again. Yuuka idly played with the thought of making her sunflowers simply try to consume anyone who dared to set foot into her garden. She was surprised though when the one before her was no youkai. It wasn't a youkai at all.

Instead, it was a human man...a rather familiar one at that. Imagine her confusion and surprise when none other than Reimu's own husband and sire to the next generation of the Hakurei line appeared before her. The flower youkai blinked at him, pointing out that he should either be in hiding or with his woman and child.

She then put on a sly smile before asking jokingly if he had gotten tired of his nagging wife and decided to try to romance her instead. The still heaving man took a few moments to catch his breath before apologizing to her. He then continued by pointing out that, aside from that one time before he had the courage to speak to the girl who would become his wife, he would never consider being with her or anyone else.

Such words earned him another laugh when the flower youkai mused that he found her less frightening to approach than the Red-White Shrine Maiden. He nonchalantly responded by saying that any man would be wary about trying to approach the woman he loved for the first time. He then took another breath before straightening himself up and looking at the plaid-clad woman right in the eyes. The man then bowed deeply to her before asking for her assistance with something. Just like that, the mirth in her expression vanished before the woman complained about why so many insignificants were asking for her help. She waved off his inquiry on that subject, both of whom should have been in her mansion by now, before asking why she should help him with anything.

He proceeded to rub the back of his head and asked if groveling before her would help his chances. Yuuka snorted with amusement before asking him to simply state his case for her consideration. The man proceeded to explain the plan he and a few other residents of the realm came up with to drive back the invading Lunarians. However, the assistance of one of the most powerful forces in Gensokyo was required for them to be able to accomplish anything. He asked. He begged. He implored. He groveled. He even went so far as telling her that he would do whatever she wished if it would secure her cooperation.

The flower youkai boredly told him to get up off the ground as it was a pain to have to lower her gaze just to talk to him. She then stated that she would assist him in any way possible under a single condition. He smiled before prematurely thanking her and asking for her condition. He started getting nervous when Yuuka Kazami have him a wide smile that showed her pearly white teeth before she told the condition for her cooperation.

For one full night he would be hers, a lover she would bring back to her bedroom in her mansion. All that with the full knowledge of his wife and daughter.

The expression on his face was almost enough payment for the flower youkai. However, the man who had earned the notoriously lazy shrine maiden's heart surprised her when he actually agreed.

He sighed saying that he will probably never live it down, to say nothing of the distinct possibility that his wife was probably going to kill him for promising such a thing, but it merely showed how much they needed her help. The flower youkai shook her head and called him a complete idiot. However, she confirmed his agreement to the terms and promised that she would help him in any way he might need it so long as he would keep the end of his bargain.

In Yuuka's eyes, it was an unexpected outcome to what she had originally only intended as a joke. However, she simply considered it as a chance to be able to experience something new, something she had never once had any real interest in her long life. She was not one to shy away from free opporunities as convenient as what the man in front of her presented. Unexpected, but promised to be a novel experience all the same.

...

The time Cirno and Daiyousei spent in Mugenkan was dedicated to recovery, worry, and reflection. Both the ice fairy and the greater fairy were able to heal from their respective wounds thanks to the quick aid from their new friend, Elly.

The gatekeeper was mildly rude at first considering ice fairy kicked her off the wooden lounge chair she was sleeping on. The gatekeeper was ready to either grovel, if it was her boss catching her sleeping on the job, or to start carving things up with her scythe, if it was intruders.

She was certainly not expecting a pair of injured fairies who were bleeding all over her floor.

The ice fairy was able to get Elly up to speed on the situation outside Mugenkan while the gatekeeper was tending to their wounds. The blonde gatekeeper very nearly flipped out at the information that there was some sort of large scale danmaku battle going on outside. The only reason why she didn't do so was because she was busy patching them up. Once that was done, and once Daiyousei was asleep on a comfy bed inside one of the many vacant rooms of the mansion, ice fairy told her the flower youkai's condition for them to stay in the mansion. Elly didn't seem to have much issue with the arrangement, in fact, the gatekeeper actually welcomed the company.

During their stay there, Cirno thought long and hard about herself and what she was really capable of. She and her best friend were very nearly killed by the wabbits, she understood that fact clearly after much thought. The same wabbits that the Black-White Witch and the Flower Youkai were able to be rid off with apparent ease.

It was an earth-shattering fact for the ice fairy to come to terms with. One such as her who prided herself in her strength finally acknowledging that she was not as strong as she always believed herself to be. She could only go so far with her own pride and her never-give-up attitude.

Now that she fully understood that, the question became: What was she going to do about it?

...

It took a few days, the ice fairy was not sure since the sky was constantly a clear night sky filled with stars but they can somehow see everything clearly as if it was daytime, but Elly finally told them that the flower youkai wanted them outside.

She and her best friend went through another magically conjured door and ended up back in the same clearing as before. This time though, the sun was up and the sunflowers were mysteriously free of any blood or gore. At the very center of the clearing, they once again found the owner of the sunflower field. Like her garden, she was now free of any evidence that she was deeply involved in ending the lives of a very large number of wabbits.

She was looking up at the wide open sky, a thoughtful expression on her face and her open parasol was resting on her right shoulder. She turned to them after the ice fairy called out to her. They both immediately asked what happened to all the wabbits. The flower youkai merely shrugged and vaguely responded that the ones who were still alive all went home. The two fairies then talked between themselves on what they should do, eventually agreeing that finding the rest of their friends would be the best thing to do.

It was then that the plaid-clad youkai mentioned that there were a few youkai who were looking for them after the fighting ended. She counted off the ones who were looking for them with her left hand.

A bug, a bird, and floating blob of darkness.

She quickly found that the two fairies that were recently her mansion's guests were now very close to her face, uncomfortably so. The aforementioned fairies quickly set off question after question to confirm the description of the youkai who were looking for them, where they were, as well as how they were faring at the time when the flower youkai saw them.

The master of the garden the explained that their friends were able to find refuge in the Bamboo Garden of the Lost for a while. After which, they were picked up and 'recruited' by the Moon Rabbit of Eientei with the short skirt and crazy eyes. The crazy eyed rabbit volunteered them to help her organize some form of army against the wabbits.

Amazingly, their combined efforts were enough to assemble a mass of earth rabbits, fairies, and other minor youkai that were somehow able to overwhelm the regular invading wabbits. In fact, it was so effective that they managed to distract the invaders long enough to enact the plan made by Reimu's husband.

Both fairies suddenly wondered why the flower youkai suddenly became quiet. She then sighed and mused to herself that he won't be able to keep his part of their agreement anymore. She shook her head before telling the two fairies that their friends should be in the Eternal Mansion inside the bamboo forest.

The greater fairy immediately set off to where her other friends were but her companion and friend elected to stay and promised that she would catch up. Trusting her friend implicitly, Dai nodded and told the ice fairy to hurry up before flying off.

The manipulator of flowers raised a brow and jokingly asked if the fairy was going to challenge her again. Cirno shook her head and took a deep breath. This was her resolve, the answer she reached. She can't become stronger on her own, not with how she was going about it. She needed help. She needed a teacher. The looking right into the eyes of the strongest youkai in Gensokyo and asked the question that would change both of their lives.

"Will you teach me how to become stronger?"

...

Please R&R!


	36. Chapter 30

Author's Notes: Well, this too a lot longer that I had initially thought. The original reason was because I started playing Record of Agarest War 2. Then I got involved with a little collective project in Spacebattles that was started by Gideon020 call The Universiad. In any case, here is the entirety of the Tristain Magic Academy Hidden Archive Arc. Those who have watched the second season of the Familiar of Zero or have read the books should already know what is up next.

In any case, here's another chunky chapter! Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: If you aren't watching Girls und Panzer yet, you are clearly doing something wrong.

...

It was another beautiful day at the Tristain Magic Academy. The sun was up like a magnificent father, shining down at everyone with its gross incandescence. Everyone was once again out in the large field where the girls had their workouts with Agnes and her knights.

The difference between the last time they were here though was that both the boys and the girls of Louise's class were all there. There were other differences as well. Instead of the students doing repetitions of a basic combat attack under the strict watchful eye of the Musketeer Knight Squadron Captain, they were all sitting comfortably on the soft grass listening to a lecture under the strict watchful eye of Louise's eldest sister.

Much like before though, I was standing a distance away alongside Ruukoto. However, there was someone else standing to my other side as well.

"Big Sister Eleanore really comes into her own whenever she's teaching, doesn't she? Don't you think so, Yuka?" Cattleya asked while nudging my arm with her elbow. The middle sister was wearing a simple yet fine pink dress and saw it fit to 'get some sun' as she termed it and 'just so happened' to come across Eleanore's lecture and decided to observe. Fortunate for her that Ruukoto and I 'coincidentally' were there to keep her company when she decided to do so.

Indeed, Cattleya was proving to be much more than what I had originally thought her to be.

"Well? Don't you think that our sister shines the brightest in this kind of setting?" The middle sister asked again, this time nudging me with her whole shoulder. I sighed and decided to answer her, if only to get her to stop her childishness.

"Well, Eleanore is obviously an intelligent woman and an intellectual given her profession as a researcher. It stands to reason that she would be in her element when giving lectures to students as well. Agnes did refer to her as a Professor after all." I responded while gesturing to the woman in question who was pacing in front of Louise's class as she gave her lecture.

"So, you think that Eleanore is at her most beautiful like this?" Cattleya followed up with another question. I raised a brow at her and saw that she was looking intently at me with an expectant smile. I looked between her and the eldest sister and shrugged.

"I...suppose." I answered with shake of my head. This made Cattleya give me a beaming smile while nodding her head.

"That's wonderful! I look forward to meeting my nieces and nephews in a few years~" The middle sister exclaimed as she placed her hands on her cheeks before giggling to herself. I couldn't help but sigh at her antics. Ruukoto, as usual, simply continued to keep an eye on Louise and the others without providing any sort of comment on Cattleya's words.

"You are really pushing for Eleanore and I to have something happening between us aren't you? All I can ask is why in the Blazing Fires do you think anything could even work between us? Least of all since I'm not really interested in such things." I asked her before pointing out a facet of myself that I've had to reiterate a number of times already.

"Why not? I very much believe that you and Big Sister Eleanore would be a wonderful match for one another." Cattleya stated without any hint of shame or hesitation. She then adopted a thoughtful look before turning back to the class we were watching over. I thought the matter dropped and didn't comment on it any further. It was a clear mistake on my part.

"Well, could it be that you might be interested in Louise..." She started before giving me a sidewards glance and a coy smile.

"...or might you be interested in me instead?" Cattleya asked with an odd glint in her eye. She held her gaze for a moment before...

"Or does Lady Yukari already occupy your heart? She is quite the beauty after all and I can understand if-" Completely changing gears.

"No. Not Yukari. Definitely, not Yukari." I interrupted her speculation with a cold and decisive truth. In fact, I would feel nothing but pity for anyone who would find themselves in a romantic relationship with the border youkai.

"Then is it someone else entirely? Louise did once mention a personal mentor in one of her letters. A female earth mage, I think. Though I have yet to meet the woman personally..." The middle sister pushed on by shifting the focus to our currently absent companion.

"Her name is Matilda. She is currently taking care of a personal matter and Louise and I are waiting for her safe return." I clarified even though my cynical subconscious sneered at my own words.

"Oooohhh...it's 'Matilda' then, is it?" Cattleya said before giving me an odd smile...as if she just found out something important.

"Yes, that is the name of her tutor. Is something wrong?" I asked with my now maintained raised brow. The middle sister maintained her gaze upon me before shrugging her shoulders.

"If you are asking me that question then it would be better if you realize it for yourself. Though I suppose this means that there's still a chance..." Cattleya responded before turning her attention back to the students. I was about to inquire as to what she meant but just decided to drop the subject for the moment when it looked like Eleanore just asked Tabitha to stand for a question.

"You are leading a unit of nobles and commoners in battle but you were routed and are now surrounded with your remaining soldiers. I ask then, Chevalier Tabitha. Do you fight to the last in the name of your King and Country? Or do you surrender to your enemy?" Eleanore asked an oddly serious situational question to the quiet Gallian.

"Immediate surrender. Survive." Tabitha immediately answered without a single moment of hesitation. Eleanore stared at her for several moments and I could tell that Tabitha was meeting her gaze the entire time.

"So you would surrender instead of dying with pride as a noble?" The eldest sister asked with her arms folded.

"Dying accomplishes nothing. Pride would not save me and my men. Surrender. Survive. Wait for an opportunity later on." Tabitha stated, justifying her decision.

"An odd answer. Is there no cause you are willing to die for?" Eleanore followed up with another quick question.

"None." And Tabitha responded at once.

"Your family? Your friends? Your loved ones? You are not willing to die for their sakes?" Eleanore asked, her eyes betraying curiosity rather than anger or irritation due to the sheer conviction Tabitha showed with her answers.

"No. I will not die for their sakes. I will continue to live for their sakes. I will stay alive for their sakes. I will survive for their sakes." The usually quiet Gallian responded with an uncharacteristic amount of volume in her voice. The entire field was silent for several moments, the students looking between Tabitha and Eleanore in rapt anticipation on what would happen next.

"Well said. You may be seated." Eleanore said with a nod of approval. A nod Tabitha returned before sitting back down on the grass next to Kirche.

"I hope that you were all listening to what your peer just said." Eleanore stated while taking the time to look at each student she was giving a lecture to. The blonde narrowed her eyes at the ones who suddenly looked worried, likely they didn't pay attention to Tabitha's answer.

"Some of you may agree to her point she was trying to make. Some of you may not. Some of you may not even care because the situation does not concern you right now." Eleanore continued while pacing around once again.

"Those of you who agree have good reason to do so. Dying like an animal without cause is a disgrace to the nobility, especially if you would have more use alive than dead." The blonde said with a wave of her hand as if to agree to what Tabitha's prior answer.

"Those of you who disagree also have good reason to do so. Surrendering to those who have killed your fellow countrymen would be an insult to any proud member of the Tristain nobility." She then added to give credence to the other side of the argument as well. Obviously, this made the students rather confused. As such they began to glance at each other and mutter amongst themselves. Louise had her back turned to us so I couldn't tell what her expression was. However, by the way she and Kirche were tilting their heads toward each other, the two of them seemed to be talking about something. Guiche and Monmon were doing the same while Tabitha simply started reading a book, satisfied with her own answer and would have likely denied any others that pointed to the contrary.

"A question, professor." Eleanore's 'fangirl' Marialena piped up with a raised hand. She looked a bit nervous with suddenly becoming the center of attention once more but steeled herself after seeing the eldest sister nod to her in a gesture to continue.

"Which would be the correct answer then? Do we surrender or not?" The girl asked the question that must have been burning through most of the minds of the students present. Eleanore adjusted her pointy glasses as she took a moment to look at each student. I wasn't sure why she kept doing that. Was she trying to gauge everyone's attentiveness based on their expressions as the lecture went on? Any possible way to determine an answer to that question simply through idle observation was interrupted when the woman in question finally spoke.

"A fair question. The answer is this. Neither answer is correct. Neither answer is wrong. Both answers have their consequences." Eleanore spoke out in a way that was both logical and yet left no real room for argument. That was because she was correct.

"The scenario I gave was at most a vague and general situation. Aside from the fact that you would be in command of a unit that had lost a battle and was surrounded, no other information was provided. Depending on the situation, either option is viable but both would still have consequences." Eleanore clarified before repeating her earlier point.

"Surrender would give you and your men the best chance of survival. However, you have to take into account if the enemy is even willing to take prisoners and what they would even do once you are in their custody...a very real concern for the women here." She continued, stating the pros and cons of surrendering to an enemy force in the middle of a perceived war. The girls definitely looked uncomfortable at the implication made on what male soldiers would likely do to female prisoners of war.

"Fighting back would give you and your men a chance to either overcome your foes somehow or at least a chance to escape. However, this carries the very real risk of getting all of you killed or those who may survive would either be executed to turned into prisoners anyway." Eleanore continued to do the same with the other side of the argument. To overcome their foes, or die in a final act of glorious defiance, or to suffer an ignoble death through execution or imprisonment.

"If you ever find yourself in the field of battle, such things are a fact of life. Most of you will likely not have a position of command but you are expected to at least have the wisdom to know which choice to make depending on the situation you find yourselves in. It may be correct, it may not. However, you will have a chance. And sometimes, a chance is enough." The blonde continued before talking about other things that I didn't really have much interest in. I eventually just zoned out and relaxed under the rays of the sun as the lecture went on. I wasn't sure how long I was out of things but I finally snapped out of my trance when I felt something poke at my stomach.

"Is he asleep?" I heard Monmon ask. I finally noticed that Louise and her friends were surrounding me. It seemed that Eleanore's lecture had already ended and the students had already dispersed and were preparing for lunch. Both of Louise's elder sisters as well as Agnes' group were already gone too and the only ones left were us. No guesses as to why...

"Yuka does this sometimes whenever he has to wait around with nothing to do." My master helpfully provided from my right side, Ruukoto as always was impassively standing behind her.

"So this is normal?" Guiche asked a bit worriedly. He and Monmon were standing off to my left while Tabitha was a short distance away from the spectacle and was of course reading another book and was seemingly ignoring the proceedings.

"He's just spacing out." Louise waved off their concerns just as I felt something poke my torso again.

"Should we do something?" Monmon asks just as the poking turned into a caress. With everyone else accounted for, it became obvious that the one touching me was Kirche.

"Oh, I'd do something alright~" Came the reply from none other than the redheaded Germanian. She was slightly bending over directly in front of me and was running her hands on my torso as if inspecting it for imperfections.

"Kirche, stop groping Yuka." Louise deadpanned and was absentmindedly waved off by the person in question.

"Do you think he'd notice it if I shoved my tongue down his throat?" Kirche casually asked while peering at my face.

"Kirche! Get away from my familiar! Now!" Louise yelled out at the other girl before she started trying to pull her away from me.

"Awww~! If you wanted me to do you first, all you had to do was ask~" Kirche said to my master in the voice she usually used in order to get what she wanted from males. Louise froze in recognition of the way her friend spoke and started backing away once Kirche started doing grabby motions with her hands.

"It's cuddling time~" Kirche sweetly said while giving Louise a cheshire smile.

"No Kirche! No!" Louise yelled out before going on full retreat with Kirche chasing after her.

"Your resistance will only make me cuddle you harder~" The Germanian gleefully called back as she and my master began chasing each other around the field. Monmon and Guiche looked on with varied degrees of amusement at their antics. Tabitha gave out a barely noticeable sigh before walking up to me. The small girl looked up at me with her deadpan expression before using her pocketbook to bop me on the head. The action was rather impressively done as she had to stand on her tiptoes in order to reach high enough to do so. Both Monmon and Guiche gasped at the seemingly sudden aggression by the Gallian while Louise was still being chased around by Kirche. Satisfied with what she did, Tabitha lowered her 'weapon' and looked into my eyes again.

"Acting. Stop it. Too noisy." The blue haired girl said simply but with a hint of irritation. It seemed that her reading was disturbed by the subsequent antics that occurred because of my spacing out.

"How long?" I asked with equal simplicity at how long she had noticed.

"Wait, you're already conscious? Since when?" Monmon asked the obvious question.

"Since the poking." Tabitha supplied before going back to reading her book.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way, aren't you all going to get ready for lunch?" I asked the three of them.

"We would have already gotten to our seats if a certain someone hadn't gone into a trance because he found Professor Valliere's lecture boring." Monmon deadpanned while giving me a flat look.

"Now now dear Monmon..." Guiche said while holding onto his lover's hand in a bid to calm the girl down.

"Yes, indeed. That is quite the inconvenience for the sake of just one inconsiderate person. Whoever that is should really be ashamed of himself." I agreed with a nod while folding my arms and leaning back.

"Whaaah! She's got me! She's got me! Help!" Louise wailed in the distance. We all turned in her general direction and found that Kirche was cuddling Louise from behind while the smaller girl ineffectively tried to escape from the other's grasp. I glanced at Ruukoto as it approached me from the side.

"Fuga? Fuga." The gynoid asked if it was necessary for it to intervene. It also noted that Louise's safety was not in immediate danger but it was concerned that she might pass out because of all the excitement.

"No...I think Tabitha has this one covered." I responded while nodding towards the blue haired girl as she approached her two friends.

"Unhand me you brute! Gah! Where do you think you're touching?!" My master yelled out as she continued her struggle.

"Nope~! MY cuddly little Valliere~! No one else will have you~" Kirche declared before she started rubbing their cheeks together in an obvious sign of affection.

"Aaah! Someone help me! Yuka! Chii-nee-sama! Big Sis Eleanore! A Zerbst is trying to steal me away!" Louise flailed all she could but Kirche showed a surprising amount of upper body strength. Not only was she restraining my master in the form of of an embrace, she was also holding her up off the ground by several inches. Without any purchase on the ground to get leverage on, Louise simply did not have the mass to free herself from the Germanian's clutches.

"Silly Louise~! You don't have a lover right~? So, I'm not stealing you~! I'm claiming you~" Kirche answered with an incredibly happy smile on her face. Well, that was until Tabitha bopped her and Louise on the head with her pocketbook. Both girls ceased all movement in favor of staring at Tabitha in surprise at the sudden action.

"Hungry. Lunch now. Continue in private later." Tabitha laid out her ultimatum and her two friends could do nothing but nod mutely in agreement. Both of them knew that upsetting their otherwise quiet friend was a bad idea so they just went along with what she wanted. The girl seldom demands anything from anyone after all.

"Well, I suppose I am feeling a bit peckish. How about you Louise?" Kirche stated calmly, if a bit stiffly, before asking for my master's own opinion.

"Indeed. We better get to the Alvis Dining Hall before the servants start serving the food." Louise responded, with equal stiffness in her voice. Satisfied that everyone was on the same page, Tabitha returned to reading her book as she quietly walked off to the where the dining hall was located.

"I suppose we should follow, lest we wish to earn our friend's ire next." Guiche suggested with a smile to Monmon.

"Agreed. We'll meet the rest of you there then." The blonde girl added before she was led by Guiche to the dining hall. Ruukoto and I then approached the remaining two members of our little party, who were still staring in the direction where Tabitha walked off to.

"Well?" I asked the two of them with a raised brow.

"Just making sure she's gone. Tabitha can get really scary when she's mad." Kirche explained with Louise nodding in agreement.

"Well, in any case, we'd better follow them to the dining hall to prevent her from getting upset again." I suggested the obvious.

"Agreed. You can let go now Kirche." Louise responded with a nod before looking up at her captor in request for her freedom. Kirche blinked at my master before that smile of her returned, making Louise flinch.

"Whatever do you mean~? Tabitha said that we can continue this in private later right~? So, we'll eat to get our energy up and we'll pick up where we left off in my room~" The Ardent Flame reminded the Void Magician of the stipulation their friend gave earlier before she left.

"That won't be a problem, will it?" Kirche then asked me with a wink. I considered her question for a moment while glancing at Louise's incredulous expression. The kind of expression that seemed to be saying 'why are you not disagreeing with her yet?'

"Well, I suppose not. Louise should be able to handle most of any situation by now and I'm certain that you won't do anything to harm her." I reasoned out to the beaming smile of the Zerbst and the paling face of the Valliere.

"Wonderful~! Let's go Louise~! I'll be sure to feed you a lot so you'll have enough energy for what I have in store for you in my room later~" Kirche said while waggling her eyebrows at my master who looked as pale as a ghost.

"Yuka! Don't you dare leave me alone with her! Yuka! Yukaaa!" My master's indignant shouts continued as Kirche carried her all the way to the dining hall.

"Fuga?" Ruukoto asked if that whole thing was really necessary as the two of us walked to the dining hall at a far more sedate pace.

"I'm certain that Kirche was simply messing with Louise. At most, she will likely take Louise to her room for more cuddling until the afternoon classes start." I reasoned out with a shrug.

"Fuga?" The gynoid repeated its question, asking if 'that' was really necessary as well.

"Louise's and Kirche's families have been in a long-term feud for generations it seems. It certainly did not help that their family lands were right next to each other in the opposing borders of Tristain and Germania." I started, calling back to when Cirno once asked Louise about the antagonism between the Valliere and the Zerbst during one of Louise's training sessions in Mugenkan. The Ice Fairy wanted the two of them to learn more about each other so they started trading stories and my master eventually touched the subject about their family feud with Kirche's family.

"Fuga Fuga." The gynoid inferred correctly when it said that I was deliberately bringing Kirche and Louise together in order for them to lay the groundwork in ending the feud.

"Kirche and Louise have shown that they can get along and become genuine friends. There is no need for them to be tied down by silly things such as a feud that they never even had a hand in." I explained with a dismissive wave. Ruukoto nodded in agreement and we continued to the Alvis Dining Hall in silence. Hopefully, Kirche didn't embarrass Louise too much that a new feud between their families centered on the two of them would start.

...

"So..." The eldest Valliere sister muttered as she sipped her tea.

"So..." I responded while refilling my own cup. Along with us at the usual table that Louise and her friends frequent were Cattleya and Siesta.

"Thank you very much for taking care of our sister." Cattleya told Siesta with a smile as the maid set down some sweets on the table.

"Not at all, Lady Cattleya. I owe Miss Louise and Mister Yuka a great deal. What service I can provide to them and those close to them is the least I can do to show my gratitude." The maid responded with her own genuine smile. However, I couldn't help but sigh at her words.

"Really now Siesta. Louise and I have told you repeatedly that you don't owe us anything. We did what we did by own volition and not to gain any favors from anyone." I reminded the girl while gesturing to her with my cup while giving her a bored stare.

"And I have responded repeatedly that I am doing what I am doing out of my own volition as well." The stubborn maid responded without any hesitation and backed it up with a bright smile.

"Is this something we should be concerned about?" Eleanore cut into the conversation with a raised brow. Likely suspicious as to why a single maid seemed so loyal to her youngest sister.

"Siesta is from Tarbes." I said simply, relying on Eleanore's intelligence to catch on.

"Oh...I see." And catch on she does considering her words and the expression of realization she showed. We all fell into a comfortable silence afterwards with Siesta standing between Eleanore and Cattleya in case they needed anything. They were the elder sisters of her 'official' boss after all. Cattleya remained silent and did not pry for more information about Tarbes. Perhaps due to elegant politeness.

Though based on the kind of person Eleanore painted Cattleya to be truly like, it may also be because she already knew the truth and did not see the need to bring it up any further.

"Why aren't you with the runt anyway? I thought you would always be there for her." The blonde once again initiated conversation with a fair question and point.

"As you may already know, she is attending afternoon classes with her friends and peers. It really isn't a situation wherein she would require my presence. I did indeed say that I will always be there for her but I do not see the need to coddle or smother her." I responded while savoring the aroma of the contents of my cup.

"Besides, Ruukoto should be with her or at least keeping an eye on her in some way." I added before taking a small sip of my tea and giving out a small sigh of satisfaction. Indeed, the contents of the cup in my hands further enforced my opinion that Siesta was the best brewer of tea in Tristain, possibly even all of Halkeginia.

"But what if something happened to her while you are busy lounging around here?" The eldest sister asked again with a raised brow while gesturing towards me with her own cup of tea.

"Eleanore, if there was something that could be a threat to Louise and could get to her inside the academy be somehow getting past everyone else here, then we would have bigger things to worry about at that point. You don't have to worry so much about her safety. Louise is most certainly neither weak nor helpless, as you should already know." I dismissed her poorly disguised worries for her youngest sister's safety while gesturing to her with my own cup of tea. The blonde Valliere sister let out a rather Louise-like 'urk' before clearing her throat and turning away from me with a huff.

"See, Siesta? Don't they just look like a natural married couple? It's like they've been together for years now. Such an adorable sight, isn't it?" The rather mirthful voice of the middle sister suddenly broke out amidst the lull in the conversation between her elder sister and myself. I turned to the sister in question and saw that she was pointing at us with a cheshire smile on her face with her head slightly tilted in the direction of the maid at her side. In contrast, Siesta herself was looking at us with a rather flat, indeed, even almost disapproving expression.

"Siesta?" Cattleya fully turned to the maid when she did not make any audible response to her words. That was enough to snap the maid out of her apparent trance before she let out a nervous laugh.

"Ummm...yes. Th-they do seem to have a certain...presence...about them...the two of them...together..." The maid stated with obvious strain in her voice, barely even able to put her thoughts to words.

"Cattleya, stop coercing the maid to your twisted point of view." Eleanore deadpanned to her sister while adjusting her glasses. Odd that she wasn't as flustered about the insinuation like she was previously. Then again, if that kind of behavior was something standard to what the middle sister was like when they were growing up, it stood to reason that Eleanore would eventually just get over it at some point.

"Is something the matter Siesta?" I asked the maid when I noted that she still looked rather stressed out. The young woman flinched suddenly when all eyes present at the table focused on her. Two of whom were nobles from a prominent family and the elder sisters of her 'official' employer.

"No, nothing to worry yourself over Mister Yuka. I am well, I assure you." Siesta responded with a warm smile directed at me. It seemed that she had already been able to settle her nerves somewhat. However, she started fidgeting once again after the middle sister regarded her with the intense focus of a hungry-hungry youkai staring at her prey.

"Y-yes? Can I help you, Miss Cattleya?" Siesta asked hesitantly, surprised at the sudden change in demeanor from the normally warm, if sometimes sly and mischievous, Valliere sister.

"In the matter I'm thinking about? Not really. My only advice is to simply do your best. I can't really support you but I can at least wish you luck with it." Cattleya answered with her more familiar sly smile while looking right into Siesta's eyes. Eleanore and I both raised a brow at the oddly vague words from Cattleya. Even Siesta blinked at her a few times in obvious confusion. However, when Cattleya shifted her eyes before waggling her eyebrows at the maid, Siesta immediately went beet red without any warning.

"I-I-I need to take care of something! Please excuse me!" Siesta quickly stammered out in a fit of panic before walking away without waiting for any approval or response from us.

"Cattleya, what did you just do to the poor girl?" I asked as I watched the rapidly retreating form of black haired young woman.

"Just giving a fellow woman a friendly push in the right direction." The middle sister responded with a smile and a wink.

"More like a shove off a cliff from the way she ran away like a small frightened animal." Eleanore countered with a scoff. Any further banter at the table was prevented by the sounds of a pair of heavy metal boots approaching us. The three of us turned to the source of the footfalls and saw none other than the ever slightly-irritated-looking Captain of the Royal Musketeer Squadron.

"Professor Valliere, Lady Valliere, Mister Kazami." The knight captain greeted us in turn while giving each of us a nod respectively.

"Just Yuka is fine, Agnes." I automatically responded without batting an eye.

"You may also just refer to me as Cattleya. It will make it less confusing when I am with my sisters." Cattleya offered with a warm smile.

"I suppose you can also refer to me by my name. However, I do expect you to add my proper title when in front of others as is fitting, Captain Agnes." Eleanore added with a casual wave before regarding the knight with her own proper title to punctuate her point.

"As you wish, Professor Eleanore. Lady Cattleya. Mister Yuka." Agnes responded with the requested revisions on how she was to refer to us.

"And? I highly doubt that it was mere coincidence that you ended up strolling here, Captain." Eleanore asked the knight with a raised brow. At the time I felt that the blonde Valliere was merely giving Agnes the bare-minimum amount of respect due to her status as a Knight Captain under the direct command of Henrietta, who was more or less running the country at that point apparently.

Likely, Eleanore still harbored the general superiority complex that most nobles had over those who did not have the talent for magic. I supposed that it was just one of the byproducts of the social conditioning that members of the nobility went through as they grew up. It says something about her professionalism for her to tolerate Agnes as much as she already had without insulting her in some manner considering her usual outward attitude.

"You are correct, Professor. It may be that I overstepping my bounds as Knight Captain for her highness Princess Henrietta with what I am about to say. Nevertheless, I implore you to hear a personal request of mine." Agnes confirmed with a nod. A request specifically for Eleanore? I was wondering what she would possibly need the eldest sister for when the person in question spoke.

"Well take a seat..." Eleanore stated before putting her right hand up to stop the retort Agnes was about to make.

"...and don't even think about declining because I am not in the mood to look up to a commoner who is 'imploring' me to listen to a personal request. This is not an offer nor a request either. This is a condition that you must heed if you want to continue with this. If you wish to speak to me, then speak to me eye to eye." The eldest sister said in a tone that allowed no room for any argument, even from the equally hardened knight. She gestured to the vacant chair across her for the knight captain to use. Agnes almost didn't look uncomfortable about it when she occupied the vacant seat after unfastening and propping her sword up against the edge of the table.

"Please have some tea, Captain Agnes." Cattleya said while she was already in the middle of pouring a cup of tea for the knight. It wasn't even an offer to serve the knight some tea. It was simply a declaration of Agnes getting a cup of tea from the middle sister without any room for argument.

"M-my thanks, Lady Cattleya." Agnes responded before taking the offered cup. Her inherent discipline was probably the only thing that saved her from stuttering from the admittedly unconventional situation she just walked herself into. Add to that the possibility of Cattleya being the first noble from a high ranking house to ever willingly serve her a cup of tea.

Well, it was also plausible that Henrietta had also done so at some point but that wasn't really any of my concern. Not at all. It was certainly not because I had a personal dislike for the girl because of all the trouble Louise and I had gone through thanks to her. Clearly.

"First, let me give my thanks to you for hearing me out, Professor Eleanore." The knight captain stated before taking a small polite sip of the tea she received from the middle sister. The blonde Valliere sister gave no visible reaction and simply continued to stare at the knight, a silent gesture for her to get on with it.

"The request I have of you has something to do with an old school legend. Are you familiar with the story of the Hidden Underground Archives of the Tristain Magic Academy?" Agnes stated before posing her question to Eleanore. I raised a brow when I saw the eldest sister flinch and the middle sister stifle a giggle.

"Is something the matter?" Agnes asked with a polite amount of concern. Obviously, someone as sharp as her noted the sudden change in both sisters. With how abrupt the display was, most people would have noticed as well.

"Not at all. In fact, you just asked the perfect person in regards to the academy's hidden archives." Cattleya stated with a radiant smile.

"How so? Did you perform research on the validity of the legend?" I asked in curiosity at both how the sisters knew about the underground archives and Agnes' own interest in it.

The first time I had heard about the archives was back when we were still trying to figure out what Louise's magical element was. Louise had originally thought that trying to find out anything about the hidden archives was futile since it seemed to just be an old rumor cycling around the academy. After that, I kind of forgot about it until very recently. I had heard the man named Richmon taunt the knight captain about finding out the truth about something in the secret archives under the Tristain Magic Academy.

"Oh, much more than that, Yuka. Big Sister Eleanore actually actively searched for it while she was attending the academy." Cattleya immediately answered before her elder sister could. That earned the middle sister a glare which was promptly ignored.

"Really now? And did you find it?" I then asked the most obvious question after finding out that piece of information. As expected, Agnes became even more focused on Eleanore as she waited for the other blonde's answer.

"Of course I did! What do you take me for? It took a while for me to discover it due to my own studies as well as other factors. However, I did eventually find it. I also discovered how laughably pathetic the security in the academy was compared to the family mansion." Eleanore answered before insulting the security of the academy. Considering her considerable skill at sneaking around, I had no doubt that the eldest sister would have been able to access any part of the academy should she be so inclined to do so. Another aspect which she shares with Matilda.

"And? What did you discover inside? I would imagine an intellectual type of woman such as yourself would be ecstatic at having a veritable treasure trove of magical knowledge all to yourself." I inferred since it didn't really take a genius to guess what kind of things might be locked away in an archive secreted away under a magic academy. Eleanore blushed and sort of pouted at me before she looked away.

"I'd tell you if I was ever able to get that blasted door open!" The woman suddenly blurted out with obvious embarrassment. We regarded her with varying degrees of surprise due to her outburst, though Cattleya looked like she was just holding in a laugh.

"It had multi-layered triangle and square class earth magic locks okay! They were still beyond my ability to deal with when I was a student! The earth surrounding the archive had even stronger protection from both physical and magical intrusion! The door was the only real viable way in or out of that place." The eldest sister blurted out while her face had yet another prominent blush, another reminder that she was indeed Louise's sister.

"I see. Although I am somewhat intrigued as to why the eldest daughter of the Valliere family would sneak around school like that. Doesn't that violate your mother's Rule of Steel in some way?" I commented before asking Eleanore with a raised brow. I had heard of Karin's little paradigm of following the laws and rules mandated by the country's royal family as if it was an absolute truth of the Universe.

It was a silly rule really. Being unbendable also meant being unable to adapt to changes, particularly abrupt ones. Such a concept being turned into a way of life will eventually be a death knell to those who adopt it. It doesn't matter it if was a Rule, a Mind, or a Body of Steel. Well, I assumed that such a way of life would have allowed Karin to get along swimmingly with a certain Judge of Paradise if she was a resident of Gensokyo.

"Funny. Regardless of our mother's ideal way of life, she also raised us to become capable of standing on our own and fend for ourselves. Besides, a woman is entitled to her secrets." Eleanore answered with a no-quite-deflection of the question, a parry if you would.

"And...are the magical locks still beyond your capabilities even today, Professor Eleanore?" Agnes asked directly, albeit carefully.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I had come up with a few ways to try to bypass the security after I attained my current station. However, they are all still theoretical solutions I came up with from memory based on a set of high-level Earth Element Locks I had encountered only once. I cannot say for certain unless I actually try." Eleanore admitted without any hint of embarrassment and shame. If she was able to say such things without sentiment, then those magical locks she was talking about must indeed be formidable.

"Now I would like you to indulge me with an answer to a question of my own." The eldest sister continued while placing her cup back on its saucer with a light clink. Agnes' eyes narrowed by a hair but simply nodded in assent.

"Why would a Commoner Knight Captain under the direct command of the crown be interested in a supposedly secret archive somewhere below an academy of magic?" Eleanore asked before placing her elbows on the table while steepling her fingers in front of her and giving Agnes a measuring stare. She wasn't even adverse to referring to the woman as a commoner. Agnes closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them once again and looking at Eleanore straight in the eyes.

"I am not under orders from the Princess, if that is what you are concerned about. No. This is something which I am doing on my own. I wish to know something and the answers I seek are apparently sealed within the academy archives." The steely eyed woman answered. Eleanore raised a brow but did not make any further movements.

"Answers to what?" Eleanore asked the obvious question.

"The truth." Agnes stated simply, not giving anything else away. I could see the woman's eyes start to show more than simple steel. There was something smoldering in there as well. Something that she had locked away for some time.

"In regards to what, Captain Agnes? Do not toy with me, woman. If you wish for my assistance then tell me why I should even consider helping you in the first place." Eleanore asked again, her own eyes betraying the fire that was present in all the members of her family, Cattleya as well I assume under the right circumstances.

"The burning of the village of D'Angleterre." Agnes muttered and one could almost feel the anger radiating from the woman. Eleanore closed her eyes in silent contemplation on the new piece of information.

Agnes had mentioned the name when she stabbed that traitor Richmon with her sword. Only now did I understand that she was referring to a place instead of an individual. Cattleya continued to remain silent but there was obvious concern on her face considering the subtle change that name induced on Agnes.

"D'Angleterre. It was a village that was purged due to an outbreak of the plague. The village was deemed to have been beyond salvation so a detachment of Elite Fire Mages were sent to...remove the threat of the plague spreading to the surrounding villages and settlements." Eleanore finally spoke in a neutral tone of voice, clearly taking no joy in what she was saying. I saw Agnes' hands clenched into fists so tightly that she would have likely bled were it not for her leather gloves. Although...

"That was quite an amount of information. I am curious to know as to why you know so much about that...incident." I commented while refilling my cup of tea, though it seemed that I was the only one left on the table that was in any mood for the lovely brew.

"I am the daughter of a Duke and the head of a Royal Research Department based in the capital itself. I run into that kind of information every now and then, whether I want to or not. The purge of D'Angleterre was simply one of those things I found out about during the course of my career." Eleanore explained, reminding me of the time back in Tarbes when Louise explained to Kirche why she knew so much about the political situation in Gallia.

"There was no Plague!" Agnes suddenly snarled out while slamming her right fist onto the table. Thankfully, she didn't break anything. The most it did was startle both Cattleya and Eleanore because of her sudden aggression. It also reflected Tabitha's reaction when Louise explained what the official word was about the Gallian Royal Family.

Parallels. We draw them with crayons.

"That is quite the claim. How can be so sure of what you say, Captain? You would dare doubt a report officiated by the church? What kind of evidence would you even have to say those words?" Eleanore challenged the knight captain. That may be her own pride as a noble talking but the eldest sister is no fool. She should have already known that someone as serious about her duty as Agnes would not make such a claim likely. That was probably the reason why she asked those questions instead of simply dismissing the other woman's claims. Agnes scowled at Eleanore before looking down at the table. Both of her hands were balled into fists but the knight captain remained quiet. I almost thought that she wasn't going to speak when...

"I was there..." Agnes spoke in a voice so lacking of any power or resolve that I almost had a hard time believing that it came from her.

"The purge of D'Angleterre happened several years ago. You can't have been..." Eleanore's rebuke did not have any power in it either. She wasn't even able to finish her reasoning because of the implication that came with the possibility that Agnes was speaking the truth.

"I was there..." The other woman merely repeated before meeting Eleanore's eyes once again.

"No one in the village had anything close to a plague. No one was even sick at the time. Then, one night. A night like any other...they came." Agnes then went in to explain the events in more detail. Both sisters remained quiet as the knight captain seemed to go into a trance that came with recalling a deeply buried memory.

"I watched my family burn before my eyes. I watched the home I was born in burn before my eyes. I watched as all the people I knew burn before my eyes." She continued without pause, as if forgetting that we were there altogether.

"I walked and tried to find someone. Anyone. I thought I was going to die alone. I only remember one thing before darkness took me." She shook her head as she spoke, her hands trembled from her recollection.

"Then I woke up in an infirmary. A fortunate miracle. The sole survivor of a terrible plague that destroyed an entire village." She gave out a bitter laugh after saying that part. Mocking her apparent good fortune when she awoke and found herself still among the living. That explained those scars I saw on her back from before. A 'reminder that the past was real' indeed.

"That is why I joined the military. Why I worked so hard to become a knight. I owe her highness more than I can ever repay for giving the chance to track down those who were responsible." Her voice regained its confidence and steel as she spoke. Those responsible...

"Richmon..." I muttered out, earning a nod from the woman.

"The minister who was proven to be consorting with Albion." Eleanore added, showing that she knew of that incident and demonstrating how fast news could travel. Then again, she was living at the capital before she moved to the academy with Cattleya. She was probably aware of that whole mess, though hopefully not about our own contributions to it. It was supposed to have been a secret mission after all.

"He was the one who ordered the purge." Agnes added, earning a gasp from Cattleya and a scowl from Eleanore.

"And now I need to know the names of the ones who burned down my village. The answer lies within the hidden archives. That is my reason, Professor Valliere. It will not bring back the dead, but I can at least serve justice." The knight captain concluded. She had laid bare her past and her motivations to Eleanore, and to myself and Cattleya by extension, in hopes that she would get the help she needed to finally finish the vendetta she had started years before.

The middle sister spoke no words but she reached out and placed a hand on Agnes'. The action made the woman blink and confusion before turning to Cattleya. The middle sister merely shook her head and smiled before giving the gloved hand a gentle squeeze. Certainly nothing strong enough to provide any real pressure on the hand sure, but the gesture and Cattleya's expression spoke volumes. Judging from Eleanore's contemplative expression as well, it was clear that Agnes had already secured no small amount of assistance. At the very least, Cattleya, who was also an Earth Mage of no small talent now that she was free of her illness. However, there was one thing about her tale that intrigued me so I decided to voice out my curiosity.

"And what will you do once your vengeance is finally complete?" I asked before leaning back on my seat and raising a brow at the knight.

"My actions are in the name of justice, not vengeance." Agnes growled at me with narrowed eyes without actually answering my question.

"I have seen what Justice is like. I have seen what Vengeance is like as well. I know intimately the difference between them. I do not hold your actions against you, so do not take offense. I myself have killed for much less. I merely wish to know what you plan on doing after you have dealt with those who have wronged you out of curiosity." I corrected her with a casual shrug. I was of course talking about Shikieiki and Mokou respectively. All three women blinked at me, likely wondering about the nature of my curiosity.

"Will you retire as a knight and settle down to start a family? Will you continue to serve Henrietta? Will you become an independent warrior? Will you leave it all behind and go on a journey to start fresh in some far off place? What will you do once your quest is finally over, Agnes Chevalier de Milan? How will you achieve your happily ever after?" I then asked after Agnes did not respond, listing out some of the things she could do once her vengeance was over and done with. The female knight stared at me for a few moments like the way one would stare at some odd looking animal. Then she started laughing, the first time I had ever heard her do so. It was not bitter nor resentful. She was simply laughing at what I said without apparent sentiment.

I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I thank you, Mister Yuka. I needed that. There can never be a happily ever after for me I'm afraid. Life is no children's story book. The woman before you is nothing more than cinders who is clinging onto something to continue living." Agnes finally said while shaking her head. She did not sound sad nor angry, she was simply stating a fact. One which Cattleya did not approve of if her sudden frown was to be believed. Eleanore schooled her expression into a neutral mask but her eyes still betrayed the fire of a Valliere.

"I will continue to serve her Highness until my last breath. That is my choice and my way of showing my gratitude for her. I know for certain that I would never have been able to accomplish what I have were it not for the princess. That is my answer. Are you satisfied with it, Mister Yuka?" Agnes continued before asking me to judge her answer. The only remaining evidence of her earlier mirth was a small smile that was still on her face. I found that it was the kind of smile which suited her, not that I told anyone that of course.

"As good an answer as any. It wasn't really a question that had a wrong answer anyway." I admitted before turning to the eldest sister.

"So...about that hidden archive." I reminded Eleanore, who just sighed and nodded.

"I'll see what I can do." She stated to the immediate approval of her younger sister. Agnes on her part, simply gave a look of measured relief. The kind of look that someone gives when they know that they have overcome an obstacle but understood that the ordeal wasn't over yet.

...

After explaining the situation to Louise when she got back from afternoon classes, we found ourselves in the company of Agnes, Eleanore, and conspicuously but unsurprisingly, Cattleya inside a nondescript storage room somewhere in the ground level of the Academy. My master insisted in tagging along for the exploration of the archive since she also thought that it was just some sort of old legend and didn't actually exist. The fact that it was very likely that both of her sisters would be there was also a major factor in her decision.

Louise had ordered Ruukoto to keep an eye on the rest of the academy while we were gone. The gynoid complied but gave us each a Hey-Listen just in case communication becomes an issue at some point during our little excursion. When Louise asked it why it thought that we would need the devices when exploring a completely unknown part of the academy that was previously only thought to be a legend, Ruukoto simply stared at its mistress impassively for the next few minutes as if it was observing some insignificant insect. Louise understandably relented after a while and just took the offered earpiece to get it over with. I had left my hat in Louise's room since we were apparently going underground for this. My master shared my sentiment and left both her own hat and the Founder's Prayer Book on her desk next to my straw hat.

"So could you explain to me why my younger sister is here?" Eleanore asked me with a raised brow after we had finished gathering. I blinked at her before looking between Cattleya and Louise, both of whom had opted to start cuddling with each other again. Agnes was doing her best to remain impassive about the whole thing but her anxiety was hard to miss.

"Which one?" I asked with my own raised brow at the obvious fact that she had two younger sisters, both of whom were present in the room at that moment. When I saw her grimace, I quickly realized that Eleanore probably hadn't intended for Cattleya to tag along either.

"Will we be accessing the hidden archives from here then?" Agnes finally voiced out while her eyes darted around the room in a practiced manner, likely trying to find any evidence of false walls and such.

"Don't bother trying to look for it with your eyes. No one has ever been able to find it for a long time for a reason. We'll proceed once the last member of our group arrives." Eleanore pointed out before explaining why we haven't gone anywhere yet.

"Someone else is coming along?" My master asked and on cue, the door opened to reveal Professor Jean Colbert himself.

"Well, this is unexpected." The professor mused out loud after seeing who were present. He then turned to Eleanore with a wondering expression before adjusting the grip he had on his wooden staff.

"I now find myself questioning the wisdom of my decision to accompany you, Professor Valliere." Colbert admitted with a slightly worried expression. He was always a bit protected of his students so he was likely worried about Louise, despite the fact that my master could already take care of herself rather handily.

"Just to make sure no one gets in trouble for what we are about to do, I raised our plan to the Headmaster himself. He agreed to allow us access to the hidden archives so long as we can open the door by ourselves and that a member of the teaching staff comes along as a representative of the Academy." Eleanore quickly explained to get the questions out of the way as to why Colbert was here and seemed to know what we were about it do.

"I'm surprised that Old Osmond would agree so readily all things considered." I pointed out considering the man's position as Headmaster. I would think that a someone like that would try the hardest to keep the academy's secret archives a secret.

"Oh! He was very cooperative after I asked him nicely about it." Cattleya cut in after releasing my master. She then folded her arms under her breasts to emphasize them further.

"This sly little Cat followed me to the Headmaster's office and gave him a very convincing argument." Eleanore grumbled and was followed by the middle sister smiling wide and nodding, the action making her chest bounce slightly. Ah, so that's how they were able to convince that old man so easily.

"So is this everyone?" Agnes cut into the conversation like a knife.

"Well, while the Headmaster did approve access to the archives, I would ask you all to reconsider actually going through with this. After all, we have no idea what could be stored there." The Professor gave out his argument at why it was likely a bad idea to proceed. A fair point since only those who were foolhardy would blindly dive into a magical archive of unknown size and contents.

"I know one thing I want in there." Well, Agnes demonstrated that there wasn't any shortage in foolhardiness in our little party.

"And what would that be Knight Captain Milan?" Colbert asked with a serious expression.

"The truth in regards to a grave injustice perpetrated by those who were supposed to be sworn to protect the innocent." Agnes answered with as much hatred as she did when she told us her story earlier that day. I raised a brow when I thought I saw Colbert tense up at Agnes words but dismissed it as some sort of reflex after hearing something like that.

"Well, getting into that archive has been a long time coming for me. Since I already have full consent from the Headmaster, you can either come along or get out of my way." Eleanore declared before pulling out a wand from her dress pocket. Both Agnes and Colbert relented after the eldest sister made her point. Eleanore then looked around and gave out a thoughtful hum when she walked up to the back wall of the room we were in.

"I need this wall clear of obstructions to access the tunnel that will lead to the archive's doors." The eldest sister said while adjusting her pointy glasses and nodding to a stack of dusty old crates that piled up against the wall. She then made a rather displeased expression while staring at me before folding her arms and tapping her right foot on the floor repeatedly.

"Well?" She asked while narrowing her eyes at me. I blinked at her and tilted my head to the side while using my parasol like a walking stick in my right hand.

"Well?" I repeated with a raised brow.

"Ugh! Men!" She exclaimed while rolling her eyes at me. She then turned back to the stack of old crates before pointing at them with her wand and muttering an incantation. She then pointed her wand upwards and the crates lifted up off the ground as well. Oh, I see.

"You know, you could have just asked me to move those boxes." I pointed out to the eldest sister. Eleanore simply started grumbling to herself while moving the crates in a far corner of the room.

"For shame, Yuka. A wife needs not ask her husband to do such a thing for her. The intent should have been conveyed to you clearly after your eyes met earlier. You are making a rather subpar showing as my precious older sister's husband, you know. You must strive to do better next time." Cattleya scolded me as if I was some child that needed correction. To say nothing of the subject of her scolding in the first place.

"Wife?" I asked the middle sister with a raised brow.

"Husband?!" Eleanore asked in a scandalized voice.

"They're what?!" My master exclaimed in an equally scandalized voice.

"You're married?" Agnes suddenly piped up with a genuinely surprised voice.

"But, what about Miss Matilda?" While Colbert decided to bring up Matilda for some odd reason. I simply gave out a sigh and shook my head before turning back to the eldest sister.

"The kind thing to do at this point is to simply ignore then." I told her while glancing at the others with a blank stare.

"You're right. They're just delaying me from accomplishing what I'm here for." She agreed before turning back to the wall she had just cleared of obstructions. She then pointed her wand at it and muttered another incantation before she pulled her wand hand back swiftly as if pulling at something.

"Whaa!" Louise yelled out understandably after a chunk of the wall Eleanore was facing suddenly seemingly broke off the rest of the structure. Interestingly, the part that was yanked our by the eldest sister then began to sink into the ground as if being dissolved.

"Well, that was certainly impressive." Cattleya commented after seeing the surprisingly violent display.

"Incredible. That was a triangle-class formed Earth Portal Spell that-" Colbert started before he started muttering to himself about jargons and specifics about Halkeginian magic, likely trying to analyze what just happened. Agnes seemed momentarily startled as well but quickly managed to school her herself back to her ever-slightly-irritated self.

"Please. This level of skill is naturally possible for the eldest daughter of the Valliere." Eleanore dismissed everyone's reactions before reminding us whose daughter she was. Of course, the effect was diminished by the fact that half of our group were daughters of the Valliere family.

"I'm actually more interested in the story on how you were able to discover this place and figure out how to open up that wall." I pointed out since that wasn't really the kind of thing a regular student in this place would have randomly stumbled into. As Eleanore herself said, it had been known as a hidden secret archive for a reason.

"Finding it was easy. Developing a means to get past this took me two years." The woman in question clarified with a dismissive wave of her hand before putting her wand back into her pocket.

"Is it safe to proceed then?" Agnes asked while walking up to the newly opened passageway.

"As long as no one reset all the traps I disabled the last time I went through there." Eleanore answered with a thoughtful expression.

"Traps?" Louise asked in clear concern about the possibility of literally walking into a trap.

"Nothing really challenging honestly. Trying to get around the mansion without alerting mother was a far more terrifying experience." The eldest sister said in what I though was a gesture of assurance, though my master did not seem all that relieved by the information.

"Are you all sure you still want to go through with this?" Professor Colbert asked our group one more time. Everyone else turned to him and had expressions that varied from questioning to irritated.

"I suggest that you simply just come along with us professor. It seems that no one will be backing out at this point." I pointed out to him before tilting my head towards the four women who were already heading into the passageway.

"I suppose you're right. However, I'm just worried about-" Colbert conceded before starting on what I thought was another bout of him being overprotective of others again. That said, I decided to just head him off just simply to end that line of thinking.

"Everyone here is more than capable of taking care of themselves. We have three mages of at least Triangle class rank, a capable knight captain, and myself." I pointed out to him in order for the man to realize that our little party was far from helpless.

"Hey!" I heard my master yell out from a short distance away.

"And Louise." I quickly appended my previous statement.

"Well, I suppose that is true. You will forgive me for my attitude, I have quite the paranoia when it comes to these sorts of situations." Colbert stated with a sheepish laugh before we all walked into the passageway that Eleanore opened up. Eleanore was in front of our group since she was the only one who had ever been through this place. Agnes was walking up behind her and was seemingly alert despite her anxiety. Louise and Cattleya walked side by side behind the knight captain. Despite the nature of our little trek, it looked like the two strawberry-blonde sisters were having a leisurely walk. Naturally, that left Colbert and I at the rear of our group.

"Is something the matter, Mister Yuka?" The professor asked after I gave out a thoughtful hum. To his question, I let out another hum while staring up at the ceiling.

"A group of people from a school of magic going through a movable wall that led to an underground Chamber of Secrets under the aforementioned school of magic. The whole situation just reminded me of something I had read a very long time ago." I mused out loud before shrugging at the rather confused expression Professor Colbert gave me.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache." I said with a dismissive wave. It didn't take long for us to finally reach an obstacle that prevented us from proceeding. It was a cave in that blocked the passageway.

"Ugh! I knew I forgot something..." Eleanore muttered before lifting her glasses with her right hand and rubbing her eyes with her left hand.

"I'm assuming that there is a story behind this." I commented, more due to Eleanore's reaction than anything.

"A parting gift this place tried to give me the final time I tried to get into the archives before I graduated." The eldest sister cryptically stated with a sigh.

"Is there a way to proceed?" Agnes immediately asked after walking up to the pile of earth in front of us and placing her hand on it to check how solid it was. Eleanore thought about it for a moment before pulling out her wand again and giving our obstacle a better look.

"This little mess was caused by a trap I had previously overlooked every other time I went here. " The eldest sister admitted with a frown.

"How so? And how did you manage to trip the trap only during your last time here?" Colbert asked his fellow scholar, likely curious as to what exactly transpired at the time.

"Tell me Professor Colbert, when you think of magic-based traps for this kind of situation, what kind of elements do you think of first?" Eleanore answered the Colbert's inquiry with her own question. I decided to take a seat at a conveniently placed rock nearby since the two looked like they were about to go through some sort of thought exercise.

"In order to induce a cave in of this size without collapsing the rest of the tunnel, Earth would be the best candidate." Colbert deduced after a few moments of contemplation.

"That makes sense, but isn't that already a given considering where we are?" Louise piped up with a question of her own.

"Well, while it is true that Earth would be the most likely candidate for some sort of trap in this sort of place, it would also be the very first thing someone who was aiming to disarm those traps would look for." Cattleya pointed out to her little sister. My master hummed while nodding along with her older sister's words.

"That is exactly what happened. This passageway was saturated with overlapping Earth element traps of varying size and levels when I first got in. The amusing thing was that it was almost as if they were supposed to be easy to detect. So easy in fact that someone careless wouldn't notice the kinds of traps that were more cleverly concealed." Eleanore added with a bitter laugh. It seemed that this passageway gave the eldest sister quite a bit of trouble back when she was still a student.

"Your words would imply that other elements could be usable as traps as well." I stated while gesturing to the blonde magician. We apparently weren't going anywhere anytime soon, but at least my master wasn't thinking of simply blasting her way through the offending obstruction that was in our way. I obstinately insist that such a mindset was a by-product of Louise's training with Cirno. It was clearly the only real explanation as to my master's more recent disposition of dealing with most obstructive problems by using well timed and well placed explosions. That was all Cirno. Clearly.

"Fire can be used to either melt the surrounding rocks as well as induce a triggered or timed explosion to trap or bury the one who triggers it. Water can do the same thing but requires a far more creative approach such as destabilizing the rock by forcing a large amount of water through cracks." Surprisingly, the one who answered the question was the only one in our little group who couldn't utilize any magic.

"You seem rather knowledgeable about the more unusual applications of our magic, Captain Agnes." Eleanore pointed out the obvious as she looked at the other blonde with a raised brow. Her tone and expression showed that she was more intrigued rather than offended by such knowledge to be known by what they would consider as a commoner.

"I made it a point to personally make sure that my Musketeer Squadron have ample knowledge and training to deal with any situation. Magical or otherwise, we need to be able to respond to any threat. As the personal unit of her highness, Princess Henrietta, it is not out of the realm of possibility that we will have to eventually deal with issues that would have us face magic." Agnes explained to the eldest sister.

"So what happened to this one then?" Cattleya asked her sister while pointing at the very large pile of earth in our way.

"It was a Wind Elemental Trap, wasn't it?" Agnes added on her own clarifying question. Wind? I then saw that Louise shared my apparent confusion. Only Cattleya and Colbert apparently got it since they both quickly had respective expressions of understanding. Louise and I shared a glance and then quickly shared a shrug at what everyone else seemed to already understand.

"That is correct, Captain. However, I am quite interested as to how you are able to figure it out so quickly despite not even being able to scan for any residual magic." Eleanore confirmed before asking the knight captain how she was able to puzzle the answer out in such a timely manner. Agnes blinked at the eldest sister before shrugging her shoulders.

"Logic, more or less. You already mentioned that you've been in and out of this passageway several times before, disarming the traps along the way. The only way that such a thing would even have a remote chance of happening, especially after you've already thought the passageway safe, was if that particular trap was something you never thought you'd have to deal with. No one ever expects Wind magic to be used as the catalyst for a cave in." Agnes provided a rather well thought out reason for her answer earlier. The knight captain was certainly a sharp woman in more ways than one. Although, her words did make me consider a certain something that hadn't been addressed yet.

"I'm more interested in the story of how you managed to trigger the trap in the first place considering how long you've been able to avoid it prior." I pointed out while gesturing between the cave in and Eleanore in turn. The woman in question gave out an 'urk' before rather deliberately turning away from me and walked up to the obstruction instead.

"Cattleya, I'll need your help for this. Take out your wand." Eleanore then deemed it fair to ignore my statement altogether before calling her sister to her side.

"Of course, sister. I would be happy to assist you." Cattleya responded with a smile before pulling out her own wand from within her dress.

"What? Are you sure it's safe for you to use magic so soon?" Understandably, my master immediately started worrying about her older sister's health considering the apparent task ahead.

"I'll be fine, Louise. I've haven't felt this healthy since I was just a child. Don't worry, Big Sister Eleanore is with me as are you. I could ask for no stronger support than that." Cattleya assured her younger sister while placing her left hand on Louise's cheek.

"I understand. But please don't push yourself, Chii-nee-sama." Louise relented rather reluctantly. Cattleya smiled at her one more time before walking up next to her older sister. I stood up from my seat just as Agnes, Colbert, and Louise wisely backed away from the two Valliere sisters.

"You seem rather worried about Lady Cattleya. Is there something wrong?" Colbert asked as Eleanore and Cattleya started discussing something in front of the cave in.

"Cattleya is apparently an Earth Magician of at least...triangle?" I started before turning to Louise to confirm what rank her sister was supposed to be at.

"Triangle." Confirmed with a nod.

"Triangle class rank. However, she has been plagued by a very crippling illness that she had suffered through since she was a child. A treatment for her illness was recently discovered and she was able to go through it without complications, curing her completely. Louise is simply worried about what Eleanore might want her help with considering what they have to deal with because it hasn't been that long since she was supposed to have been cured.." I repeated more confidently before continuing my explanation for Louise's worry.

"I see. I apologize for not noticing beforehand." Colbert sheepishly said with an awkward laugh.

"While appreciated, your concern is unnecessary. Cattleya had more or less already completed her treatment before she and Eleanore arrived at the academy, so there is really no need for any special treatment." I clarified with the professor. He gave a relieved sigh and a smile after finding out that Cattleya was already past the rough patch in her life.

"So, will she be fine even if she assists Professor Eleanore in moving the debris?" Agnes suddenly asked.

"So long as they don't do something crazy, I would expect that Eleanore would know how far she can push her younger sister. Are you concerned for her as well?" I reasoned out before asking the knight with a raised brow.

"Of course. I refuse to sacrifice any innocent for my sake. I know that there are those who need to burn for what they did but I will never allow the innocent to be harmed because of my search for the truth and justice." She responded hotly as if my question was a personal insult to her.

"Can you truly call it justice if there is a chance for the innocent to be caught in the crossfire?" Colbert countered with his own question to the knight. Agnes glared at him for a moment before responding.

"Those responsible for the deaths I mean to avenge seemed to think so." She said before we all felt the earth shake all around us. We all turned back to where the two sisters were and saw that the cave in that was in our way was not only removed, it was also replaced by a rather intricate and solid looking archway.

"Are you all finished bickering over there? If so, try to keep up or we WILL leave you all here." Eleanore stated before turning to the now accessible passageway with Cattleya following close behind.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Louise quickly got to her feet to try to catch up with her sisters. That left me with Colbert and Agnes who went back to staring at one another.

"There is no value in revenge. The only thing that lies in that path is ruin." Colbert said in a stern lecturing voice.

"If it means being able to take down the ones I'm after with me. Then I'll consider that a victory." Agnes responded before walking off after the three sisters. Colbert gave out a tired sigh before turning his gaze towards me. I gave out a shrug before hefting my parasol on my right shoulder.

"I am really not the person you should be talking about this kind of thing with." I reminded him before following the others. The professor followed but he seemed rather less enthused than when we even started.

…

"So we meet again, my old foe. There is no escape for you this time." Eleanore regarded the very large stone door that was now in our way. It had a rather smooth surface with only a few intricate designs engraved upon it. The seam between the two halves of the door were visible and appeared to be secured by three rotating locks that have some sort of red gemstone at the center of each lock.

"Eleanore, you're threatening a door." I pointed out to the woman on how silly she looked from an outsider's perspective.

"Quiet you. I need some time to analyze this. Cattleya, come over here for a moment. I need some perspective on this." Eldest sister shot back at me before calling her younger sister up again without taking her eyes off the door.

"Of course." The middle sister walked up to her and the two of them started discussing things again.

"I don't understand. Couldn't you just break it open Yuka?" Louise asked me from my left side. I considered her question before trying to feel out what I could from the magic that radiated from the door itself. Like Eleanore said before, the seal that held the locks in place ties the door to the surrounding earth around it. Not bad.

"I could. In fact, a full force shaped charge explosion from you or a Dispel could work as well." I said with a nod before pointing out that Louise herself should have enough firepower in her to be able to brute force her way in, not to mention that she has a spell that could render the magic securing the door moot.

"She could?" Agnes asked with a raised brow before looking between Louise and the magic door.

"You should do well to know that it is unwise to judge through appearances alone. Some of the strongest beings I know back home are as small as or smaller than Louise." I pointed out, referring of course to the Scarlet Sisters and Suika among others.

"True enough." Agnes acknowledged with a curt nod. Professor Colbert was oddly quiet and just seemed content to watch over us. Although I did notice that he had been sneaking glances at Agnes on more than a few occasions. Hmmm...

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment. Besides, I am getting the feeling that there should be a 'but' somewhere at the end of your last statement." Louise muttered before going back to what I said earlier.

"Indeed. While we can either brute force or bypass the security, we cannot be sure if the ones who made this had not already taken such an approach into account." I reasoned. Considering that someone set up such an elaborate security measures to the passageway that led to the door in question, it was well within the realm of possibility that the door itself held a few surprises of its own.

"That is correct. Trying to force the Archive main doors is a very bad idea." The three of us turned to Colbert who finally decided to speak up.

"Do you know something?" Agnes asked. There was neither warmth nor cold in her voice. She was simply asking as if she was questioning someone for relevant information.

"Indeed. Headmaster Osmond gave me rather pertinent information regarding things we might end up having trouble with in this place." The professor stated with a nod.

"And is there a particularly good reason as to why you withheld such information from us up until now?" The knight captain asked the man, not sounding particularly happy about his previous answer at all.

"Professor Valliere seemed to have a rather good handle on things up to this point so there was no need to raise any of the points I knew at the time. Even more so, since she has already dealt with most of the things I would have warned you about anyway. Most impressive considering she should have been only a little older than Louise when she got this far." Colbert answered before complimenting Eleanore for her skills.

"Point. So why would it be a bad idea to power through the doors?" I acknowledged before asking the man about what he warned us about earlier.

"From what the Headmaster told me. The door has a destruction trigger on it to prevent any unsavory characters to get into the archives. One could possibly get past the illusory wall and the traps through ingenuity and raw power, however such tactics would prove fatal in the face of the main doors of the Archive." He started and made a fair point.

"If someone tries to get the Archive doors open aside from the means it was supposed to be opened, then it would have collapsed everything to ensure secrecy of the contents of the archives." He explained and that earned a gasp from my master. Agnes remained silent but looked rather cross at such a possibility.

"You mean it would have buried the whole passageway?" My master asked in a mildly alarmed manner.

"No. It would have buried everything. The passageway, the door itself, the entire archive, along with anyone else that might still be inside." The professor stated in a rather serious voice. We then heard a loud noise that was akin to a very large boulder being moved. We turned to the source and saw that the main doors were already in the process of opening.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about that possibility either." I commented before walking up to the two sisters who were smiling at each other.

"I suppose that congratulations are in order?" I asked them with a raised brow. Cattleya smiled at me while her older sister simply settled for a flat look.

"Do you have to sound so sarcastic when you said that?" Eleanore asked in a mildly irritated voice.

"Probably not, it simply turned out that way. Nevertheless, I assume that it comes with great personal satisfaction for you to finally get that thing open. Well done." I said with a shrug before giving her a warm smile and honestly complimenting her for a job well done. Eleanore made a rather bitter expression before looking away while blushing. I made it a point to ignore the rather pleased and approving look that Cattleya was giving me at the time.

"Before we proceed, I would like to discuss something very important to all of you in regards to the security within the Archives itself." Colbert spoke up from the back of the group just as Eleanore was about to proceed.

"And what might that be, Professor Colbert?" Eleanore asked with a raised brow. It seemed that she was about as anxious on finally setting foot in the archives as Agnes was. I decided to give the man a hand lest he end up irritating both Agnes and Eleanore.

"The Headmaster provided the good professor some rather important information pertaining to the security built for the archives." I explained on his behalf. Eleanore raised her other brow at the reveal while Cattleya simply nodded with a smile before giving her attention to the professor.

"Yes. Now, beyond this point I must stress that no one must use any sort of magic. At all." Professor Colbert stated in all seriousness. I blinked at that and everyone seemed to share my apparent confusion at his rather specific instruction.

"Something horrible will happen if we do, won't it?" Louise asked rhetorically.

"Indeed. As a last resort against possible intruders, any magic used within the archive will trigger the final solution and the entire archive will cave in and bury everything that might still be inside." The man stated while adjusting his own glasses.

"Why prevent the use magic though?" I asked with a raised brow since it seemed like a rather odd thing to do.

"Brilliant." Eleanore suddenly muttered from her place ahead of us.

"Excuse me?" I asked the eldest sister, who just deemed to proper to respond by nodding to herself a few times.

"Yes, perfect. I'm not sure whether I want to praise the mage who came up with this security system or to break their face." Eleanore continued to mutter in her own private little world before she actually started snickering to herself.

"I certainly hope that there is some form of a forthcoming explanation some time soon." I commented in behalf of myself and the others who hadn't figured it out yet.

"Think, you fool. The only way past the main doors safely is by using magic in a very very specific manner. Even I needed Cattleya to keep an eye on my progress to make sure I did not accidentally trip some hidden trap." Eleanore said before pointing out how much it took for her to even get the main doors open.

"And what does that have to do with the issue of not using magic within the archive itself?" I asked since she never really addressed the main question in the first place.

"What better way to muck someone over who managed something like that than to utterly punish them for using any sort of magic the moment the stepped into the archives that they used magic to get into in the first place." Eleanore proudly stated with a rather sinister smile on her face.

"That's...actually rather clever." I admitted with a nod. That was usually the kind of devious trap I'd expect from Eirin. Mainly because the Lunarian woman had done something similar when we faced one another one time and she played me like a cheap piano.

"So it is agreed then. No magic once we go into the archives." Colbert stated to confirm that everyone is in the same page.

"Agreed. You two got that? No magic until we get back out here." Eleanore acknowledged with a nod before putting her wand back in her dress pocket and asking her younger sisters if the understood the gravity of the situation.

"Of course, Big Sister Eleanore." Cattleya responded with a nod before tucking her wand back into her dress.

"I understand, Big Sis Eleanore!" My master nodded enthusiasm after responding. While seeing all three sisters coordinating so well with one another was a rather novel experience, I had to make sure for certain that we reduce the chance of anything happening as much as possible.

"And on that line of thought, I would like the three of you to relinquish your wands to me temporarily just in case." The silence that followed my suggestion was not unexpected, nor were the varying looks of incredulity that the three sisters were giving me.

"I'm sorry. I thought I heard you asking me to smash you to pieces using my Juggernaut. Would you like to verify that?" Nor was the open threat from the eldest sister while giving me a warm smile.

"Well, no actually. You see, just to make sure that we won't have to deal with any possible problems, the surest way to do so would be for the three of you to-" I corrected before trying to elaborate as to why I was even asking them to do that. I never managed to finish my argument because Eleanore cut in after nodding along through a small part of my explanation.

"Oh, so you would also like Cattleya to make structural reinforcements to my Juggernaut before I started smashing you to pieces then." She stated with the same smile while indicating to her younger sister. The sister in question actually did not look too happy either and was even pouting at me.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that none of you are in agreement with my suggestion." I dryly said. Eleanore gave out a rather demure giggle before turning to her youngest sister.

"Whatever do you mean, Familiar? Hey, Runt. Say something to your stupid Familiar." She said to my master who was looking at me like I was an idiot. It appeared that none of the sisters were happy with my suggestion. At all.

"Yuka. Do you have any idea what you're asking us to do?" Louise asked me slowly while shaking her head.

"I...think so. I mean, the only reason why I'm-" I responded but I was once again interrupted when Louise put her right hand up to stop me from continuing.

"Yuka, how would you feel if someone just arbitrarily said that they wanted you to relinquish your parasol to them for a while?" My master asked me in all seriousness. I furrowed my brow at her question before leaning on my closed parasol like a walking stick.

"I would be rather cross about it and I would demonstrate my dissatisfaction in a rather direct manner. Flesh eating plants might be involved." I stated flatly and saw that Louise and her sisters were just looking at me with raised brows and their hands on their hips.

"...ah..." I let out after comprehending what they were trying to say.

"Mister Yuka, a mage's wand is the most personal symbol of their nobility. If you take that away, then it would be liken to you taking away a part of their own body." Colbert explained in behalf of the sisters.

"I see." I acknowledged with a nod.

"Why did you even want to take our wands anyway?" Louise suddenly asked.

"A precaution. I wanted to prevent anyone from accidentally casting a spell while we were in there." I explained while gesturing to them with my left hand.

"Do you honestly think that we are that amateurish?" Eleanore asked her own question while looking rather offended.

"No. However accidents happen. I'd rather be sure that there no threat from that possibility, especially when it comes to something so second nature to you." I stated with a shrug. Eleanore merely rolled her eyes at me while Cattleya gave me a smile that one might give to a child who was wrong but was trying to make a point. Louise simply continued to look at me like an idiot.

"Oh please. We are far more capable than-" Eleanore started off but I decided to prove my point right at that moment.

"There is a book on the topmost shelf that you absolutely have to get but is much too high up for you to reach. What do you do?" I quickly asked the eldest sister. Eleanore frowned at me before audibly sighing.

"What are you-! Use levitation to get up to the same height of the bookcase of...course..." Eleanore said before trailing off when she realized what she answered.

"Reflex can be a very annoying thing sometimes." I pointed out with a shrug.

"Fine. But what about Professor Colbert?" Eleanore asked while pointing at the man.

"Him, I actually trust to keep himself in check. After all, have you ever seen him use magic outside of classes?" I said before asking my master my question.

"Now that you mention it..." Louise muttered before trailing off when she started to rub her chin in consideration.

"There really is no need for them to relinquish their wands, Mister Yuka. I'm sure that they can control themselves." Colbert reasoned, more in an effort to help the sisters save face than anything else. After all, he was the one who was opposed to use even being there in the first place.

"How much confidence do you have in your running ability?" I asked the man flatly.

"Let us be honest here. If something goes wrong in there, all of you will likely die. I'd rather not let that happen if I could help it." I pointed out in a mildly irritated voice.

"Ugh! Fine! Here!" Eleanore finally relented and thrust her wand at me. Louise and Cattleya looked at each other before handing me their wands as well.

"Happy?" Louise asked me in an upset manner. I put the three wands in my left pants pocket before holding out my left hand again.

"The spare wands as well please." I stated, knowing very well that they had an extra wand for emergencies. Both Eleanore and Lousie grumbled before pulling out their secondary wands that they had hidden somewhere in their clothing. Louise had hers strapped to her right thigh while Eleanore had hers somehow hidden in her left sleeve. I took the wands before turning to the middle sister.

"But I don't have a spare wand." Cattleya said innocently. If I had not learned what I had about her recently then I would have probably believed her. However, I had acknowledged that Cattleya was far more cunning than she lets on. After all, the best way to keep a secret is to convince everyone that there was no secret to keep. To that end, I simply kept staring at the woman until she pouted at me.

"Meanie." She muttered before reaching into the collar of her dress and pulling out a wand from what seemed to be her ample cleavage. I couldn't be sure since her dress did not show any cleavage like Kirche's did, but there wasn't really any other place she could have kept it. I took the wand and placed all three spares in my other pants pocket while Cattleya ignored the flat looks her sisters were giving her.

"Are we ready to proceed then?" Agnes asked. We all turned to the source of her voice and saw that had already stepped past the main doors. She was simply waiting for us with her left hand resting on her sword's hilt.

"Just one last thing. Please make sure to keep any book, scroll, or parchment you find in the Archive within the bounds of the structure. The same Final Solution will be activated if anything is taken out of there." Colbert answered while looking at each of us, including Agnes. Well, I supposed that made sense when I thought about it.

"I figured as much. Very well, let us proceed." Eleanore mused before we finally stepped passed the main doors of the archive. I had originally expected that we would quickly find ourselves in the archives after a bit of walking. However, I had once again underestimated just how absurd this place was.

"Well...that is certainly something." I muttered as we stepped in front of a stone footbridge which led to an isolated piece of land in the middle of a very large crevice.

It seemed that someone thought it prudent to build a library in the middle of an island underground. Said library was surrounded by nothing but a sheer drop of undeterminable height and its only connection to anywhere else was a single stone footbridge that may or may not be rigged to collapse by triggering some trap.

"Should we expect any more surprises, Professor Eleanore?" Agnes asked the eldest sister. Eleanore considered the question with a hum before turning to Colbert.

"Did the Headmaster give any warning in regards to any actual traps within?" She asked the man. Why Agnes did not simply ask Colbert since he had definite information about the hidden archive, I was not sure at the time.

"No. He said the only things we have to be careful of once we actually get past the main doors are the prevention of use of magic and making sure that everything we find in the archive does not leave it. It is too risky to place actual magical traps inside since there is always a chance that someone who would be accessing the archive might actually have a legitimate reason to do so." The professor clarified to us.

"Well that seems straightforward enough." Eleanore said with a nod before we crossed the bridge and finally managed to get into the library structure on the other side. The structure, which I assumed was the actual archive, was filled to the brim with tomes, scrolls, parchments, and other such things. Everything seemed to be written in one form or another of Halkeginian so I couldn't understand the titles that were printed on the spines of most of the books. The place itself reminded me of a smaller Voile actually, certainly something the Magicians back home would have been interested in going through.

"This doesn't seem daunting at all." Louise commented with a bit of sarcasm.

"Indeed. Do you have any idea where to even begin your search for the truth that you seek?" I asked Agnes and saw that the knight captain did not look very happy either.

"A scrying spell would help out significantly in the task but..." Cattleya trailed off while placing her right hand on her cheek.

"Are the books safe to read through though?" Louise asked while running her hands over a few of the titles that were packed into one of the many bookcases.

"I would assume that so long as the books in question do not have a face on the cover and-or scream at you, they should be safe." I mused while walking up to another bookcase and taking out a random book. I hummed when I realized that I couldn't understand anything written within either.

"I'm not even going to ask why you think that there are books that can do that." My master said while shaking her head. Agnes wordlessly walked off on her own into the depths of the archive without giving any of us a second glance.

"Will the captain be alright?" Cattleya asked worriedly while looking in the direction where Agnes went off to.

"She's a grown woman, she can take care of herself." Eleanore pointed out while scowling at the books that were located high up on the top shelves of the bookcases. It seemed that the scenario I gave out earlier was actually applicable after all. Professor Colbert hummed thoughtfully but decided not to follow after the knight.

"Now, make yourself useful and find me a stepladder." Eleanore declared while pointing at me with her right index finger.

"I..." I started but I felt Louise's hand on my arm.

"Yuka, just do it please. Big Sister Eleanore has wanted to get into this place since she was my age. She probably thought she wouldn't have another chance after she graduated, but here we are. Just humor her for a bit." Louise whispered to me.

"Really? You want me to play along with Eleanore's little power trip because she managed to fulfill a wish from her youth?" I asked my master with a raised brow before glancing at the woman in question. I was wondering why she hadn't called my attention again and I found that Cattleya seemed to be talking to her about something. Eleanore had her back to us while the middle sister was facing us instead. I blinked when I saw Cattleya's eyes turn to me, just as Eleanore turned her attention back to the books on the highest shelves, before giving me a wink and quickly shifting her attention back to Eleanore just as the eldest sister turned back to her. More and more I was finding out that the formerly sickly woman was likely the most dangerous sister of the three.

"Yes. It really isn't that hard of a thing to do you know. It's not like you have anything else to do around here anyway." Louise pointed out while giving me a rather expectant look.

"Now normally here is where I would just turn and walk away." I noted while using my parasol like a walking stick again.

"I can sense a 'but' in there somewhere." Louise added before pulling at my sleeve again.

"Cute. But yes, you are correct. Fine then. She would have pestered me into doing what she wanted anyway." I admitted with a sigh.

"You took away our wands. You should have expected this already." My master pointed out. I supposed that she had a point so I decided to just play along just to get it over with.

...

"Is there something wrong Mister Yuka?" Professor Colbert asked me as I flipped the book in my hands for the fourth time since I started trying to read it. The text written within looked like old English script but the words did not really come together like it did in the language I was familiar with. The letters were there but they didn't form into any English words at all. In the end, I just started turning it in different ways to try to see if I could comprehend 'something'. I was being stubborn about it since it was the first piece of literature in the archive I've seen that had a kind of writing I could at least try to comprehend. Sadly, it was not working out either. That was when the professor happened upon me. Louise and her sisters were at a different part of the archive after Eleanore recruited them to try to find something 'interesting' as the eldest sister termed it. Since I could not understand their written language I excused myself as not to get in their way.

"As much as I would loath to admit it. I have never really gotten around to actually learning the written language in this realm." I stated with a sigh before closing the book in my hands and placing it on a nearby table.

"Indeed? I did not know that. I had thought that you had mastery over our language since you can speak Halkeginian flawlessly after only a day." Colbert said with a bit of surprise in his voice.

"That was mainly due to Louise explosively applying a translation spell upon me during my first day as her familiar." I responded with a smile. To think that it would be a year since that day in a few months.

"Louise performed a successful translation spell? That is actually a rather impressive feat." The man stated with a hint of pride in his voice.

"It was actually on accident. In any case, how are you finding this place? I would assume that an intellectual such as yourself would akin this place to heaven on earth." I corrected before changing the subject. The man blinked at me before taking a seat at a nearby chair.

"It is all a bit overwhelming for me really. Normally, I would agree with you on your point however I strangely find myself without enthusiasm considering the reason why we are all here in the first place. I once thought that the archives only held priceless tomes and scripts of magic that Tristain had treasured enough to warranty preservation and protection from outside influences." The good professor began while looking around the various tomes and such that were placed everywhere. He remained silent for a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard were echoed conversations between the three sisters from another part of the archives.

"However, I did not think that the archive would also play host to information that had nothing to do with magic. Things that certain parties simply did not want others to know." He finally continued. Ah, so that was this was about.

"If you are referring to what Agnes is seeking, then you should already know that answer to that. Convenience." I responded with a shrug. Really though, the hidden archive of the academy provided the best way to hide incriminating evidence about something. It was already had potent security measures against most who would try their luck to access it. On top of that, there was already so much text literally lying around that one would be hard pressed to even find it even purposefully. If all else failed, there was always the chance of someone slipping up and sending the whole place down right on top of them.

Although, I had to wonder why Richmon simply did not destroy any and all evidence about the truth that Agnes so doggedly sought. In fact, I was not even sure 'why' anyone would even document such information in the first place.

"I suppose you have a point. I just wished that she could simply let it go and live her life for herself instead of chasing ghosts." Colbert said with a sad sigh.

"Why do you care so much of what Agnes does with herself? As Eleanore already pointed out, she is a grown woman and can make her own choices in her life." I asked before calling back to what the eldest sister said about the woman earlier.

"It just seems like a waste is all." The professor responded.

"I may very well be wrong here but...have you developed an attraction to the woman?" I asked him with a raised brow. It seemed odd to me since he was rather disproportionately worried about Agnes even though they haven't really interacted that much as far as I remembered. Then again, there was that whole 'Love at First Sight' nonsense that some humans tended to believe sometimes.

"W-w-w-what? I was simply worried that her vendetta would eventually destroy her! Besides, even though the Captain does have great confidence and a certain charm to her, she is far too young for me." Colbert responded in a fluster while standing back up.

"So you are attracted to her enough to worry about her future but you are unsure whether or not to pursue your feelings for her because of your age difference. I see..." I mused before rubbing my chin with my right hand in contemplation. The professor made a rather uncharacteristically embarrassed expression. He began to open his mouth to voice further protests but then blinked as if he realized something very important.

"You are simply getting revenge for how I implied that you had an attraction to Miss Matilda, aren't you?" The professor asked me with narrowed eyes and a bit of a frown.

"And you have proven to be far better at comprehension than most of those I have met in this realm. We will now end this line of conversation and never speak of it again, agreed?" I offered with a nod to the middle aged man.

"Agreed." He immediately responded and an old debt was repaid.

"Professor Colbert!" Louise suddenly called out from somewhere past the shelves to my left.

"Over here, Louise." I called out and my master peeked out from the end of a bookcase nearby. She looked around and went straight to Colbert after she spotted him.

"Professor Colbert. Big Sister Eleanore is looking for you and needs your help with something." My master explained to her teacher.

"Ah, of course." And Colbert, professor that he was, immediately agreed to assist his student.

"Stay out of trouble." Louise said to me before leading the professor to where I assumed the other two sisters were at. Without anything else to do, I picked up my parasol and opted to simply wander around arbitrarily until something interesting happened or until it was time to leave. Cirno once said that random encounters tend to produce interesting results.

A concept proven when I suddenly heard a loud banging noise a short distance away. I approached the source of the noise and inadvertently managed to find the remaining member of our little group. Agnes was on her feet and hunched over a large open book that was on a large desk. Said desk was also littered with several other books and parchment all over the surface.

"Any luck on your search?" I asked the knight captain. In a flurry of sudden motions that would have taken most humans by surprise, Agnes suddenly closed the distance between the two of us while drawing her sword at the same time.

"Should I take that as a 'no'?" I asked while looking at the woman right in her smouldering eyes. She had her sword held in both hands and almost hit me with an overhead slash. Well, she would have if I did block her sword with my parasol which I held with my right hand. She was certainly fast for a human, but she sadly no threat to me in any sense of the word.

"Do. Not. Sneak. Up. On. Me." Agnes spat out at me with a very upset expression. Each word punctuated with an attempt to push her sword down against my parasol.

"I didn't sneak up on you. I casually walked up to you but you seemed rather focused on what you were reading so you did not notice me." I explained with a shrug while gesturing to the table she was previously occupying using my free hand. She glared at me one more time before withdrawing her sword and putting it back in its scabbard in a practiced motion.

"I apologize, I was..." She trailed off and her frown became even deeper than before.

"I assume that you found something related to what you were looking for but you did not like what you saw." I ventured and got a nod from the woman.

"I actually found exactly what I was looking for but I did not like what I learned all the same." Agnes corrected before walking back to the book she was glowering at earlier. She then turned to me and gestured towards the book.

"See for yourself." The knight stated. I hummed thoughtfully before walking up to the book in question. Indeed, I once again confirmed that I could not make heads or tails of their written language. It all seemed Lunarian to me. I gave out a sigh and shook my head after squinting at the open page in front of me.

"So now you understand. The truth I longed to find was so ironic I can barely believe that it is all true, so go ahead and laugh at the fool that is I." Agnes said in a very weary tone of voice.

"Actually, I sighed because I couldn't understand anything written in this book." I casually corrected her with a shrug. Agnes stared at me and made a rather good showing at making an impression of a fish. She then proceeded to imitate a rather irate Mokou minus the immolation of nearby objects.

"Are you making fun of me?" She asked as her hand once again started reaching for her sword.

"No, I was merely stating a fact. I cannot understand the any written form of language in this realm. In fact, I was just telling the same thing to Professor Colbert a little while earlier." I pointed out to the woman. Her face then suddenly went through a number of different expressions. She seemed rather conflicted about something, probably why she was so upset earlier and why she was mocking herself just now.

"Yes. Jean Colbert. Professor of the Tristain Magic Academy, former Lieutenant of the Heavy Wind and member of the Manticore Knight Corps." She then started to dictate. Hmm...Colbert was in the military? Moreover, he served under Karin of all people? I admit that the professor did indeed give off the feeling that there was power behind his unassuming facade. However, I did not think that he would be part of the personal unit of Louise's mother.

"Was assigned to lead a group of hired wands to perform what was officially known as a purge of a reported plague infected village in an isolated province in Tristain. Operation Madder Red. The burning of D'Angleterre." I blinked at what she had just said. I blinked again when I realized the implication of what she was saying.

"Well, that is a rather...complex set of circumstances." I mused out loud. The knight captain gave out a snort before sneering at me.

"Oh, it gets better. It also turns out that he was able to recover a single survivor who was confirmed to be clean of any trace of plague. Out of the hundreds in the village, he rescued a young girl at great personal risk. In addition, he was attacked by his second at the time after trying to protect the girl from the other fire mages. He brought the survivor to an orphanage managed by the church and resigned from service a month afterwards." Agnes stated while shaking her head. She took a seat on a nearby chair before staring at her hands for the next few moments.

"Curiouser and Curiouser. Professor Colbert does not seem like one who would willingly participate in wanton murder of innocents, more so if he personally worked under Karin the Heavy Wind." I mused before pointing out the overall personality of the man in question.

"You are quick to forget one Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes, Mister Yuka." Agnes stated while giving me a flat stare.

"I concede that one. However, if what you say is true, then he saved your life back then." I nodded in acknowledgement of Wardes' betrayal despite his close personal ties of the Valliere family. I then pointed out that if Agnes was the only survivor in her village and there was a report that Colbert saved a young girl there...

"Nevertheless..." She trailed off, obviously still conflicted about it.

"And you have other targets to kick around as well. Are you certain that the others were not soldiers as well?" I asked the woman. The term she used, sell wands, seem straightforward enough but I just wanted to check with her anyway.

"If they were, I would have found them years ago. Most likely, they are either already dead or are working as mercenaries somewhere." The knight captain responded with a frown. I hummed thoughtfully at her words before glancing at the book that apparently documented the incident that happened to her home village.

"Do you really think that Colbert should die for his participation in the burning of your village?" I asked her after turning my gaze back to her hardened eyes.

"Yes. But I'll make sure to kill him last." She stubbornly answered with a scowl. I then sighed before walking up to the book and running my left hand across the open page. I sighed before giving out a chuckle when I thought about something.

"Humor me for a moment here, Agnes." I started before pulling up another chair and placing it a bit off to her side and taking a seat. The woman gave me a sidewards glance but did not voice out any protests so I simply continued.

"If Colbert's unit had failed or if he called it off, would Richmon have left your village alone?" I asked. Agnes blinked at me before narrowing her eyes at my question.

"No. There were specific instructions to assemble and dispatch another unit in their stead as soon as possible." The woman answered with a shake of her head.

"Colbert was told that the village was plagued and ordered to purge it to prevent it from spreading. I'm assuming that he would have likely initiated the attack from a distance in order to minimize the risk of infection to himself and his men." I started and saw that the knight captain was deep in thought as I wove my interpretation of what likely happened to her village.

"He would have then ordered his men to go into the village to make sure that they did not miss anything. He then later realized that something was very wrong and confirmed that none of the dead had any signs of plague. He then frantically tried to look for any survivors to rescue before it was too late...and he found you. Then he was attacked by his second in command and I assumed that he was able to kill him since both of you survived. And now, here you are." I finished before standing up and closing the book that revealed the truth of what happened in D'Angleterre.

"That sequence of events seems to be rather hard to believe. Are you sure that you are not simply trying to vindicate the Flame Snake?" Agnes asked in a rather skeptical way.

"Flame Snake?" I repeated the rather odd title in question form.

"It was what Professor Colbert was known as during his time in the army. He is a Square-Rank Fire Mage." Agnes clarified with a dismissive wave. I nodded in acknowledgement before answering her previous question.

"I see. Well, to answer your question, I simply threw it out there because it seemed like the kind of irony that might have actually happened." I admitted with a shrug. Agnes stared at me for a long while before narrowing her eyes at me.

"It does not seem like you said those words in jest." She ventured, somewhat unsure of what she herself was saying.

"I've had an interesting life. So, what will you do about the truth you now know?" I stated with a shrug before asking Agnes what her plan was.

"I need to think on it first. I've waited years for this, I can wait a bit longer." The woman said while shaking her head and standing up.

"I got what I wanted here. Let us see if Professor Eleanore is already finished as well." She pointed out and we subsequently went off to look for the others.

"Yuka! Get over here!" Louise waved us over to another open area that had tables for reading purposes. Both of Louise's older sisters as well as Professor Colbert were pouring over a few books and seemed to be taking down notes on parchment. Since Colbert seemed to be okay with it, then I assumed that those were actually brought by one or more of them. I wasn't really sure where they hid the ink bottles and quill pens though.

"Not there! Over here! Quick!" My master yelled in a bit of a panic before pulling me at my right sleeve to a different part of the open area that we were at. I turned back to Agnes and saw that the woman opted to simply lean on one of the bookcases with her arms folded and her eyes closed. It seemed that she was just going to wait for everyone else to finish their business first.

"What's wrong?" I asked Louise after she led me in front of a pile of books that were on the ground. She did not respond and instead opted to simply start rummaging through the pile of books to look for something.

"Louise just what-" I started but was interrupted when Louise suddenly shot back up to her feet. She then raised a red book in her hands above her head before...

"Aha!" Declaring her triumph and turning to me with an oddly intense expression.

"Your enthusiasm concerns me, Louise." I mused as my master started leafing through the book in her hands.

"Quiet you. Aha! Here! Look!" She responded before trying to shove the book in her hands into my face. It wasn't really effective since I was much taller than her but the intent was there. I blinked when I saw what she was trying to show me. It was a drawing.

It was a rather accurate representation of something that shouldn't even be here.

It was a drawing of Evil Eye Sigma.

I had heard of the 'creation' that an odd resident of Gensokyo made one time before she too disappeared after Reimu defeated the creature in the drawing. I never had any direct contact with it or the creator, one known only as Rika, but I had heard that it gave Reimu a harder time than Mima did during the incident when the Hakurei first met one Marisa Kirisame.

"This thing was from Gensokyo right? I remember Yukari telling me a story about how Lady Reimu fought something matching this exact description!" Louise said while practically hopping in place to try to get the drawing closer to my face.

"Indeed. Where did you find this?" I asked before plucking the book from her hands and skimming over the rest of the contents. Oddly, aside from Evil Eye Sigma, there were no other drawings depicted inside...just more Halkeginian I couldn't read.

"I just found that after just randomly going through a few books here when Big Sister Eleanore told me that I would have just gotten in their way. What's going on, Yuka? Why is a drawing of that thing here inside the hidden archives of the academy?" Louise asked in a mix of confusion and worry.

"I'm not actually sure. Does it say anything particular about Evil Eye Sigma?" I admitted before handing the book back to my master.

"Not anything really useful. The book was written around five-hundred years ago and the only information about it aside from the picture is that it was 'very destructive'. I know more about it than the book does." She responded with frowning at the piece of literature.

"Well, the date more or less matches the when Reimu defeated it after she resolved her second incident. The one that was eventually known in the Gensokyo Chronicles as the 'Eastern Recorded Sealing of a Demon'. It's actually rather interesting though..." I mused while rubbing my chin with my right hand.

"What do you mean by that?" Louise asked with a raised brow.

"The Rawket Lawnchair, Ruukoto, maybe Mima's Staff, and now documentation of Evil Eye Sigma. Everything that ended up here that came from Gensokyo was more or less from Reimu's time." I pointed out. Even myself, the biggest incidents I was ever involved in were back during her era...and here I was, familiar to a magician from Halkeginia.

"So something started tossing things from Gensokyo around five-hundred years ago?" My master asked in clarification.

"It certainly seems that way." I answered with a nod.

"That doesn't make any sense." Louise dryly responded with a bitter expression.

"It most certainly does not." I agreed with a thoughtful hum.

"Hey! Yuka! Runt! We're leaving!" We both turned to the sound of Eleanore yelling at us. We saw everyone carrying several leaves of parchment in their hands.

"I see that your time was well spent." I commented with a bit of a smirk. Said smirk faded when Eleanore returned it before gesturing towards the table. There was a stack of parchment on the table that was thicker than the ones they were all carrying combined.

"Oh, I suppose you can say that." The eldest sister stated with an all too pleased smile on her face.

...

"Ugh! Is this seriously what I have to say out loud?" Louise complained as she read through the printouts.

"Actually you apparently have to sing it in some way based on the display." I pointed out while pointing at the holographic display showing directly in front of Ruukoto. The three of us were in Mugenkan to address something we should have dealt with a long while ago.

Nitori's notes on how to unlock some new things for Ruukoto's use.

Blood Dragon Tooth and Overdrive System: NT-D.

Those were the two things the Kappa was able to puzzle out the unlocking systems for. It required direct input for the gynoid's current master at the time so Louise was here in her physical body this time. My master was going to spend the rest of the night in my mansion afterwards so she can get some sleep afterwards.

"But...but...but..." Louise stammered out over and over while blushing.

"It's not like anyone else will hear you. Besides, Eleanore had a rather nice signing voice so I would think that such a talent might run in the family." I pointed out to my shy master. She just frowned at me before fidgeting at the message that was shown as a prompt to begin the unlocking sequence.

_**SING NOW!**_

"Fine! Ugh!" Louise finally conceded before taking a few breaths.

_It begins with the first kiss _

_The story of us two _

_Casting a spell on this fate _

_You suddenly appeared_

_Not yet awake from the sweet kiss _

_The story of how we met that day _

_Come on, cast your magic _

_And the wish will surely come true_

_It begins with the first kiss _

_The story of us two _

_Casting a spell on this fate _

_You suddenly appeared_

I was of the opinion that Louise also had a rather lovely singing voice.

"Will it really be okay if I slept here?" Louise asked me just as I conjured a door for Ruukoto.

"Yes. Isn't that why we're sending Ruukoto back in order to watch over the academy for the night?" I answered before pointing out my suggestion to her after we successfully managed to unlock Blood Dragon Tooth and NT-D for the gynoid's future use.

"Still, I have a bad feeling about this." Louise muttered while looking worriedly at the conjured door that led to the academy's flower garden.

"Louise, the academy isn't going to fall apart just because you aren't there. In fact, considering the ones occupying the place right now, it is probably the safest place in Tristain save for your family mansion." I continued. Between the teaching staff, Agnes and her knights, Louise's own sisters, Kirche and Tabitha, as well as Ruukoto, even Louise had to admit that her worries were likely very silly.

I mean, what kind of idiot would attack the Tristain Magic Academy in the middle of the night when the country was in the middle of an allied war against Albion?

...

Please R&R~


	37. Interlude 7: The Night of the Two Moons

Author's Notes: I am very glad that I managed to finish this as quickly as I did. Here is an entire arc from two different perspectives. Not much to say without spoiling anything but please enjoy all the same~

Disclaimer: Nonna shot first.

_**...**_

_**Burning. All I can remember is burning.**_

_**The heat of the flames.**_

_**The red-orange glow that dominated my vision.**_

_**The odd smell of cooked human flesh.**_

_**The screams.**_

_**My feet hurt as I walked barefoot through the streets.**_

_**My eyes hurt from the smoke.**_

_**My nose hurt from the heat.**_

_**My skin hurt from the flames.**_

_**Then the screaming stopped and all I heard was the crackling of fire.**_

_**Then I fell.**_

_**And there was darkness. But the burning remained.**_

"Guh!" I grunted and cursed at myself for having that dream again. I had thought myself better than that. I thought that I have already gotten over that. I lifted my head and noted that I was using my arms as a makeshift pillow. It seemed that I had fallen asleep inside the library of the Tristain Magic Academy. I had more or less set myself up here after I had found out the truth of what happened to my village of D'Angleterre.

Minister Richmon, then a Judge who was snuggly settled within the pocket of an unspecified faction of the Church, wanted the village off the map because it was harboring and protecting someone who was advocating a belief that goes against the teachings of Brimir. A so called 'heretic' who taught dark wisdom to the poor commoner fools.

He set up a rather convincing argument that the village was overcome with a plague. He managed to convince a panel of representatives from the Church and the Crown even though the village never had any history of any major pandemic since its founding. I still could not understand why he did not simply have the village searched for the heretic via an official inquisition. There was still a piece missing in the motive, a piece that was not documented in the records and reports I found in the hidden archives of the academy. Was there someone else pulling Richmon's strings? I shook my head to clear it of tangential thoughts. I can look into that once it was time to return to the capital.

He then managed to get a commissioned Square-Class Fire Mage Knight to lead a group of Mercenaries to do the job. Yuka Kazami, the Winged Demon of Tarbes, was likely correct in his assessment. That would give Richmon the deniability to simply say that Jean Colbert was acting on his own in case anything went wrong.

Like if someone managed to expose the truth about the incident.

That fact made me very glad I killed Richmon before I found out the truth.

After we exited the Tristain Magic Academy's Hidden Archive, I once again went through the records of enlistment in the entire Tristain Military for Fire Mages of at least Line Rank that would match what I found in the archives. I just wanted to make sure. I wanted to make sure I had other people to kill before I had to turn my sword to the man who saved my life.

I grit my teeth when I realized that I was just looking for an excuse not to kill Jean Colbert for his involvement in the incident.

I pinched the bridge of my nose when I noted that my vision was starting to get blurry. I stood up before I started to clean up the documents that ended up strewn all over the table because of my unplanned nap.

"Captain!" Helgarose suddenly burst through the doors in a near-frantic manner. I picked up my sword and strapped it to my waist. Her demeanor alone told me that something had happened. Chevalier Falkenmayer did not panic easily.

"Casualties?" I asked as I strode up to her while she closed the library doors.

"Three of ours are injured. Six fatalities. We lost our patrols around the dormitory tower first, then the teachers' living quarters, and then the servants wing. It was a well planned raid by a group of unknown armed men. They number at least thirty. No evidence of any mages among them." Helgarose gave her report after she managed to catch her breath. A raid at the academy in the middle of the night? What were they after? Why here? Why now?

"Where are the others?" I asked as I led my second-in-command through the academy library to a backdoor that lead to a part of the main hallway. The help were kind enough to inform us about the various passageways and doors that were only just hidden away from obvious view. Those were the means by which the servants were able to get from one point to another in the academy without running into any nobles. They were not secret passages by any means, but they were inconspicuous enough for most to miss.

"What the hell?! He-Guh!" Not inconspicuous enough it seemed. I walked up to the corpse and pulled Helgarose's throwing knife out of his forehead. I wiped the blade clean of blood using the dead man's pants before handing the knife back to my fellow knight.

"I apologize. I reacted on reflex. We could have been able to interrogate this one for some additional information." My second stated with a bow while sheathing her knife.

"What's done is done. Where are we regrouping?" I asked as we dragged the body back into the door we just came out of for some semblance of concealment. I was thankful that Helgarose's aim with a knife was unmatched. Concealing the body would have been problematic if there was blood everywhere.

"Lunateresia and Ilfriede were rallying everyone to one of the classrooms in the fire tower. It was the furthest place from the areas that were hit and is defensible enough should it come down to a battle." I nodded in acknowledgement. It was a good choice. The fire tower was apparently designed to withstand great damage from fire spells in case they went out of control during classes. That was why it was placed so far away from the other buildings and why Helgarose termed it as defensible.

Whoever it was that was attacking was able to get past everyone it seemed. They got past the scant number of token hired guards who looked like they couldn't even catch a death of cold in winter. They got past the teaching staff. They got past the servants. They got past the students. They got past my knights.

Whoever attacking knew what they were doing. Sad that they did not seem to know who they were dealing with.

I stopped walking when I realized something.

How did they get past Dame Valliere's familiar and maid?

"Captain?" Helgarose called out from a short distance in front of me.

"It is nothing. Let's go. We need to come up with an action plan to deal with these pests." I stated before we started walking again. Those men came at a good time. I felt the need to stab something in the face anyway.

...

_**Transfer Complete...**_

_**Readjusting Sensors...**_

_**Visuals Online...**_

There was something wrong.

That was the immediate conclusion I had made after going through the divide between Mugenkan and the Tristain Magic Academy. My internal sensors counted several human life signs that were not registered as known values.

Situation unknown.

Unable to make contact with Mistress Louise or Yuka Kazami. They had returned the 'Hey-Listen' units I provided to them after they returned safely from their investigations.

More data required. Course of action determined was silent reconnaissance.

_**Shifting Visual Sensors to thermal...**_

Unknown human contacts were inbound and will gain visual on me within the next three seconds. I immediately bounded to the rooftop of the nearby building and laid low against the shadows.

"What was that noise?!" Human. Male. Age range between late twenties to early thirties. Three contacts. Armed. Steel swords and rudimentary leather armoring. No signs of magical ability. Marked as potential hostiles until more information is gathered.

"Check out the corners of the building! Quick!" Contact One seemed to be in charge of the squad. Contact Two and Contact Three began to sweep the immediate area. Evidence of training but subpar at best or just a lack of skill. Contacts did not look up. Amateurish.

"Could it be that group of whores trying to get back in?" Contact Three spoke. Signs of stress and anxiety noted. Terminology used noted. The only known female groups at the Academy aside from the students were the resident maids and the Royal Musketeer Squadron. The more probable possibility was the latter. It was a curious situation if true. Finding a member of the Musketeer Squardon for a situation report was added to my list of objectives.

Within the second that it took me to update my assessment of the situation. Contact Three was tasked to check around the building I was on. Alone. Contacts One and Two remained in the garden proper, potentially as reinforcements should Contact Three find any hostiles.

Trained, but poorly so.

I quietly shifted myself to the edge of the roof where Contact Three was apparently poking at some crates. Contact Three did not even have his weapon out.

There was almost no effort expended on my part when I simply dropped down behind him as he was walking by. I had known early on since my activation in my Version-Two frame that snapping the neck of most vertebrate life forms, especially those with actual necks, was the fastest way to kill them without making a mess. There was no struggle. Only a surprised stiffening of his shoulders when I grabbed onto his head before the almost too quiet snap that immediately followed. I did not need all three of them alive. Only the one who was giving the other two orders needed to live long enough to answer my inquiries.

I settled the body down to a sitting position against the wall with his head lolled to the side. In the darkness of the night, it made it look more like Contact Three was asleep or knocked out instead of being already dead. I then turned to the crates he was poking around and knocked one over before bounding back to the rooftop. The way Contact One ordered Contact Two to investigate the noise when Contact Three did not respond to their calls was like clockwork.

Contact Two immediately ran up to Contact Three when he saw his comrade sitting against the wall with evidence of violence in the immediate area. I jumped behind him just as he was crouching down to check on his fallen comrade. And then there was one. I grabbed both bodies and went back up to the rooftop where I deposited them out of sight. The only thing left was to wait for what Contact One would do. Predictably, he chose to follow the other two around the corner where two others have already disappeared without further contact. He really should have known better. At least he made my work easier. He had his sword out and was looking around frantically for any signs of anyone at all.

I jumped down just as he was turning back around and grabbed his head with my right hand. I made sure that my grip was over his eyes in order to prevent positive visual identification of who his assailant was. Better safe than sorry obviously. I then shoved him against the wall in order to restrain any further movements. He grabbed my arm with his free hand and tried to pull it off. When he realized that it wasn't really going to work, he proceeded to try to stab me with the sword in his right hand. It was clearly not working since my uniform was made of material which was far more durable than the weapon in his hand. I took his sword away after his third try because it was getting irritating.

"Who the hell are you?! Do you have any idea who we are?!" Onto the standard questions already? Rather cliche choices as well. The former was a rather loaded question while the latter was something I wanted answered anyway. I blinked at the reasoning Contact One had for asking me for my identity. Was he hoping that he would get some information back to his comrades in case he would be able to escape from be or if I let him go? I discarded the idle thought within the same second it took me to activate White Noise and augment my vocals into something else, something as far from my regular voice as possible. Yes, that would work. Deep, gravelly, and male. I then leaned in closer and answered his question.

"I am the Night." I let him ponder on that for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Who are you and why are you here? What is your command structure? Who is in charge? What are your objectives?" I asked him in the same augmented voice. Oddly, Contact One actually managed a smile at my inquiry.

"Do you honestly think I'll talk? You don't know anything so you can burn with the rest! You will never get anything out of me." It was a rather poor, if predictable, choice on his part really. I grabbed his right wrist, which was now trying to pry my right hand from his face along with his other hand, and forced it to his side.

"Everyone talks." I mused with a small smile while shifting my grip from his wrist to his hand.

"There are two hundred and six bones in an adult human body." I continued to mutter into his ear before quickly snapping both bones that made up his right thumb. I then let go of his hand and clamped my left hand over his mouth to prevent any needless noise.

"Now, you have two hundred and eight. Would you like to find out how many bones you can end up having by the time I'm done with you? Oh, and if you scream, I'll do it anyway." I asked him before slowly letting go of his mouth.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" He was very helpful and informative after that. I made sure to make his death as quick as possible in payment for his assistance.

...

"How many are combat ready?" I immediately asked after I opened the doors to the classroom that served as the temporary rally point of my knights. Lunateresia walked up to me and gave me a salute, which my second and I returned, before giving her report.

"Isara, Juno, and Alvina are wounded and will not be combat ready unless the can get healed by a Water Mage." The green haired knight stated before closing her eyes and taking a breath.

"We...we lost Misha, Salinas, Audrey, Rosina, Camille, and Claudia." She added with a mix of sadness and anger in her voice. Dammit! Three wounded and six dead right at the start. I was sent here by the princess with thirty of my knights, including Helgarose, and now I was down nearly a third of them already.

The rest of us were still in the capital so we could still be on hand should Princess Henrietta need us in any way. My third-in-command, Michelle, should be more than capable of leading them while Helgarose and I were here.

"Do you know how they were killed? We do not die easily." I asked before reminding her just how hard I've trained them all in combat. We were not the types who would fall in such numbers so quickly.

"It was a very well timed strike. Evidence suggest that they hit our active patrols all at once at a very precise moment when they would be the most vulnerable. Misha and Audrey were patrolling the dormitory towers. Salinas and Claudia were supposed to be ending their rounds in the teachers' living quarters. Finally, Camille and Rosina should have been checking up on the servant's wing at the time of attack." Helgarose answered with a frown. The three of us then lapsed into a moment of silence before Lunateresia excused herself to help the others in their preparations.

"How were you alerted of the attack?" I asked my second while watching my remaining knights prepare themselves for the moment when we would strike back. They looked much more heated than usual as they did so. Likely because of how the attackers were able to get past us, even costing us six of our sisters.

Yes, they would pay for spilling the blood of my knights.

"Ilfriede was wandering around on her own again and saw Salinas and Claudia being attacked by several men. She was unable to assist them because she was greatly outnumbered but undetected at the time. She reported what she saw to me and we quickly found the fate of the others. We had lost control of those areas and decided to regroup first before I went off to find you." Helgarose explained. So it was Ilfriede who found out then. She always did have a habit of taking walks at night on her own when not assigned to anything.

"We were lucky to have been able to come to the aid of Isara, Juno, and Alvina before they were overwhelmed. They were eating in the kitchen when they were attacked. Thankfully, we were nearby and were able to dispatch their attackers through a combined effort." Helgarose added, giving the answer to why Isara and the others were only wounded and not dead. We then turned around to the sound of footsteps and saw a very somber looking Ilfriede. She gave us a salute before speaking without prompt.

"I shouldn't have run away. Those men killed Salinas and Claudia. I should have-" I stopped her from continuing with a raised right hand. The doors were still open so it was not unusual for her to have overheard us if she came from the hallway.

"You made the correct decision. If they found and killed you, more of us would have been struck down before we knew what was going on." I pointed out, both as fact and as a way for the woman to stop blaming herself for deaths she was not able to prevent. The woman before us was not stupid, so I attributed her unwillingness to see my point to seeing two of her comrades be cut down without being able to do anything about it.

"I just-" She started but was interrupted, this time by her long-time friend and my second.

"Do you have something to report, Ilfriede?" Helgarose asked with a stern expression. The blonde knight stared at her friend for a moment before nodding.

"I took Alicia, Marina, and Wendy with me for some reconnaissance. The dormitories and the teachers' quarters are completely deserted while there are men posted at the servants wing." Ilfriede answered. I nodded in acknowledgement before noting that both Marina and Wendy did not accompany her back.

"Were there signs of violence?" Helgarose asked.

"Only to property. There were no signs of blood that we noticed." The blonde knight answered with a shake of her head.

"I assume that there is a reason why Marina and Wendy are not here yet." I asked the woman.

"Yes. We found out that the students and the teachers are being held inside the Alviss Hall. They have all the doors and windows secured. It seems that most of the attackers are in there. I had Marina and Wendy keep an eye on the building in case the situation changes." Ilfriede answered. Good. Both of the knights she left behind are skilled at reconnaissance and would be best suited to such a task.

"Good work. At least we know where the teachers and students are." I acknowledged with a nod before turning to Helgarose when she gave out a seemingly deliberate hum.

"None of the men we've encountered so far have used any magic. How were they able to subdue and capture not only the students, but the teachers as well?" Helgarose raised a very interesting and very important point.

"There wasn't any evidence that anyone has used magic either. It would have been rather obvious if they did. It was like no one even fought back." Ilfriede added another piece to the puzzle. I gave the matter a thought before realizing how they likely accomplished what they did.

"They struck under the cover of night when most were already in bed. Even with all of us here, there was no way for us to completely secure the academy at all times. It was not an impossible thing for them to slip through if they are as organized as they seem. Besides, most mages without a wand can do little else." I pointed out. The two of them looked between each other and myself before nodding in understanding.

"Regardless, we need to get ready to move. Helgarose, stay here until everyone if fully ready to be deployed. Once they are, find and rendezvous with Marina and Wendy. Secure the perimeter outside the Alviss Hall but try not to draw attention to yourselves. The last thing we want is for those fools to start panicking." I said to my second. Our priority now was to ensure the safety and freedom of the hostages.

"Understood." Helgarose responded with a nod before walking off to where the others were. I saw that my knights were already preparing the muskets and pistols that they were apparently able to gather before going to the tower. Let no one say that the Royal Musketeer Squadron took threats like this lying down.

"Ilfriede, get me Alicia, Brigitte, and Catherine. The five of us are going hunting." I said to the blonde knight who eagerly nodded before going off to gather the others I asked for. I looked over at the nineteen women who were preparing to risk their lives once more. Along with the two who were keeping watch on the Alviss Hall, I would make sure that we would be able to get through this without losing anyone else. My knights are capable enough to accomplish that much.

...

_**Mission Log Update...**_

A raid in the middle of the night on the Tristain Magic Academy by a group of mercenaries who were apparently of no affiliation to one another or to anyone else. It would explain the lack of unit cohesion demonstrated by my first three kills. A weak and risky strategy but one that had the merit of complete plausible deniability for the benefactors. Nothing to trace back to them. Contact One repeatedly confirmed that he was hired through an intermediary at a tavern in Gallia. His companions were also apparently recruited the same way from different parts of the continent. Contact One insisted on that truth even after I was done breaking all the bones in his right hand.

The only thing that he knew was that they were all taking orders from one man, a fire mage of sorts apparently. He would then be very generously compensated for his efforts after everything was over and done with.

I began to question the wisdom of the newly confirmed hostiles when they did not seem to question the terms of the contract provided to them. After all, there was no reason to pay anyone if they cannot trace the contract back to the one who was supposed to pay them. There was also the more practical option of simply disposing of them after they had outlived their usefulness.

I stuck to the rooftops as I moved between buildings until I finally got to the dormitory towers. There were a few guards posted at the entrance but they were as easy to dispatch as the others. I then went into the towers and checked the rooms. Evidence of forced entry and varied degrees of struggle in all the rooms, including Mistress' room. I picked up the discarded Founder's Prayer Book on the floor and placed it inside one of my pockets. While it was doubtful that the attackers knew of the true value of the book, it was better to keep it with me instead of leaving it out in the open.

I then noted that Yuka Kazami's hat now sported several cuts and tears. Unwearable by the terms that the flower youkai normally deemed worthy. He was going to be rather cross once he returns. Thankfully, Mistress Louise's hat only had minor scuffs but was entirely intact.

I placed both hats back on the desk and exiting the room. I then noted a slight oddity in the state the rooms were in. There were varied signs of physical struggle, yes. However, there were no signs of any use of magic anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Not even residual signs of magic was evident anywhere. There were two possibilities for that kind of situation. Either the attackers had a means of neutralizing the use of magic in a large area or they were able to capture everyone before they were able to get to their wands and defend themselves. The latter seemed more plausible, especially after seeing discarded wands in some rooms.

With that in mind, I made sure to pick up Mistress' spare wand back in her room. She had left it there before changing and going into Mugenkan earlier. I was certain that she would not mind lending it to someone who might be able to help considering the situation. I concluded that there was nothing else here and decided to move on to check if Lady Eleanore and Lady Cattleya somehow managed to get away from the chaos and find a safe place to hide.

"Finally managed to slip away from those idiots. Now then, it's time to do some looting~" I ducked into one of the open rooms near the main stairwell after hearing a male voice approaching from below. Voice printing did not match any known values in my records. Considering the nature of his statement and the apparent nature of the attackers, it was obvious that he had come to the dormitory tower in order to take personal valuables owned by the students.

Visual was confirmed after a few more seconds when he took his first step out of the stairwell and into the hallway. Attire of new contact matches that of the previous ones I've already dealt with. This suggests that the mercenaries were given outfitted to a standard before being deployed. Training was also possible if that was the case but it was more likely that the time was just spent to make sure everyone knew who was in charge.

I moved back into the shadows after the new contact took his second step into the hallway. Head movement was rapid but unfocused. Possible indecisiveness on which room to start with. A fortuitous coincidence then that he decided to started with the room that I was hiding in. I pressed myself against the wall and ceased all movement. Human senses are not the sharpest provided by nature. They mainly depend on three things in order to notice something out of place that they could not readily see. Movement, breathing, and heat.

Fortunate that I can neutralize all three. That, coupled with the darkness in the room made sure that the would-be thief did not even turn my way when he entered the room. Instead walked directly up to the desks and cabinets in order to search for anything of value. There was also two factors that certain humans can sense if their skill was high enough, usually through experience in combat or martial training. It was the ability to sense 'intent' and 'life'. I had neither. That was why he did not stand a chance when I quietly walked up behind him before clamping my hand over his mouth and forcing him to his knees.

_**R-Blade**_

"I have two questions." I stated in the same augmented voice I used before. His struggling ceased after seeing my left arm be converted into my R-Blade. I had found that the soft blue glow and the low hum generated by the particle edged weapon was oddly mesmerizing to humans once they see it up close. More so if the blade itself was poised to slice out your neck.

"Where are the students of this academy? Who is in command of this attack?" I asked before letting go of his mouth and grabbing his hair instead to keep him in place. The man did not speak but detected vitals suggested that he was very stressed about the current situation.

"Speak while you still have the means to do so. If not, I can simply find someone else who will." I stated after a few seconds of silence. I pulled his head back two centimeters and moved the edge of my R-Blade three centimeters closer to his neck in order to emphasize urgency.

"We're holding all the mages in the Alviss Hall! The man in charge is a crazy blind fire mage called Menvil!" The man immediately stated out in panic. Indeed, the hall used to host meals would be both large enough and defensible enough to be the most effective location to hold several hostages. By his statement of 'all mages', it would be prudent to assume that they had also managed to capture the teaching staff as well. Likely, even both of Mistress' sisters were among the hostages. Though, his last point seemed to be the most interesting one. A blind, and apparently mentally unstable, fire mage was in charge of the assault. More and more, the logic behind the attack seemed to be questionable. Even if they were able to capture all the mages of the academy and make them hostages, what then?

"Are there other mages in your ranks?" I asked after the second it took me to record and analyze the information provided by his previous statement.

"No! He should be the only mage we have! He's supposed to be some sort of veteran merc! That's why he's in charge even though he's blind as a bat and crazy as a loon!" The man answered in a rather timely manner. Experience was always a good way to pick leadership. Although, most would not consider it even then due to his apparent physical disability and mental state.

"Thank you for the information." I stated. The man started squirming in my grasp after I did not do anything afterwards.

"Well? Aren't you going to let me go? I answered your questions!" He demanded from me albeit almost desperately. I tilted my head to the side at his request before responding.

"Hm? I never said that I would release you." I pointed out before quickly snapping his neck with my right hand. I recalled R-Blade while the man's body dropped lifelessly on its side. I flexed the fingers of my left hand after it reverted back to normal. I then picked up the body before exiting the dormitory tower. After making sure there were no other contacts in the vicinity, I deposited the body behind some bushes for concealment. I made it a point to keep track of where I was hiding my kills for proper disposal later. It wouldn't do if they suddenly started giving off a smell as they decomposed simply because I left them somewhere hidden.

I made my way to the room used by Lady Eleanore and Lady Cattleya located in the teachers' quarters. The state of the room mirrored that of my Mistress' in that there was evidence of violence but no traces of magic. I looked down when I noticed something seemingly out of place. It was a discarded wand. I picked it up and confirmed that it was intact. I momentarily wondered why it was left on the floor but dismissed it just as quickly since it mattered little anyway. I secured the wand in my dress before leaving through the nearby window in order to get back to the rooftops. At the very least, I will be able to arm up to two friendly mages should the situation demand it.

The Alviss Hall was my ultimate objective but there was one more place I wanted to check before I moved there. I wanted to confirm that Siesta and the rest of the servants were unharmed at least. With that objective in mind, I silently made my way to the servants wing.

...

"What was that noise?" Ilfriede whispered as we walked through the halls of the teachers' quarters. We made this detour in hopes that some of the attackers were dumber than we had originally anticipated and decided to rob the place. The student dormitory towers were already completely deserted so we quickly proceeded here instead. We were met with absolutely no resistance along the way. It was almost unnerving. It was like the entire academy was suddenly void of any other life at all save for the evidence of violence in the rooms. We had expected at least a few partols along the way, that was why I brought the others with me on this hunt. I was hoping to catch a few hares unawares in order to interrogate them for more information.

"Where did it come from?" Alicia inquired in an equally hushed tone from the rear of our formation, her oddly styled twin-tailed brown hair swiveling around along with her head. She was standing beside her fellow brunette, formed into twin buns, Brigitte. Ilfriede was in front of them with the oldest member of the squadron, the black haired Catherine. I personally headed the formation as we moved through the hallways.

"Down the hall. It sounded like a door or a window being opened." Catherine answered with narrowed eyes instead. The short haired woman was easily our best reconnaissance specialist and personally trained our second best, Marina. If she says that she saw or heard something, it was usually wise to listen to her.

"Slow and low. Catherine, with me. The rest of you, follow three steps behind. Pistols and knives only for close combat." I ordered before we all pulled out our knives and pistols. Swords and muskets would only be a liability in such a cramped environment, so our only practical option for weapons were knives and the like. Such was the basics of Close Quarters Combat that was taught to me by me old instructor. There was no one else better than she was before she died on a secret mission a year before the Musketeer Squardon was formed. I had hoped to have shared command with her if not for her death.

We advanced through the hallway as quietly as our armor would allow. I then felt a hand tap on my shoulder and I immediately stopped. I turned to Catherine and she pointed to a room in the distance. I remembered that room as the one used by the elder Valliere sisters. I narrowed my eyes and nodded before proceeding. We put our backs to the wall as we got closer to the room in question.

I signaled for the others to hold their positions while I moved in on my own first. It was risky but, if there really were any enemies in there, it would allow the others to get the jump on them while the attacker or attackers were too busy with me. I peered into what was visible through the doorway. The door itself was broken and forgotten on the floor and the room itself was not spared the same fate as the other rooms we have encountered.

None of the magelights survived the attack so the room itself was much darker that I'd like. Nevertheless, I proceeded cautiously in a crouch with my knife in a reverse grip in my right hand as I used both hands to hold my pistol steady in case I needed to shoot something. I only had one shot with my pistol, but that was why I had my knife out already. One of the most important lessons taught to me was to make sure I was always armed and able to fight at any range. Having both my knife and my pistol equipped at the same time allowed me to switch between them in the blink of an eye instead of wasting precious time trying to pull one or the other out. Of course, this was only intended and was most effective to be used for close quarters. Other tactics and techniques were required for different ranges and situations.

Adapt or die, as it were.

There were shadows everywhere but I took advantage of them as well to inch my way through the room. Fine clothing, books, parchments, even some of the notes the professor took when we went into the hidden archive were damaged in some way. The woman would not be happy about this. At all. I idly wondered if those men knew who Professor Eleanore and Lady Cattleya actually were when they attacked. I shook off the unnecessary thoughts and proceeded to check the rest of the room. I eventually found the cause of the sound that Ilfriede and Catherine heard. It was a partially open window that led to a three-story drop. I narrowed my eyes at the possibility that someone just casually jumped out the window before we arrived. In the end, I just dismissed the thought and went back to my knights with a signal to indicate that the room was clear.

"Since I don't see any bodies anywhere, I'm assuming that it was just nothing or whoever it was already escaped." Catherine asked as she and Ilfriede entered the room. Alicia and Brigitte stayed outside to serve as lookouts just in case.

"The former seems more likely since the cause of the noise was an open window." I stated while sheathing my knife and holstering my pistol.

"Aww...what a waste." Ilfriede lamented the clothes that were destroyed and discarded on the floor. I ignored the comment from the blonde and instead inspected the room more thoroughly. There were signs of struggle and even some blood on some cloth. Those two sisters must have given their attackers quite a time before they were subdued.

I silently wished for their safety as it would have been a great waste if they were killed. To say nothing of what the Valliere family would do if they found out that two of their eldest daughters died inside the academy on our watch. And even that was nothing compared to what the youngest sister and her followers would do if that had come to pass.

"This is all wrong." Catherine mused as she closed the window that caused our little jump earlier.

"They were able to get the jump on us at the best possible moment to do so. They took out all the regular guards, took down six of our squadmates, injured three, blocked in all the servants in their own quarters, and captured all of the mages in the academy. Then they hole up in a large building with all the hostages and do nothing else. Do you think they're waiting for something or someone?" Catherine continued before turning to me with a concerned expression.

"Possibly. Transporting that many people, even under the cover of night, would be quite a task and would be laughably easy to track down and intercept. Killing them is also an option but that many nobles are worth far more alive than dead." I reasoned out with a nod. She was right though. As far as their opening move went, it was tactically brilliant. However, the problem stemmed from what would happen afterwards.

"What do we do now? Rendezvous with Helga and the others?" Ilfriede asked while giving a token effort to at least reorganize the books and parchments that were scattered everywhere. She turned back to us for an answer after placing them on the bed.

"If they really are going to just hole up inside the Alviss Hall then we'll make sure that there aren't any other stragglers wandering around. Afterwards, we're going to prevent any chance of escape, rescue the hostages, and make them pay for thinking that they can get away just like that after killing six of our sisters." I stated after deciding our next course of action.

"The servants wing next then." Catherine stated with a nod, which I returned. The three of us left the room and started to make our way to the servants wing. Hopefully, we'd be able to gain more information about the attackers before we made plans on moving in to save the hostages.

...

_**Mission Log Update...**_

"Come on! All those maids in their rooms all cold and scared. You can't possibly not want to be able to get your hands on a few of those!" One of the men who were guarding the entrance to the servants wing stated while nudging his companion with his elbow.

"Of course I do! But we'll have a chance eat up those women once we're done with the job. Hell, the boss might even let us sample some of those nobles too. Did you see those two with the red and pink hair? It's like they were born to please men! Gwahahaha!" I blinked as I continued to listen in on the conversation of the two men from the rooftop of another building. The need for guards and the nature of their conversation implied that the servants were safe and were being held inside. Sad that those two would not be able to enact their delusions since I was certain that no one would have approved of the inappropriate talk they were having about Miss Kirche and Lady Cattleya.

_**Switching Visuals to Thermal...**_

Confirmed no other contacts in immediate vicinity...

_**Switching Visuals back to Normal Low-Light Enhancement Mode...**_

I decided to take a more direct approach in the matter since there was no viable vantage point to be able to dispose of them without detection. I moved across the rooftop of the building I was on and dropped down on the ground behind it. I then calmly walked around the building with my hands behind my back until I was walking up directly at the two men. It took twelve-point-seven more seconds for them to notice me and the two of them looked rather surprised to see a maid walking around freely.

"Hey! How did you get out! Come over here!" One of the two men yelled out before stomping towards me and drawing his sword. The other man simply started laughing and did not seem to see me as a threat. Good.

"Come over here you-" He said while reaching out at my left arm. It was a very poor choice on his part.

_**Blood Dragon Tooth**_

"Wha-" He exclaimed as a golden light suddenly flashed behind me. I then pulled out my right hand which held the weapon that Mistress recently unlocked for me.

The red colored handheld weapon was, as its core, a variable energy emitter. The size of the weapon itself was much smaller than the original Dragon Tooth, reduced to a size that was only slightly larger than the G-Revolver. It held the same basic design and was simply made much more compact because of the technological advancements that Professor Uzuki learned from my predecessor and Professor Shirakawa. The Blood Dragon Tooth boasted a more compact frame without any loss in yield and even had improved efficiency in energy consumption and cooling. The weapon's energy emitter could both discharge energy bolts to hit targets at range or create a charged particle blade of adjustable length and intensity. It was originally meant to be a pair to be used in each hand by me. The hope was to replace both the G-Revolver and the R-Blade with a more practical weapon system that can easily be used and maintained. Sadly, time constraints demanded that I kept all three weapons as a second Blood Dragon Tooth was impossible to create at that point due to certain circumstances. The one in my inventory was the only one of its kind ever made.

It was rather obvious that human flesh was far easier to cut than most other things I've used this weapon on in the past. One down.

"Why you little-" The other target was quickly silenced after I switched weapon modes to ranged and relieved him of the need for a head. Two down. Another advantage of the energy weapon at range compared to the G-Revolver was that it was safer to use during situations where high yield armor piercing explosive rounds would cause too much noise or too big a mess.

I moved quickly into the building that held the servants. Stealth was no longer an option after my latest kills so quickly neutralizing all other threats in the area was priority-one to prevent alerting the main enemy force.

_**R-Blade**_

"What the hell is with all that noi-" Three down. There seemed to be more men assigned to guard this building than the others. It was likely due to the fact that they needed to make sure that the servants would not cause any problems.

"Please! Don't! Help! Someone please help me!" I moved the the room where the cries for help were coming from and kicked down the door. I then aimed my Blood Dragon Tooth at the obvious target.

"Stop moving you little-whaaaggh!" Four down. I continued my sweep after confirming the death of the assailant. I would have done more to comfort for the now hysterical maid who was almost raped and now had a headless body on top of her, but I needed to make sure that all threats in the servants wing were neutralized first.

"You two! Check the entranceway for any-Look out!" Six down. I dropped the bodies of the two men who were impaled by my blades before jumping back to avoid getting hit by the sword of the one trying to give them orders. The weapon would not have done any damage, but it was more or less a reflex action on my part anyway. I pointed my Blood Dragon Tooth at him the moment I got off the ground and he dropped dead by the time I landed. Seven down.

"Don't even think about it freak!" I turned around and pointed my Blood Dragon Tooth at the source of the voice. Unfortunately, I had to rethink my course of action after I noted that the enemy that yelled at me was holding a human shield.

"Ruukoto!" And of all the people he could have chosen to use, it was Siesta. I lowered my weapons while analyzing for any possible firing solutions or angles of attack I could use without endangering Siesta. It was unfortunate that I was neither designed nor equipped to deal with tense hostage situations. That was the whole reason for my insistence at striking down hostiles before they could use the hostages against me.

"I don't know what the hell you are or where you came from but don't think that you can just get away with killing the others like that! Now don't try anything if you don't want this pretty little face splattered all over the walls!" The man threatened. I noted that both his vitals and Siesta's were almost matching in regards to stress levels. It was clear that he was more frightened than angry. I was unable to make any moves because I did not have the means to be able to neutralize the threat without otherwise harming or killing Siesta in the process. They were four-point-seven-two meters in front of me with most of Siesta's body covering the man behind her. They were both fidgeting around so much that her head would block his at random intervals. The odds were simply too poor to risk even an instant strike. That would have gone against Mistress Louise's direct order to me in regards to protecting the lives of those residing in the academy.

"Here is what's going to happ-UGHH!" Thankfully, It became apparent that did not have to.

"Return that life to God, you scum!" A voice from behind the man stated with authority. Voice imprint indicated that it came from Musketeer Squadron member Brigitte Chevalier de La Stark, otherwise known by close associates as 'Rosie'. Two more members of the Musketeer Squadron grabbed onto each of his arms to prevent him from attempting any harm on Siesta. Confirmed new arrivals as Alicia Chevalier de Melchiott and Ilfriede Chevalier de La Feulner.

I then immediately dismissed both of my weapons and closed in before pulling Siesta away from the hostile. She quickly huddled behind me for protection just as two more friendlies appeared. They were Catherine Chevalier de La O'Hara and Captain Agnes Chevalier de Milan herself. The captain gave be an acknowledging nod before turning to the man who was forced to his knees by the other knights. It appeared that Dame Stark only stabbed him with a knife to the right shoulder and was currently keeping the blade embedded inside him to keep the man from struggling. The reason why she did so instead of outright killing the man became evident once Captain Milan walked up before the kneeling form of the assailant.

"Congratulations. You have been chosen to assist in resolving a hostage incident in the Tristain Magic Academy. All you have to do is provide information as to the command structure, number of men involved, and motive for this unprovoked assault upon Tristainian soil." Captain Milan said to the man in an obviously condescending tone of voice before pulling at his hair so he could look up to meet her eyes.

"I'll never tell you anything you stupid dirty little whor-aaaarrrgh!" The man's defiance was poorly timed and rather pointless considering his current situation. It was demonstrated by Dame Stark by twisting the knife that she stabbed into the man, causing him to groan in pain.

"Language! There are ladies present!" Dame Stark reprimanded the man. It was at this point that I stepped forward and tapped Captain Milan on the shoulder.

"I have already interrogated a few hostiles before clearing this area of enemies. This unit can provide you with all the information about the current situation that I know of. Anything else, you can ask this gentleman." I offered. Instead of being relieved, Captain Milan and the other people there, including the captured hostile, simply looked at me with varying degrees of confusion and concern.

"Why does your voice sound like that?" Captain Milan asked me. I blinked when I realized that I still had my vocals modulated.

...

"I apologize. Please allow me a moment." It was strange enough to see that maid, the so-called Steel Goddess of Tarbes, standing there with a trail of dead men in her wake...but to hear a rough male voice coming from that mouth of hers was very strange.

"Monster! Get that monster away from me! Aaargh!" The fool we've managed to restrain started screaming in panic until Brigitte shut him up with another twist of the knife.

"I had to previously modulate my voice into something different in order to maintain anonymity when I first arrived. This unit noted that something was wrong, but was uncertain as to what the exact cause was. The information that I was able to extract from my first contacts did not inspire confidence in the situation." The maid Ruukoto explained while the other maid, whom I know as Dame Louise's other maid Siesta, was peeking out from behind her. We all knew that she and Yuka Kazami were not human so her demonstrations of power was not as jarring as one would expect. It did not really matter what their nature was anyway. So long as they and their Mistress were loyal to the Tristain Royal Family and are considered as personal allies of Princess Henrietta, then we would accept their assistance without resentment or judgment.

"What do you know?" I asked her with a nod.

"That man is part of a strike force composed of mercenaries gathered from various parts of the continent. The men making up the strike force are of no relation or affiliation to one another. This unit assumes that this was done in order to maintain secrecy for the mastermind or masterminds." I nodded at the new information. Whoever set this whole debacle up did not want anyone finding out who was behind the scenes pulling the strings. That makes things more inconvenient.

"Do you know who is in charge of the men here?" I asked and got a nod from the maid.

"One of the men referred to the one in charge as a blind fire mage called Menvil. The one I spoke to did not seem to know anything else about him aside from the fact that he is to be their commander, is a fire mage, is blind, and seems to be mentally unstable." My breath hitched in my throat when I heard that name.

"Ugh! A crazy blind fire mage is in charge? Who was the idiot who though that was a good idea?" Brigitte asked in an overly exasperated tone of voice.

"Wahahaha! The boss might be blind and crazy but he's a freaking triangle fire mage! You are all going to burn before dawn!" I rolled my eyes at the sudden burst bravado from the captured idiot.

"Please shut him up." I requested and Catherine quickly knocked him out with a knife pommel to the side of the head. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind but it did the job. We could always wake him up later anyway.

"Are you sure about that name?" I asked Ruukoto again just to be certain. If she was telling the truth then...

"Positive. Unless I, or the one I was interrogating at the time, was lied to." Ruukoto confirmed with a nod. I see...so the one in charge of the assault was Jean Colbert's second during the purge of my village and was likely keeping his former commander hostage along with all the other nobles. The irony of the situation was almost amusing if it wasn't so twisted. I did note that Menvil had apparently been blinded at some point. Did it happen when he attacked Colbert during the purge? I shook my head and decided that such questions would be better suited to after the current crisis was dealt with and Menvil had at least two feet of steel inserted into his chest or whatever was still left of his face.

"Do you know how many men are part of the attack?" Catherine asked Ruukoto. I blinked and turned to the older woman and saw that she was giving me a look. I ignored it but noted that I must have been lost in thought for a moment too long than was necessary.

"No. However, I do know that the students, and likely the teaching staff as well, are being held inside the Alviss Hall. Considering the number of people they would need to keep track of and the need for a stable defense, I assume that the bulk of their forces are situated there as well. This unit can scan for the definite number of hostile forces and their positions if I can get close enough to the structure." Ruukoto answered and confirmed what Ilfriede and her group encountered when they went to the Alviss Hall. Her admission of being able to tell us exactly how many enemies were inside the hall and where they were inside the building was something I was going to make sure to take advantage of later on.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Alicia asked, looking anxious to finally do something about those men who attacked the academy. I looked around and saw that my other knights also looked eager to finally get the job done.

"Alright then, we'll move in as soon as we're ready. Restrain him for interrogation later in case we have to kill all the other mercenaries in the Alviss Hall. Do you need to be at a specific place to be able to-what's wrong?" I ordered to my knights before turning back to Ruukoto to confirm what she needed in order to accomplish what she said she could. I then asked her if there was something wrong because she had her head turned to the side and was seemingly staring at the wall with great intent.

"No...it is nothing to be concerned about Captain. In regards to your intended question, the most ideal vantage point would be in front of a window that goes into the building itself. This unit can also accomplish the task by forcing a scan through a wall but it will take longer and the results will not be as accurate." She responded after dismissing my prior inquiry. I decided not to push the issue since we had other things to worry about. I then pointed at the maid that was hiding behind Ruukoto to get her attention.

"You there! You are Dame Valliere's maid are you not?" I asked the maid who I remembered having the name Siesta. She cowered behind Ruukoto for a moment before peaking out and nodding in an affirmative.

"Is there anywhere we can keep this fool while we take care of his friends?" I asked Siesta while jerking my right thumb at the now unconscious thug.

"Yes! We have a storage room with no windows and you can bar the door from the outside! I'll show you!" Siesta responded a little bit too enthusiastically before pointing down the hall behind her. Regardless I turned to my knights and both Brigitte and Ilfriede quickly picked up the thug and we were led to the storage room that the maid indicated.

"Allow me." Ruukoto said before effortlessly lifting the heavy wooden bar that was keeping the door barricaded with one hand. We all blinked at the casual feat of strength before Siesta opened the door and we tossed the thug in face first. Siesta was about to close the door again until Brigitte stopped her.

"Sorry!" The brunette said before quickly hopping into the room and pulling her knife out of the back of the thug, eliciting a pained groan from the man.

"Almost forgot this!" She yelled out before cleaning the blade of her knife on the man's shirt before trotting out and helping Siesta close the door. I nodded towards Ruukoto, who replaced the wooden bar to lock the thug inside.

"Alright, now we can deal with those mercenaries in the Alviss Hall." I stated to Ruukoto and my knights before turning back to Siesta.

"Gather all the servants and take them to the library. That's the last place those men will try to look for you. They'll all likely be focused on the hostages and us but don't attract any attention to yourselves anyway." I instructed the maid. She nodded before speaking.

"I understand, Captain. Please be careful, all of you." The maid said before running off to get the other servants.

"Alright, let's get to work." I ordered before the rest of us moved out to rendezvous with Helgarose and the other knights.

...

_**Mission Log Update...**_

After rendezvousing with the rest of the Musketeer Squadron, I was instructed to go to the vantage point that was used by two recon specialists who were assigned to monitor any changes at the Alviss Hall. The vantage point Marina Chevalier de Wulfstan and Wendy Chevalier de La Cheslock was not the most optimal one available in the area, but was logically the best one to use by human recon specialists. It was situated at a balcony with an overlooking view of the Alviss hall that provided ample overwatch of most of the forward area. A rooftop vantage point would have been better, however the one provided was more than ample to scan the inside of the hall.

I blinked when my scanners suddenly detected the same presence that I had noted back in the Servants Wing. It was faint and was originating in the direction of the capital city. However, it was approaching at high speeds and seemed to have the same magical energy signature as Lady Eleanore. I tagged it for monitoring in case it gets any closer for a better scan.

I gave my thanks to the two knights after finishing my scan before returning to Captain Milan. She and her second in command were discussing their plan of action in order to rescue the hostages inside the hall. I walked up to them deliberately in order to make my approach known.

"Were you successful?" The captain asked immediately. Her expression of anticipation was mirrored by her second, Dame Falkenmayer.

"Affirmative. All missing mages accounted for inside the Alviss Hall. I count thirty unknown contacts including one with a magic signature. Due to current circumstances, I have opted to tag all unknowns as hostile forces." I provided and saw the captain's expression tighten when I mentioned that there was a mage amongst the hostiles. I dismissed it as a standard reaction to finding out that her enemy has someone who can pose as a threat to her and her units. Dame Falkenmayer then called out to another one of the knights, identified as Freesia Chevalier de York, who gave her a large parchment that had the floor plan of the hall.

"Can you show me where they are located on this?" Captain Milan asked as Dame Falkenmayer spread the floor plan on a nearby table. I nodded and proceeded to point out where all the contacts were located. I had already long since scanned and mapped out the inside of the hall during the times I had accompanied Mistress Louise during mealtime, which was why I was able to pinpoint everyone's locations as quickly as I did.

"Damn..." I heard Captain Milan curse out through gritted teeth after I had finished my report.

"They have all the entrances covered. There's no way for us to be able to get in without it turning into a big fight. At that point, we might as well have killed the hostages ourselves. The fact that all the nobles are bunched together within that fire mage's striking distance..." Dame Falkenmayer commented after looking across the locations that I pointed out.

"A raid will result with a lot of lives lost. That's why they haven't moved despite the fact that they should already know that they're completely surrounded. We can't do anything to them like this." Captain Milan stated with a nod.

"A quandary." Dame Falkenmayer added in a displeased voice.

"Where are Dame Valliere and Mister Yuka? I highly doubt that he would allow the two of them to be captured just like that." Captain Milan suddenly asked me.

"Both Mistress Louise and Yuka Kazami are currently not within the bounds of the academy. I am afraid that I cannot disclose any more information than that under a direct request by Yuka Kazami. Please know that they are both safe but no one has the means to contact or reach them aside from Lady Cattleya and Lady Eleanore, both of whom are counted as hostages." I answered with a shake of my head. Captain Milan sighed before pinching the bridge of her nose and turning back to her second.

"Disseminate this information to the others. At the very least, it will keep everyone up to date with accurate information once we decide what to do." The captain ordered and then it was just the two of us.

"Do you have any experience in a situation like this that could help us without getting everyone killed?" Captain Milan asked me after she was sure that Dame Falkenmayer was no longer within hearing distance.

"I am afraid that my experience with hostage situations is nonexistent. My primary purpose was to combat and destroy non-human entities that cannot be fought effectively by conventional forces without unacceptable casualty rates." I explained to her with a shake of my head.

"Then we're stuck. If we wait too long, we risk agitating them and force them to do something stupid." Captain Milan commented while rubbing her forehead with her left hand.

"Are you unwell Captain?" I asked and simply received a sigh and a shake of her head.

"I don't have time to be unwell." She defiantly responded before turning back in the direction of the Alviss Hall.

"If I may..." I trailed off and waited for confirmation that it was fine for me to continue. The nod that was given by the captain was ample affirmation.

"While I do not have experience in dealing with such situations, I am not uneducated in the doctrines of such engagements. I have since learned that a sudden, unexpected, and often excessive use of force on a door or wall can be used to great effect in order to distract hostile forces long enough to be neutralized before safely securing hostages. It is a tactic known as Breach and Clear." I explained the concept of a certain tactic used by several armed forces that have adopted the widespread use of firearms and explosives in combat.

"And? Can you utilize this concept safely in this situation?" Captain Milan asked me with a raised brow, clearly intrigued with the concept itself.

"No. In this situation, we require at least two points of breaching in order to maximize the effect. A single point of entry has the risk of compromising either the strike team or the hostages. A distraction is required to prevent loss of life among friendlies." I clarified with another shake of my head.

"Then we still have nothing since we didn't exactly pack any explosives for our assignment here aside from our supply of black powder for our weapons. We certainly don't have enough to blow off a door or a wall." Captain Milan mused to herself in frustration.

"That will be unnecessary. I believe that Lady Eleanore is less than pleased with the current situation and has taken measures to deal with it her own way. From what I can tell, it likely involves a great deal of violence. I wish to take advantage of her apparent plan as the distraction we need to breach the hall and secure the hostages." I told the captain while glancing in the direction where my tag indicated that the new contact was moving even faster.

"Explain." She prompted in response.

"There is a fast mover approaching here from the direction of the capital that has Lady Eleanore's magic signature. Moreover, this contact seems to be moving underground with increasing speed. We have plus-minus eight minutes and twenty-three seconds before it arrives at the given rate of movement." I reported while pointing in the direction where Lady Eleanore's contact was coming from.

"I'll gather a strike team." Agnes said simply with a nod.

"Then please meet me on the west side of the hall once you are ready." I stated and she went off to gather who she wanted to use for the operation.

I waited patiently in front of the west wall of the hall that would best serve as the insertion point for any units. This location allowed us to effectively secure the hostages and deal with any hostiles with the least amount of risk to our side. I turned to the side and saw Captain Milan and eight others with her. Her subordinates were all armed with a musket in their hands and two more strapped on their backs. Each of them also had at two flintlock pistols equipped, one in a holster on their right hip and one strapped to a bandolier across their torso. They also had their swords in their scabbards strapped to their left hip. A heavy anti-personnel loadout for conventional forces in this era by my estimates.

In contrast, Captain Milan had a lighter loadout than her subordinates. Her sword was now strapped to her back instead of on her side. Also, instead of wielding a balanced combination of muskets and pistols, she opted to use as many flintlock pistols as she could carry. Two holstered to the back of her hip, two more strapped to each thigh, one strapped on a bandolier across her chest, and two more in each of her hands. It appeared that the captain was sacrificing range for the capability of firing more shots.

_**Identification protocols tagging strike team...**_

_**Agnes Chevalier de Milan**_

_**Alicia Chevalier de Melchiott**_

_**Nancy Chevalier de La Dufour**_

_**Ramona Chevalier de Linton**_

_**Brigitte Chevalier de La Stark**_

_**Lynn Chevalier de La Vidan**_

_**Jane Chevalier de La Turner**_

_**Wendy Chevalier de La Cheslock**_

_**Jannette Chevalier de La Walker**_

_**Logged...**_

The process itself took less time to do than the blink of an eye and I knew the value of identification friend or foe in an operation that involved several participants on all sides.

"Well? Where is this distraction you told me about?" Captain Milan asked me impatiently.

"T-minus twenty seconds and counting Captain. I would advise you to stay behind me for this initial gambit until we breach the building." I stated before walking up to the wall and feeling it with my left hand. It was not magically reinforced so breaking through should not prove troublesome.

"Gambit? What gambit?" Dame Melchiott asked with a tilt of her head. T-minus ten.

"It was a something taught to me by an infiltration and stealth specialist I used to work with. He coined this breaching method as..." I started to explain before pulling my right fist back in preparation for the breach. T-minus five. Four. Three. Two.

"Sneak Attack." I declared before striking the wall with my fist just as another loud crashing noise could be heard from within the hall.

_**Blood Dragon Tooth**_

I walked in and picked off two situated on the balcony near the windows before immediately moving to the hostages.

"Menvil!" I heard the captain roar out before shots erupted from behind me and several more hostiles were neutralized. I then noted that the cause of the other breach and the contact I detected that had Lady Eleanore's magic signature was actually some form of metal plated barbed giant scorpion. It was a scorpion the size of a large wolf which was currently ripping apart a number of hostiles closest to by its barbed metal pincers and tail.

"Miss Ruukoto! Please free me at once! Agnes cannot fight that man on her own!" Further observations on the metallic arachnid were interrupted by an urgent call from Professor Colbert. I moved to the bound professor and obliged in his request to be freed.

"They took my wand, I need to..." I interrupted him by pulling out Lady Eleanore's wand and offering it to him.

"You might need this." I provided with a nod.

"Thank you! Please free the students, I'll handle their leader!" The professor stated before getting up and moving towards the fire mage that was currently engaged by Captain Milan and two other members of her strike team. I was about to try for a kill shot with my Blood Dragon Tooth when I heard sounds of manic cackling. Manic cackling that matched vocal identification with Lady Eleanore. I turned in the direction of the cackling and saw Lady Eleanore on her feet and seemingly laughing at the carnage caused by the giant metal scorpion.

"Hahahahaha! You maggots honestly think that a daughter of the Valliere will allow herself to remain a hostage! Fools! I was simply biding my time!" Lady Eleanore declared with a vicious smile before noticing me in the immediate vicinity.

"Maid! Free me!" She yelled out at me with absolute authority before showing me her hands that were still bound to her back. I moved to her location and confirmed that Lady Cattleya, Sir Guiche, Miss Montmorency, Miss Kirche, and Miss Tabitha were with her. I broke the bonds that were holding Lady Eleanore and moved to offer her the other wand I had but she seemed to have another idea as she turned to Lady Cattleya and...

"Kyaa! Not there, Big Sister~" Several of the male students, and even Headmaster Osmond, raised their voices in awe in response to Lady Cattleya's reaction to Lady Eleanore reaching down the front of her dress. Sir Guiche was staring at the spectacle with great interest until Miss Montmorency elbowed his side.

"Aha!" Lady Eleanore declared triumphantly before pulling out her hand which was now holding a wand.

"Strad!" She then called out to the metal scorpion while pointing her wand in its general direction. The metal arachnid heeded her call and immediately jumped back to disengage itself from five hostiles.

"It's running away! Now's our chance!" One of the men declared as all five of them prepared to strike, only to be mocked by more laughter from Lady Eleanore.

"Fools!" She taunted the men moments before several large boulders fell from the ceiling and crushed the hostiles.

"My tactics are too subtle for you!" Lady Eleanore stated before laughing once more. During that entire time, I had managed to free Lady Cattleya and Mistress' friends. I had given Miss Tabitha Mistress' spare wand, which she took with an appreciative nod.

The other members of the strike team used the opportunity given by the timely distraction to open the main doors to the hall to allow access to the other knights. Dame Dufour and Dame Linton used that time to free the teaching staff for extraction.

"Maybe we should leave before my sister and Stradivarius brings the whole building down." Lady Cattleya advised as both Lady Eleanore and her scorpion continued to lay waste to the hostiles who got too close.

"Too subtle!" Lady Eleanore declared before three more hostiles posted on the upper balcony were launched into the sky by stone pillars that came from the very floor they were standing on. I then blinked when I noticed a spike of magical energy. I turned to the source and saw Professor Colbert and Captain Milan facing the leader of the hostiles. The man was surrounded with magical fire that was quickly growing in intensity.

"Get back, Agnes! You cannot fight him like this!" Professor Colbert warned before countering the flame with his own.

"How dare you try to-aaagh!" The captain's show of disapproval was cut off when the flames coming from the man known as Menvil grew even more. Upon a quick scan, it appeared that the captain had already used up and discarded her pistols and the sword in her hands was melted down to the hilt. Her armor also showed signs of burns and heat damage. The two other strike team members who initially engaged Menvil were being extracted through the hole in the wall I made to treat their wounds, mostly burns as well.

"Die! Everybody!" Menvil declared before his body was surrounded by a rapidly expanding sphere of combustive energy. I moved at the same time as Professor Colbert when he grabbed the captain and bodily threw her in our direction in a feat of strength attributed to a sudden surge of adrenaline.

"Colbert! You son of a-" Captain Milan started after landing past me but was unable to finish when she saw the professor be engulfed in the flames. I had detected that Professor Colbert was able to wrap himself in his own fire before the flames reached him so I had hoped that he could withstand the heat. The issue was that the flames were still spreading at great speed. The rate of expansion would have made it impossible for most of the friendlies still inside the hall to evacuate before the flames reached them. Impossible to get all friendlies out in time. Impossible to counter the expansion with another detonation without causing harm to friendlies. There was only one viable option available but it would render me combat ineffective for a time. Internal logic and probability engines debated the matter a total of fifteen-thousand two-hundred times in the span of one-point-seven-six-two seconds before a choice was made.

_**Disabling White Noise...**_

_**Engaging Overdrive System: NT-D...**_

The term is actually an acronym which means **Negation Territory - Development**. It was meant to become a system that combat gynoids such as myself could use in order to negate high-yield energy attacks. It would work by breaking down the unifying factor of the energy that comes into contact with the field and neutralizing it before converting the remaining energy into non-lethal formats such as light. The field does not block the energy directly but instead converts it into something that cannot harm me.

Due to my newly made fourth frame at the time, I was chosen to become the testbed for the technology in combat situations. The system that was installed into my frame was the development version of the Negation Territory System. It was incomplete and unrefined but I was assured by Professor Uzuki that a fully refined production type would be retrofitted into my frame once they have perfected the technology.

However, like the Blood Dragon Tooth, the Negation Territory was never fully completed. The Development version that was currently installed in my frame had complete functionality but was never fine-tuned or adjusted for efficiency. The maximum operation time for NT-D was exactly six-hundred seconds. A kill-switch was installed in order to prevent any and all attempts to exceed that final limit. Exceeding the maximum operation time carries the real risk of permanent damage to the internal components of my frame at best and a complete meltdown and detonation of the Erde Kaiser Sigma Type-Seven Engine at worst. Additionally, any period of use of NT-D requires a cooldown period which was directly proportional to the duration of deployment.

"What in the..." I heard Captain Milan mutter from behind me as the panels lining my frame that were meant for the system deployed. The green particle field of the Negation Territory spread out in order to protect her and the others from the flames. All that remained was to see which one could last longer.

...

"What in the..." I muttered in awe as green glowing lines suddenly appeared all over Ruukoto before a literal explosion of green sparkling lights spread out from her body. The wall of fire that was made by that bastard Menvil hit the green sparkling lights before immediately being turned into white motes of light that slowly fell to the ground. It was surreal, like being exposed to a waterfall of lights. I could not even feel the heat of the flames which were less that two feet away from me, and I was one who intimately knew what the heat of open flames felt like.

"Captain!" I blinked with a start at hearing Helgarose's voice. I stood up, ignoring the pain I was feeling as I did so, and turned around to see my second with Ilfriede and Lunateresia at her side. They were looking between me and the spectacle happening behind me with concern and awe while clutching their muskets tightly.

"This building has become too dangerous to stay inside of! Get everyone out of here!" I commanded while pointing to the main doors where the rest of the squadron was already escorting both hostages and prisoners out of the Alviss Hall.

"What about you Captain?" Lunateresia asked with clear concern.

"I will remain here with Ruukoto to make sure Menvil is either rendered unable to do anyone any harm or is turned into a corpse. Preferrably the former so I can take my time with him in the dungeons later." I declared while waving what was left of my sword at them idly.

"It's too dangerous! Please reconsider!" Ilfriede pleaded while her eyes flitted between me and the raging fires behind me.

"This is a direct order! The three of you should know better than any of our sisters why I need to do this." I stepped in to make everything clear to all of them. Aside from Catherine and Michelle, the three knights before me were the only ones in our squadron that knew the truth behind my past and the scars on my body.

"This isn't worth your life Agnes!" Helgarose yelled at me using my name instead of my rank. The only times when she does that is when she believes that I was doing something stupid. She was one of the very few people who could do that without fear of retaliation. I chose her as my second over Michelle or even Catherine for good reason. She was one of the very few people in the squadron who would stand up to me if she had too and also had the capacity to lead the others if needed...to replace me if it had to come down to that.

"This is my life, Helga. I will choose if something is worth risking it or not. Now get out of here before I throw all three of you out myself." I stated with a shake of my head. Normally, I would have heeded her advice and would have just evacuated and let the Steel Goddess take care of the threat. Normally, I wouldn't have been so stubborn to a point where I wouldn't back down even after being reduced to wielding a sword hilt as my main weapon. This was not one of our normal missions. On the other side of that green wall made of light that Ruukoto made were the two men most directly responsible for the purge of my village. I couldn't back down from this even if I had wanted to, not anymore.

"At least take my musket then!" Helgarose said before offering her weapon for my use. I shook my head and pushed the weapon back to her.

"If seven pistol shots at close range can't penetrate his flames, then a single musket ball has little chance." I explained before turning my back to them, indicating that the conversation was over.

It frustrated me to no end how Menvil was able to burn through everything we shot at him, even reducing my sword to a molten puddle on the floor. That took at least a high triangle, borderline square, rank mage to be able to accomplish that kind of feat. It only meant that the madman became stronger that he was before because the report I read in the hidden archives stated that he shouldn't be anywhere near that powerful.

"You better not die on us, Agnes. I am not commanding these girls by myself. I'll drag you back out of this hell if I have to, you hear?" Helgarose stated in voice that held more emotion that what I was used to. I just gave a wave of my left hand to tell them to leave. At the very least, those girls won't be dragged into my personal problems any further.

"Fuga." I turned to Ruukoto when the made suddenly started speaking using that odd word again.

"Fuga." She repeated but this time her voice was echoing. A few seconds later, the firestorm started to weaken before another loud explosion could be heard deeper inside. Then, as suddenly as it started, the blazing fires receded and all but disappeared aside from small embers and small fires scattered everywhere. More importantly, both Colbert and Menvil were gone but there was a very prominent hole in the wall on the far end of the hall. The streams of fire coming from beyond answered the question of where those two men went. The green sparkles coming from Ruukoto's body slowly dissipated before the maid dropped to one knee.

"Are you alright?" I asked in genuine concern. No matter how she did it, she may have just saved everyone's lives just now by using those green sparkles of hers.

"Fuga." She responded with a shake of her head while holding up her right hand to keep me from touching her. Her eyes were closed and she looked tired. Before I could say anything else part of her shoulders suddenly popped open before steam started coming out.

"Will...will you be alright by yourself? If you think that you will, then I have to leave you to take care of Menvil." I said to the maid while tightening my grip on what was left of my sword. Ruukoto opened her eyes and turned to me and I flinched away for but a moment when I saw that she had green eyes. There was no mistake, they were as clear and hard as emerald. I have seen her eyes before in other occasions. The cold ruby orbs that appear whenever she acts like a lifeless doll and just says that Fuga word over and over again when speaking. I have also seen the warm sapphire jewels that show whenever she speaks perfectly fluent Halkeginian and, dare I say, seemed more open and caring. She glanced between me and my sword before shaking her head again.

_**G-Revolver**_

A large silver colored pistol appeared in her right hand. It had a strange cylindrical attachment near the pistol grip that had what looked like several chambers in it.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said before holding the weapon by the barrel and pointing the pistol grip at me.

"You want me to use it?" I asked after understanding the implication of the gesture. Ruukoto nodded in response before slightly waving the pistol at me.

"I don't even know how to fire it properly." I immediately pointed out that I had no idea how to effectively wield that weapon of hers. Even if it was vaguely in a similar shape as a matchlock pistol, I was no fool to think that it worked or fired the same way. I knew very well how badly things could go if you don't respect and understand firearms.

"Fuga." Ruukoto then reached out with her other arm and pulled me closer by my right hand. The action made me drop what was left of my sword and the maid quickly replaced it with her pistol. She then took my other hand and moved it to help my right hand hold the weapon.

It was heavy, moreso than the pistols I have used. I could almost feel the power of the weapon be transmitted by the weight I felt in my hands at that moment.

"Fuga." The maid guided my hands to lift up the weapon to eye level so I could sight it. With my hands stretched out to hold the weapon properly, the pistol felt even heavier. I doubted that I could keep it leveled for long, maybe just enough to properly aim and fire but not long enough to track or lead a moving target. There were two protrusions at the back end of the barrel near a strange looking lever at the end. I also noted the presence of a standard sighting marker at the tip of the barrel. When I tried to aim the weapon, I found out what the purpose of the other two protrusions was. The protrusions I saw lined up and aided in aiming the pistol, a much more accurate way than what we had on our own firearms. It was definitely something I wanted to talk about with our gunsmiths later on.

"Fuga." Ruukoto said while holding up her right index finger.

"Fuga." She repeated while emphasizing the finger she was showing me. After a moment, I understood what she was trying to tell me. One shot. I had one chance to be able to use the weapon in my hands.

"I understand. I will make that one chance count." I stated with a nod that Ruukoto returned before moving through the burnt part of the Alviss Hall and to that hole in the wall. Once outside I saw that there were small fires and scorch marks all over the field behind the hall.

"What's wrong Commander? Is your age starting to get to you?" I turned in the direction of the mocking voice and saw a manic looking Menvil standing a few feet away from Colbert, who was on his back and struggling to stand up. Both men showed signs of burns and singes all over their clothes and bodies but Colbert looked more affected by them than the blind madman.

"H-how? That kind...that kind of fire should be impossible to achieve...after only a few years...even with all the training in the world...how did you achieve that flame?" The man once known as the Flame Snake asked the madman in ragged breaths. In response, Menvil started laughing at his face.

"I have been blessed, Commander! The Sacred Lady empowered my flames to heights I could not even imagine back then! It is glorious! To think I was able to lay you low so easily! So very easily! Hahahaha!" Menvil stated grandly while spreading his arms wide to his sides. I had enough of this whole mess. I hefted the pistol in my hands and aimed...before freezing.

Ruukoto said I had one shot. I had two targets. Both men I had sought to kill since even before I became a knight. I had to kill them both. I had to!

They were the ones who took my life away from me!

They took my family away from me!

They took my childhood away from me!

I switched my aim between them over and over again. I only had one shot. I promised Ruukoto I would make this shot count. But...but...

"Now then! In order to thank you for what you did to my face that eventually led me to achieve this new power, let me thoroughly show you the glory of my flames! Enjoy it Commander!" Menvil declared before pointing his wand at Colbert and starting an incantation that wrapped his hand and wand in a strange purple flame.

"Not today!" Colbert countered before raising his own wand and conjuring a stream of blue flame in the shape of a serpent.

"Hahahahaha!" Menvil simply laughed the whole thing off just as the flame snake made contact with his own purple fire.

"Impossible...such a thing should not be possible with our magic..." I heard Colbert say after his flame snake was consumed and converted into the same purple flame as what Menvil was wielding.

"Nothing is impossible for the power given by the Sacred Lady! Now prepare to be consumed by my flames!" Menvil declared before his purple flames gathered around his wand.

"Aaaagh!" I didn't even realize that I had done what I had until I heard the boom. I felt my arms get forcefully swung over my head as my body looked like it was pushed back by an unseen wall of force. I was barely even able to keep my grip on the pistol that felt like it was being wrenched from my hands. Only when I fell on my backside that I had realized what had transpired. I rested the heavy pistol on the grass even as I kept it held fast with both of my hands.

In one loud violent instant, everything that was once Menvil was reduced to two stumps of flesh that were his legs. His body above his thighs was gone.

"Agnes..." I turned to the source of the voice and saw Colbert staring at me with an expression that was a mixture of fear, relief, and concern. I shook my head at that. He wasn't supposed to have that kind of face. Not the man who took everything from me. Not the man who saved only my life.

"No!" I screamed before forcing myself to my feet. My whole body shook despite my efforts to force myself to calm down. My breathing was hard and I could faintly tell that I was shaking my head with each step I took.

"Agnes! What is wrong Agnes?" I grit my teeth and ignored the words of that man and continued forward. Slowly. Step by agonizing step. Just like how I had walked the streets of my former home as it burned all around me. I continued forward until I was in front of that man who still looked too hurt to stand up.

"No." I muttered again before straddling him and pointing the barrel of Ruukoto's pistol right in the middle of his chest.

"Agnes? Why are you..." That man called out my name in a way that twisted my heart and made my breath hitch in my throat.

"...no..." I whispered before I felt something wet on my cheeks.

"Agn-" I did not let that man finish saying my name.

"NO! You're..." I trailed off while pushing the pistol into his chest even more in order to ignore the drops of water that started falling on his face.

"You're not supposed to have that kind of face! You're not supposed to be acting this way! You're supposed to be a monster! You're supposed to be something I have to kill! You're supposed to be something that has to be killed! You...you..." I yelled out at him for not acting the way he was supposed to. All I received in return was a look of genuine concern that made my shake my head over and over again.

"What are you saying Agnes? What is wrong?" The man asked me worriedly even though I was pushing a weapon, one that could reduce him to nothing like Menvil, at his chest.

"Silence! You took my family from me! You took my village and burned it into the ground! Worst of it is that you saved me! Why me?! Why not someone else and let me burn so I didn't have to bear this everyday of my life since then?! I have to kill you! It's the only way for me to be free from this! I have to kill you! I have to! If I don't...I'll..." I screamed at him. I was at the point where I wasn't even certain as to why I was saying all of those things. I could have simply struck him down like any other foe that I needed to kill, like how I ended Menvil's life. The look on that man's face when he started to piece everything together was almost comical if it wasn't so infuriating to see.

"No...it...it can't be...you are..." That man stuttered out in his own growing horror.

"That's right...I'm the girl you brought out of the flames, the only person who survived the slaughter of D'Angleterre." I said with a twisted sense of glee after seeing his eyes widen at my admission. I wasn't sure if I was smiling or not at that point...if I was, I didn't want to know what kind of smile I was showing to that man.

"I...I see...so you know..." He said with a pained wince. He then looked right into my eyes and I saw something in them I wasn't sure that I had wanted to see. Resignation.

"Then so be it..." He then stated with a solemn nod.

"Wh-what?" I asked him in obvious surprise. After his career as a knight and survived. After refusing to surrender to Menvil even after being struck down. Jean Colbert, I have learned, was not a man who would let himself die easily.

"I tried to dissuade you from trying to take revenge for whatever vendetta you had because I knew that it would just destroy you someday. However, I did not know the nature of your desire for vengeance." He continued with a helpless sigh.

"If...if what happened has been breaking you this much...if what happened is the cause for the pain you are showing right now then..." He trailed off before taking a deep breath.

"If it will finally give you peace, then I would gladly give my life for you." That man said without the fear and hesitation I saw in his face earlier.

"Why? You're supposed to fight. You should be struggling to kill me to save your own hide. You're..." I started as more drops of water started appearing on his face. No. No. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was-

"I'm glad..." He then said with the same warm smile that I've seen him give the students he has taught.

"Wha-" The question died in my throat even before I could finish it.

"I had tried to look for that girl I brought to the church to be healed in order to help her look for a new family. When I was told that she was gone, I had thought the worst...just another life I was not able to save because of my mistakes. But now that I know who you are..." He started to say things that I did not want to hear, things that I did not need to hear. This kind of thing...

"I am happy that the girl I was able to pull out of that hell was able to grow up and live her own life..." He can't be saying all that with that smile...he can't...

"If this is what it will take to pay back the debt to you that I will never be able to repay then go ahead. My life is yours to take." He finally said before closing his eyes and showing me a contented smile. He can't...He can't do this to me!

"Raaaaaaaagh!" I screamed at him before forcing my eyes shut and squeezing the trigger. I grit my teeth when nothing happened so I squeezed it again. The trigger was wouldn't move. Nothing was happening but I kept squeezing the trigger over and over again. I kept screaming and trying to fire the shot that would finally end my suffering even if it meant that it would destroy my own body as well. That was when I felt a firm hand grip my left shoulder.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Dave." A completely cold and slightly distorted feminine voice whispered from behind me. I turned around and saw Ruukoto standing there, once again having blue eyes instead of red or green. I did not know who this 'Dave' she was referring to was but her intent was obvious enough to warrant a direct response.

"Don't stop me! I have to do this!" I half-yelled-half-pleaded to the maid. Ruukoto simply tilted her head at me and blinked, her eyes rapidly shifting between blue-to-red-to-green even as streams of light passed across them.

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" She responded in the same voice that sounded like she was trying to talk in the middle of a storm.

"What?" I asked after being caught off guard by her odd question. Ruukoto then closed her eyes for a few more seconds before part of her shoulders popped open again and cool wisps of air blew out from within whatever odd mechanism was inside.

"I apologize..." She then said in a much more normal version of her voice before opening her eyes to once again show her warm blue orbs.

"...forced cooling after using system NT-D has been known to temporarily leave me with...side-effects. Allow me to clarify my previous statements. I am afraid that I will have to intervene in your current course of action Captain." She explained before saying that she wasn't going to let me kill that man.

"You can't do this to me..." I growled at her dangerously.

"I had thought that you understood that you only had one shot allowed. A shot that was clearly intended for Menvil, which you were able to accomplish. Was I mistaken in my assumption?" Ruukoto reminded me of the gestures she made at me after she gave me hear weapon.

"That's..." I trailed off as my mind started to clear again and I started to understand what she meant.

"Additionally, I was ordered to protect the lives of everyone who resides in the Tristain Magic Academy to the best of my ability. This includes you and your fellow knights. Naturally, this also includes Professor Jean Colbert. The weapon in your hands will not fire unless I authorize it to be able to. I am afraid that I cannot allow you to kill this man." She then stated with perfect clarity and without hesitation but still somehow held the sentiment of seeming apologetic. A moment later, I felt the pistol in my hands slowly lose its shape before it was completely gone in a small flash of golden light.

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" I yelled at her in both anger and desperation as I started to feel my head throb painfully once more.

"Is it not the usual course of action for this kind of situation simple? To apologize and forgive? Depending on the severity of Professor Colbert's transgression to you, it may be more suitable for him to earn your forgiveness through great personal effort." Ruukoto asked me with a blink and a tilted of her head before providing me what I thought was an absurd suggestion.

"Do you honestly think that it would be that easy?" I asked her in a mocking tone of voice. The maid merely shook her head in response before speaking.

"Allow me to clarify. I stated that the solution it simple. I never implied that it would be easy." She said as if it was just some common fact of life.

"I..." I tried to come up with something more to say but I found myself unable to gather my thoughts. It was like my mind was wading through a quagmire.

"Please do not force me to have to kill you in order to protect Professor Colbert. Several individuals would not approve of such an action, but I will do so if I must in spite of that in order to fulfill my Mistress' direct order." Ruukoto then said something that cleared my mind in that very moment. The hand on my shoulder felt heavier by the time she finished her statement, showing that she was very serious about what she had said.

"No! I will not allow you to harm Agnes! Please, there has to be some other way!" Colbert suddenly yelled out and I felt him try to shift his weight under me. I pushed him down to stop him from moving around while Ruukoto looked between the two of us.

"A compromise. Take his life, make it your own, and use it to make the world a better place. That was the term used by another who was in a comparable situation." The maid then decided to pose the most absurd suggestion I have ever heard. I had thought that she had lost her mind.

"Agnes, you don't have to force yourself to-" I heard Colbert say in a worried voice before I felt his right hand touch my left arm.

"Quiet! You don't get a say in this!" That set me off and I yelled at him while swatting away his hand. I didn't need this right now. I couldn't think straight and anything I say or do here would probably be something I'd regret. With that in mind, I slowly stood up and started to walk back to the hall.

"Do you forgive him now?" I heard Ruukoto ask from behind me. It was a very unfair question to ask me at the time and I wasn't sure if the maid knew that or not.

There was a part of me that wanted to forgive him. There was another part of me that still wanted him dead. Then there was the part of me that just wanted to give up and collapse.

"Agnes!" I barely heard Colbert's fading voice before the darkness took me.

That last one was the part that won.

...

_**Mission Log Update...**_

"One night! I don't sleep in my room for one night and the whole academy gets taken hostage!" Mistress yelled as she struggled to pull out what was left of the shredded bed sheet that was still clinging onto her mattress.

"Fuga." I stated as I reorganized Mistress' clothing, pointing out the probability of such a thing happening again was almost nonexistent. Almost. The wardrobe was still missing one of the doors but it was still more or less intact. I turned to Mistress Louise after hearing her scream out in frustration and falling on her rear when the cloth she was holding onto abruptly ripped away from the rest of the bed sheet.

"Argh! Yuka! Stop moping there and help us clean up!" Mistress called out to Yuka Kazami. The flower youkai was sitting on a chair near Mistress' desk and was sighing every six-point-seven-two seconds while sadly looking at what was left of his shredded straw hat.

"Such a waste. I barely knew thee, my friend. Goodnight, sweet prince." Yuka Kazami openly lamented with a dejected sigh afterward. Mistress responded with a groan before getting back to her feet. I continued to fold Mistress' clothes and mostly ignored the usual byplay between the two of them but made sure to keep track of the conversation just in case.

"It's just a hat!" Mistress yelled at the flower youkai.

"It was my hat." He responded pointedly.

"It's just a stupid straw hat! Get over it!" Mistress dismissed Yuka Kazami's distress in the matter of his unwearable hat.

"You're just saying that because your hat is fine." Yuka Kazami pointed out accusingly while pointing at Mistress' own hat, which now once again had the Founder's Prayer Book hidden underneath.

"Oh for the love of...we'll just buy you a new damn hat on the next Day of the Void then!" Mistress Louise offered in exasperation simply in order to put the whole thing to rest. Yuka Kazami gave out a thoughtful him while staring intently at the remains if his straw hat before sighing and giving Mistress a nod.

"Very well. I will provide this one a proper burial in the garden later. It would only be proper to give that much respect for an old partner." Yuka Kazami stated solemnly while softly caressing his hat. Mistress simply rolled her eyes and gave a dismissive wave in his direction before turning back to the task of attempting to get her room back in order. The other students were also doing the same in their own rooms as well.

Due to the overall property damage all over the academy directly attributed of the incident last night, the cleaning staff as well as other workers and soldiers called in from the Tristain capital were tasked to repair the more damaged areas first as well as taking care of the dead bodies. Of course, I had made sure to add my stealth kills to the pile when they started gathering up the dead for burial.

That left the students to mostly try to reorganize their own rooms and belongings on their own. The scene inside Mistress' room was mirrored all throughout the dormitory tower which was why there was a significant increase in overall activity and noise levels in the immediate vicinity. Although, Headmaster Osmond stated that it was a unique opportunity for the students to be able to help one another in a time of great need for everyone. And indeed, several students were helping each other get their rooms back in order through deed and magic.

"Excuse me, Dame Valliere?" We all turned and saw Ilfriede Chevalier de La Feulner by the open doorframe.

"Yes, can we help you Dame Feulner?" Mistress immediately asked with a welcome, if slightly tired, smile.

"Actually, I was wondering if there was anything you needed...aside from a new door of course. Ahaha~" The knight stated before giving out a laugh at the current lack of a door to Mistress' room. The door that the room did have was far too damaged to be used or repaired, like several other rooms in the academy, so it was simply decided that it would be easier to dispose of them and have them replaced as soon as possible.

"Aside from the obvious, we're fine here." Mistress responded while gesturing at the current state of her room. Dame Feulner gave out an embarrassed laugh at that before rubbing the back of her head.

"I suppose. Well then..." Dame Feulner was about to leave but Mistress stepped forward before speaking.

"Wait! There is something...ummm...well...about Dame Milan. I had heard from Ruukoto that she had collapsed after the fighting ended and..." Mistress stated hesitantly and I noticed that Yuka Kazami had also turned to pay attention to the conversation.

I had carried both Captain Milan and Professor Colbert to where the members of the Musketeer Squardron were waiting after Captain Milan collapsed. I then assisted in bringing the wounded who needed further treatment, after being given first aid by the knights and available Water Mages, to the infirmary. Afterwhich, I was tasked by Dame Falkenmayer to maintain surveillance on the entirety of the academy until morning when Mistress and Yuka Kazami returned from Mugenkan.

"The Captain hasn't woken up yet but the healers said that it was just severe exhaustion that agitated her old scars. In fact, Professor Colbert has been by her side ever since once he was able to recover from his own willpower fatigue." Dame Feulner explained with an odd smile on her face when she reached the last part of her statement.

"Professor Colbert? Why would he be watching over her instead of one of the other knights?" Mistress asked with a blink. In response, Dame Feulner simply covered her mouth with her right hand and started trembling in an attempt to suppress what I assumed was amusement.

"I see...so that was the kind of resolution that happened. An unexpected but amusingly acceptable one I suppose." Yuka Kazami stated with his own very amused expression.

"What are you talking about?" Mistress Louise asked him with an even more confused expression.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache." And Yuka Kazami simply dismissed her concerns with a wave.

"Just start helping us clean up! I want some of this done by lunch! Thank you for telling us about that, Dame Feulner." And with Mistress' statement and thanks to the knight, we proceeded to try to get her room back to some semblance of order once again.

...

Please R&R~


	38. Chapter 31

Author's Notes: Wow, this took longer to finish even though it is one of the shorter chapters of this story. I have things to blame for that but I will not name them. _It was mostly Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition_. I made an Emiya Shirou build based on the Failed Knight Trace from **The Lives and Times of Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg **by **Angry Santo.** Yes, Elite Knight set with Great Shield of Artorias and Black Knight Greatsword. Slow as balls character though. Cool stuff, that story.

Also, a Guest reviewer was asking who S. Uzuki and S. Shirakawa were. Well, Uzuki is based on Shion Uzuki from Xenosaga while Shirakawa is based on Shu Shirakawa from Super Robot Wars.

Anyway, here is a bit of slice and life and silly happenings. Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: The Black Knight Halberd is the best Black Knight weapon.

...

"-and that is how all religious conflicts in Gensokyo finally ended~" The bubbly pink haired cherryblossom themed ghost princess stated with cheer, concluding her personal experience during the incident known as The Final Masquerade.

"What a wonderfully quaint and creative way of dealing with such a sensitive issue~" The now confirmed fully cured second daughter of the Valliere family responded with as much enthusiasm.

"Remind me again as to why Yuyuko is here." I flatly requested to Yukari, who was seated beside me. We were back in Mugenkan and the feeling of crowdedness was starting to come back. Chief reason was because I had to conjure up two tables for tea and snacks that evening instead of just one. We were situated in front of my mansion there with Louise, Touya, Yukari, and I seated at one table while the other table was occupied by Eleanore, Cattleya, and Yuyuko.

I had originally only expected Louise to appear that night, maybe Cirno and-or Yukari as well. I had certainly not expected the border youkai to appear with the Hakurei priest, and the ghost princess at her side instead of my former student. Even more so, I had not expected both Cattleya and Eleanore to enter my border of dreams through their respective doors at the same time.

Because of what happened in the academy, Cattleya was called back to their family's mansion for her own safety while Eleanore was requested back to the capital by her employers. Agnes and her knights stayed a few more days to ensure security but were eventually called back by Henrietta once the new guards were in place. Additionally, it appeared that both Henrietta and Wales used the attack to push for a more serious effort for their little war against Cromwell and his forces in Albion. Unfortunately for Monmon, this included a call to arms for all able male nobles of acceptable age. Guiche had left yesterday and Louise and her friends made sure to assure Monmon as much as they could that the boy would be fine once everything was over.

In any case, the first meeting between the elder Valliere sisters and Yuyuko Saigyouji was an oddly varied experience. Cattleya and Yuyuko went together and started talking as if they had known each other their entire lives. The middle sister had not even batted an eye after Yuyuko revealed that she was a ghost. Eleanore on the other hand nearly broke down in panic before hiding behind me and fearfully asking why there were two Cattleyas now and why one of them was translucent in certain areas of her body. I was actually surprised that things did not break down any further after that and we all simply sat down for tea and cakes.

"Well, I can assure you that it was all a coincidence. Everything just sort of happened." Yukari responded with a smile as she took a bite of her cake. I just sighed and turned to the only other reasonable person from Gensokyo at the table.

"Touya?" I asked and saw that he and Louise were animatedly conversing about something. Both him and my master turned to me and gave a 'huh' at the same time. It appeared that the two of them were so engrossed in their own talk that they weren't listening to me.

"Ufufufu~" I raised a brow when I heard Yukari suddenly give out a certain kind of subdued laugh. I turned back to the border youkai and saw that she and Yuyuko were exchanging looks, with Yukari looking rather pleased with herself while her best friend looked like she was considering something. The whole thing only lasted for a second before Yuyuko returned to talking with the two other Valliere sisters while Yukari settled with simply winking at me. I just settled to shaking my head and turning back to Louise and Touya, both of whom looked rather puzzled but chose to wait for me to speak.

"Since Yukari is being Yukari, I would like to know how she roped all of you into coming here with her today." I stated and got a look of comprehension from the young man.

"Oh yeah! I'm actually not really sure how it turned out this way too either once I think about it." Touya admitted while looking down at the table in contemplation.

"I was at the shrine, more or less minding my own business. It was a pretty quiet day since Auntie Suika went off to visit Yuugi while everyone else seemed to be busy with their own things. Then Lady Yuyuko flew into the shrine saying that she wanted to check up on me since Youmu couldn't and since we hadn't had a chance to talk in a while." Touya recounted his seemingly quiet day.

"Yes~! I had missed having talks with Touya and felt that it was a wonderful day to do so~" Yuyuko added from the other table. We all looked over and it seemed that the occupants of the adjacent table were listening in as well.

"I actually found it rather bold of you to do so, considering how certain others would react to such a move." Yukari commented with a conspiratory smile that Yuyuko returned before giving out a defiant 'hmph'.

"This and that are different. I was simply talking with him and was in no way violating anything with our agreement. I simply had nothing to do for the day and remembered how much I had missed Touya." Yuyuko calmly stated with a confident smile.

"What are you two talking about?" Touya asked while looking at the two friends in turn.

"Nothing you should concern yourself about, dear!~" Both Yuyuko and Yukari answered at the same time with the same smile. I had known exactly what they were talking about but made sure to keep quiet about it. Yukari was already enough to deal with while Yuyuko was very much pushing it. I did not even want to consider the kind of irritations I would have to deal with if Kanako, Suwako, Remilia, and Eirin decided to have a chat with me because of what I know about their little arrangement with each other.

"I have learned through experience that when someone says that one should not concern themselves about something, it usually turns out to be something they should very much be concerned about." Eleanore chimed in with clear suspicion in her voice. Sharp as she was, I had discovered that the eldest Valliere sister had occasional lapses in wisdom when it came to reading the mood.

"Eleanore." I called out to the woman and simply shook my head quietly after she turned to me. I saw her about to say something else until Cattleya placed her hand on her sister's and just gave her a smile. If Eleanore was smart, then I would consider Cattleya as cunning...at least far more so than both of her sisters. Eleanore frowned at her sister but decided to let the matter drop with a sigh as Cattleya turned to Touya with a warmer smile.

"And then what happened, Master Touya?" The middle sister asked the Shield of the Eastern Wonderland to continue.

"I already told you to just call me Touya, Miss Cattleya. I am nowhere near skilled enough to be called a Master yet. Anyway, Yukari suddenly showed up and told us that she was going to Mugenkan to check on Louise and Yuka and asked if we wanted to come along. I was sort of dragged along for the ride, I suppose." The young man explained while scratching the back of his head.

"I didn't see you complaining about it. Though I would like to point out that you would have already made progress on becoming if you would have just started working harder on your training." Yukari said in a lecturing tone while wagging her right index finger at him like a disappointed teacher.

"Yukari, it just doesn't sound convincing at all if you are the one talking about working hard." I pointed out while gesturing to the woman with my cup of tea. Yukari pouted after seeing both Louise and Touya nod in agreement. Then she turned to me and gave me another one of 'those' smiles whenever she ineffectually attempts to try to seduce me.

"Oh~! I'm sure I have ways of convincing you that I can work hard at something~" Yukari slowly said while leaning towards me while making sure to emphasize her breasts. She also pointedly ignored the annoyed groans that Louise and Touya gave out at her blatant attempts. I sighed and turned to the one person I know who can deliberately motivate Yukari into doing something.

"Can you please do something about this, Yuyuko?" I asked the ghost princess while nodding towards the border youkai.

"Hmmm~?" Yuyuko hummed in bid to feign ignorance to what was happening a couple of feet away from her. The custodian of the Netherworld looked between Yukari and myself before tilting her head to the side and idly gazing up at the sky in apparent contemplation.

"Well, I suppose that I can also join in if you think that Yukari won't be able to satisfy you by herself. Besides, it has been quite a while since I've indulged in that sort of activity...might be fun~" Yuyuko considered out loud and quickly turned to Cattleya and Eleanore before anyone could react to what she had just said.

"The two of you are welcome to join in if you'd like. I'm sure that Yuka can make the bed big enough to accommodate all of us and, from what Yukari tells me, he should also be more than capable of fully satisfying all of us before daybreak in your realm~" Yuyuko offered with a big smile and clap of her hands. Eleanore getting flustered by the offer was a given but even I was surprised to see Cattleya's face light up in a way that would be more suited to her sisters.

"W-w-what are you saying to my sisters?!" Louise yelled out after getting to her feet while her face was about as red as the other two sisters. Yukari looked like she was lost in her own little daydream, no guesses as to what about, while Touya suddenly found his slice of strawberry cake to be a rather fascinating thing to stare at with intensity.

"Oh, don't worry Louise~! I'm sure that we can have room for one more, right Yuka?" Yuyuko said in an attempt to appease my master, if that was what Louise was angry about in the first place.

"No more talk about doing perverted things with my familiar!" My master yelled at the ghost princess. Yuyuko simply put her right hand over her mouth demurely before giving starting to giggle.

"All of that was simply in jest, Louise. Though Yukari was right, the reactions from you girls do get rather animated~" Yuyuko pointed out while fanning her left hand at Louise to dismiss her concerns. I could see what she had meant though, Louise was glaring at Yuyuko while sporting a rather prominent blush on her cheeks. Eleanore, on the other hand, was alternating between glaring at Yuyuko and stealing glances at me while blushing hard. Cattleya was just staring down at her table while also blushing. The middle sister's head was tilted down so her pink hair covered most of her face from visible view, though I noticed that her shoulders trembled every now and then.

"Isn't that right, Yukari~? Oh my~! It looks like the three of you weren't the only ones who took my joke seriously." Yuyuko said after turning to Yukari and seeing the border youkai.

"Guehe~! Guehehehe~!" Yukari was currently staring at nothing while propping up her chin with her right hand. She looked like she was in a daze while giving out that strange laugh. Yuyuko just gave her best friend a small smile before turning back to Louise.

"In any case, I certainly wouldn't actually try to do such a thing without full consent from all parties involved of course." The ghost princess clarified with a warm smile before turning to me.

"Though I certainly would not mind it if Yuka would like to have an intimate moment with Yukari and I~" Yuyuko mused while looking right into my eyes giving me a certain kind of smile.

"Sorry to disappoint then." I responded with a dismissive wave that Yuyuko simply shrugged at.

"Oh well, at least I tried. Though, I would advise that you avoid being seen by Kanako or Yuugi...maybe Eirin as well. I doubt that they would simply take no for an answer if it turns out that your current form suits their fancy." Yuyuko warned with a smile. I simply shrugged before refilling my cup. It was not like I was going to see any of them anytime soon anyway.

"Well, as fun as this whole thing was, I shall be taking my leave for the night." Eleanore announced before standing up, her composure apparently already restored.

"Already leaving?" Cattleya asked her sister with a tilt of her head.

"Well, I AM apparently the only one here with an actual profession it seems. A profession I would very much like to keep so I will at least need a few hours of sleep in order for me to be able to do my job to a competent degree." Eleanore pointed out while placing her hands on her hips and giving each of us there a hard look.

"I have a profession. I'm the Hakurei Shrine Priest." Touya said while raising his right hand.

"And I am the one given charge of Gensokyo's netherworld." Yuyuko added while raising her own right hand.

"Hakurei Border Manager and overall major guardian of Gensokyo." Yukari also stated while raising her right hand as well.

"I meant a real job where you get paid for your work and...why am I even arguing about this with all of you? Just enjoy the rest of the night and don't stay up too late you two." Eleanore started to build steam before deciding better of it and saying the last part to her younger sisters like a proper big sister should.

"Have a good rest, Big Sister Eleanore." Cattleya bid her older sister good night with a smile that the blonde returned.

"Good night, Big Sis Eleanore." Louise followed up.

"Good night, runt." Eleanore returned the greeting before turning to leave. I noticed the tired slump of her shoulders and considered what the woman had been through lately. On a whim, I decided to do a little something about it.

"Eleanore, if I may." I called out to the eldest sister before rising from my seat.

"Yes? What is it Yuka?" Eleanore asked me with a raised brow while putting her right hand on her right hip. I walked up to the eldest sister and pulled out a wooden box from within my vest that had an sunflower engraved on the lid.

"This is a herbal tea that is very effective in helping with fatigue and sleepiness. Put two teaspoons of the herb in your teacup and pour boiling water on it before letting it sit for around ten minutes. It is most effective to drink after a meal or after a bath. I suggest that you drink it three times a day until you use it all up." I stated while offering the box to Eleanore. The blonde blinked at me before eyeing the box in my hand.

"Why?" Eleanore asked the rather obvious question.

"Obviously, it is because of O~!" Yukari suddenly yelled out from the tables while moving her arms to make a vague 'O' shape with them over her head.

"L~!" Yuyuko followed up with her own arm movements to represent an 'L'.

"Hyaa!" Louise yelped out after Yukari grabbed her and made her stand up.

"E~!" Yukari continued while guiding Louise's arms by the wrist to an approximation of the letter intended.

"Kya!" Cattleya then yelped when Yuyuko did the same thing and commandeered the middle sister's use of her arms.

"V~!" Yuyuko said while raising Cattleya's arms up in the air. There was an odd silence that followed after the sudden and rather random display. The silence was eventually broken by Touya who had a look of contemplation on his face.

"Olev?" The Shield of the Eastern Wonderland voiced out loud with a tilt of his head. Eleanore and I stared at the spectacle for a few more moments before glancing back at one another.

"Ignore what just happened?" I suggested and the blonde nodded in agreement.

"Better for us. Thank you for this, by the way." Eleanore said before talking the box of herbal tea.

"Oh! Big Sis Eleanore! We'll be going to the capital tomorrow to do some shopping. Can...can we visit you there?" Louise suddenly called out before meekly voicing her request. To her credit, Eleanore almost did not flinch nor blush at her younger sister's question. I could also see Yukari, Yuyuko, and Cattleya looking on with matching amused expressions. Indeed, the middle sister is likely the most dangerous one among the three. Touya merely looked on with a small smile on his face while observing the proceedings.

"W-w-what are you talking about?! I have a lot of things I need to do once I get back! I'm already behind on my projects because I was called out to teach you and your fellow runts!" Eleanore yelled out at her youngest sister. Louise flinched at her sister's words but Yukari placed a calming hand on her shoulder to soothe her nerves.

"I just...I just wanted to spend more time with you and..." Louise trailed off while looking down on the ground. Both Touya and Cattleya stood up at that point but the middle sister was the one who walked up to Louise and gave her a hug, Touya simply walked up to Louise and gave her an encouraging smile that my master returned. Yuyuko simply chose to stay back and observe.

"Aren't you going there too?" I asked the eldest sister.

"Hmph! Look all the people around her now." Eleanore dismissed my question before nodding towards Louise and the others.

"She doesn't need me to coddle her." The eldest sister pointed out with a shrug.

"Perhaps. However, I am certain that a woman as smart as you can tell that Louise loves you a great deal. Just because she can stand on her own two feet doesn't mean that she has to always do it alone. She just wants you to be part of her life and herself a part of yours." I pointed out to the professor who looked away from me.

"That is not the kind of thing I would expect to hear from someone like you." Eleanore commented with a raised brow.

"You learn a lot once you get my age. Certainly, I've learned more about humans these past several months than I have in centuries. I normally do not spend so much time with humans, nowhere near as much as I have with Louise." I explained with a smile. Eleanore stared at me for a while before shaking her head and grumbling before walking up to Louise.

"Stop whining, runt! There is nothing I can do with the amount of work waiting for me back at the capital. I will most likely be locked in there until I can deal with all of it so that obviously means I will not have time to casually go and entertain guests." Eleanore explained after flicking Louise on her forehead to get her attention.

"Oh...I understand...I'm sorry if I did not consider those-" Louise started but was cut off when she felt a hand on her head. She looked up and saw that it beloned to Eleanore who was pointedly not looking at her youngest sister in the eye.

"Maybe...maybe once my work lightens up...we'll see if I can arrange something-" She mumbled before getting caught in a hug by both of her younger sisters.

Well, so much for getting some training for Louise done that night.

...

"Come o~n~! The two of you have been together for how long now? There should have been plenty of time for the both of you to get very intimate with one another~" Kirche teasingly prodded the girl to her right with a nudge of her elbow.

"Kirche, I am not going to tell you about my private moments with Guiche!" Monmon hissed at the Germanian through gritted teeth.

"Oh~! So you have then! Is he any good?" Kirche, true to form, chose to ignore the blonde's tone in favor of getting more details about Monmon's romance with Guiche.

As with what Louise mentioned back in Mugenkan last night, we were currently in a carriage that was en route to the Tristain capital city. Ruukoto was left behind in order to help Siesta and the rest of the staff at the academy clean up the mess left behind by those attackers. The gynoid also served as extra security at the academy, just in case.

When Louise had mentioned our plan to her friends, Kirche quickly roped both Monmon and Tabitha into joining us. Thus, the passengers consisted of Kirche and Monmon on one side and Louise, myself, and Tabitha on the other side. Tabitha was originally seated next to her best friend. However, she quickly moved over to our side after Kirche started teasing Monmon.

"Kirche, stop pestering Monmon about the details of her relationship with Guiche." Louise said with a shake of her head. The way she said it carried a sense of resignation since she knew to a degree that her red haired friend would just dismiss her concerns.

"Come on, Louise. You can't possibly not be curious about this! Monmon is the only one of us here in an actual romantic relationship, so she owes it to us give out sordidly graphic details of all the naughty things she does with her lover~" Kirche smoothly reasoned out as if that was something which was logically acceptable.

"What kind of twisted logic is that?!" Monmon yelled at the young woman beside her.

"Not curious. Irrelevant knowledge." Tabitha piped up without glancing up from the book in her hands.

"As with what Tabitha said, even if I was curious about Monmon's relationship with Guiche, it would certainly not be about what the two of them get up to doing under the sheets." My master flatly stated while shaking her head.

"Thank you, Louise. Tabitha." Monmon thanked her friend before glaring at Kirche.

"Fine." The Germainan finally backed off with a roll of her eyes.

"Why are you so interested in such a thing anyway? Don't you have enough boys to play around with?" I asked with a tilted head. It was no small secret that Kirche was rather active when it came to activities of the flesh. It was just that no one talks about it because of some unwritten code between the students at the academy or something.

"Ugh! Don't tell me that you're interested in Guiche..." Louise said with a displeased expression while recoiling back as if in disgust.

"Louise dear, while I very much appreciate your friendship, could you not speak about my Guiche as if he was some sort of diseased animal." Monmon said with a sigh which made Louise flush in embarrassment and lower her head in shame for insulting her friend's lover.

"I can't help it. It's Guiche! Guiche!" Louise then yelled out in apparent desperation while raising her hands up in the air as if the gesture would properly punctuate her point.

"Indeed. He is my Guiche and I love him very much." Monmon responded with nothing but a smile.

"I know...sorry." Louise mumbled before getting caught in a hug by the blonde.

"Aww~! I want some of that too~!" Kirche declared abruptly so neither Louise nor Monmon had a chance to avoid getting a face full of the Germanian's chest. It took a few moments to disentangle the three of them from each other. Afterwards, everyone managed to settle down to a relatively comfortable silence for a while. That was until Tabitha of all people broke the silence.

"Kirche was curious." The Gallian spoke up and made all of us turn to her.

"Curious? About Guiche?" Monmon asked with a suspicious sidelong glance at the young woman in question.

"Not Guiche." Tabitha answered with a shake of her head.

"About sex with Guiche?" I supplied considering what had taken place earlier. Despite the blushes from Louise and Monmon, as well as the disgusted look on Kirche's face, Tabitha still shook her head.

"What about then?" Louise finally asked after clearly not getting what Tabitha was trying to say. The normally quiet blue haired girl glanced up and looked at each of us before settling her gaze squarely on her best friend's eyes.

"Love." Tabitha stated without taking her eyes off Kirche.

"So it is about sex then?" Louise asked in deadpan.

"Not sex. Love. An actual romantic relationship. The fundamentally meaningful bond between a man and a woman. Kirche has no experience in that thing." Tabitha stated before going back to her book.

"What the Founder is she on abo-" Louise's words came to an abrupt halt after we all turned back to Kirche...who had a rather intense blush on her face while looking uncomfortable and glancing away.

"Well, that is something you don't see everyday." I mused with a raised brow. Kirche responded by glaring at me while still blushing with an expression that would normally be on Louise.

"I'm not sure how to feel about what I'm witnessing." Monmon muttered mostly to herself. However, it seemed that my master knew exactly how to feel about what she was witnessing. Louise demonstrated this as she laughed. Hard. While pointing at Kirche's utterly embarrassed expression.

"Why you little-!" Kirche was not happy about the role reversal that she and Louise suddenly went through. She then reached out and yanked Louise out of her seat and into her arms. They then began another tickle battle between one another. Unfortunately for Monmon, she was unable to get away from her two friends in time and was thus pulled into the fray soon afterwards.

"Aren't you going to help?" I asked the Gallian at my side.

"Too noisy." She commented before turning to the next page of her book. Not at all bothered by the fact that the carriage we were riding on was now gently rocking from side to side because of the sudden three-way tickle battle between friends.

...

"This is all your fault." Louise muttered as she tried to straighten out her uniform.

"You're just mad that you lost." Kirche commented while fixing the buttons of her shirt. If one were to see them as they were at that moment, it would not have been out of the realm of possibility that they might get the wrong impression.

"You lost too." Louise shot back. Indeed, despite her disadvantageous inclusion in the tickle battle inside the carriage, Monmon was still able to make both Louise and Kirche yield before we got to the capital.

"That was just because the two of you were too focused on getting at each other. It was easy for me to take advantage of that once I actually tried fighting back instead of just flopping around like a fish trying to get away." Monmon added with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked much less messy than Louise and Kirche, likely because of what the blonde said.

"I was actually rather impressed that the three of you didn't fall off the seat." I mused while walking up to them with Tabitha at my side.

"Where first?" Tabitha ever bluntly asked the group. All three of her friends looked at each other before humming thoughtfully in consideration of her question.

"Well since it was Louise who wanted to go here in the first place..." Monmon trailed off while she and Kirche turned back to my master.

"Well, I definitely want to get replacements for some of the things those stupid mercenaries broke in my room during the attack. The academy can cover the books and texts easily enough, but some of them were things I had before I even came to the academy." My master explained to the others, who all nodded in agreement...except Tabitha of course, who just continued reading.

"That makes sense. I think I shall pick up a few things here as well." Monmon said with a smile.

"I suppose I can get some new lingerie too. My current ones are starting to feel tight around the chest and hips. What about you, Tabitha?" Kirche added while feeling her body over and ignoring Louise and Monmon's irritated looks at her body in favor of asking her best friend what she wanted to do here.

"Bookstore." The Gallian responded with something that should have been obvious to everyone already.

"Ah, yes. Of course. And what of you, Mister Yuka? Will you be getting anything as well or are you just here to make sure these two stay out of trouble?" Monmon acknowledged flatly with a shake of her head, as if realizing how silly the Germanian's question was. She then turned to me and asked about my reasons for coming along while nodding her head at Louise and Kirche.

"Well, I suppose that I can keep Louise and Kirche off each other long enough for us to be able to be productive in our trip. Although, I am mainly here in order to get a replacement for my straw hat that those hooligans destroyed." I humored Monmon for a bit before telling her about my agreement with my master to replace my poor hat.

"That settles that then. So lead the way, Louise." Monmon said with a nod before turning to Louise to lead on.

"Bwah?" My master then proceeded to make a rather unladylike noise before showing an expression that I had seen before.

"Louise...do you even know where to buy the things you need?" I asked evenly and got the tell-tale 'urk' from the girl. Louise then flinched back at the odd looks that her friends were giving her, even Tabitha looked up from her book and slightly narrowed her eyes at my master.

"I know where to find 'some' of them! I just ordered the rest by letter but since we would be here anyway, I thought I could just go to the stores myself to order them personally!" Louise frantically started to justify her actions while waving her arms at her sides.

"So what do we do first then?" Kirche asked the obvious question. Louise calmed down considerably after it looked like her friends wouldn't grill her any further about the matter.

"We might as well get Yuka's hat first. We can decide where to go next from there." My master proposed to the others, mainly because I kept reminding Louise that I needed a new hat. No one protested to the course of action and thus we moved off to the store where we got our hats from.

"Oh! Hello again! How can I help you?" The same young woman from before greeted us as we entered the store.

"I am here to acquire a replacement for the straw hat I purchased here. Unfortunately, my old one was destroyed due to very inconvenient circumstances while I was away." I explained to the helpful young woman.

"Oh, how unfortunate then. Don't worry though, sir. I'm sure we still have a straw hat your size in the back." She assured me with a smile.

"Thank you." I responded before she gave me one more bow and heading off to the back of the store to fetch my new hat. While I waited, I decided to take a look around the store. For the most part, their selections stayed the same. Although I did notice that they seemed to now also have a set of stereotypical blue robe and wizard hat, complete with stars and moon motif.

"Halt! Surrender yourself! In the name of ardent love~!" Kirche's voice rang out from the other side of the store before I heard Monmon start laughing.

"Oh no you don't!" I raised a brow when I then heard Louise's panicked voice. Then again, I suppose that I should have expected that considering how enthused Kirche sounded.

"Stay back! Back I say! I am armed with an assorted number of hats and I'm not afraid to use them!" I sighed at my master's voice and decided that it would be best to check up on them before made a mess of things. The last thing I wanted was to be caught up in another incident involving a large number of hats. Once was amusing. Twice was enough. I did not want a third one.

"Resistance is futile, Valliere! You are sorely outmatched by my superior Germanian armaments!" I heard Kirche yell out just as I walked up next to Tabitha. The Gallian was wearing a black top hat on her head. I blinked at the odd sight before noticing that she was still focused on the book in her hands, which I was rather certain was different from the one she was reading during the time we were riding in the carriage. Monmon was standing next to her and was wearing a leather tricorne hat while laughing and pointing at the spectacle before us. Tabitha obviously did not care but I couldn't help but shake my head in wonder as to why Louise and Kirche thought that what they were doing at that moment was a good idea.

"Ha! Your blind overconfidence is amusing, Zerbst!" My master shot back in full confidence. She was wearing her own hat, of course. A habit she now exercised every time she left her room.

After the attack at the academy, we all knew how close the Founder's Prayer Book was to being taken or damaged simply because we were not there. Who knows what would have happened if someone who knew what the book really was took it away? We decided that was too much of a risk to leave it out of Louise's reach so my master opted to simply carry it with her everywhere under her hat.

My master was waving a rather gaudy feathered hat in her right hand at Kirche while her left hand carried a stack of an assorted number of hats. I idly wondered how she could balance the dozen or so hats on one hand without the stack toppling over before turning to her foe.

Kirche was wearing a red and black commissar hat while pointing a pirate hat in her right hand at Louise. She had her own stack of hats on her other hand. The whole thing would have looked like a classic Tengu-Kappa Stand Off situation if they weren't threatening each other with silly hats.

"Good news, sir! We still have another straw hat available that is of the perfect size for you! Would you like to...try...it...out...?" The young woman who was manning the store trailed off after seeing two nobles, both of whom were wearing the uniform of the prestigious Tristain Magic Academy, stand in front of each other like they were moments away from a violent and bloody Hat Battle. There was a very pregnant silence that settled inside the shop with everyone not really sure on what to do next.

Both Louise and Kirche looked at the poor girl with shocked and embarrassed expressions, as if they did not expect her to react in such a way if and when she saw what they were doing. Monmon placed both of her hands over her mouth but her eyes and her trembling shoulders betrayed her effort to keep herself from laughing out loud. Tabitha looked like the situation did not involved her and she simply turned to the next page of her book. The shopkeeper girl was holding on to an exact copy of my straw hat in both of her hands while looking at Louise and Kirche like she was debating if she was supposed to yell at them or to just run away from the crazy noble girls.

""SHE STARTED IT!"" Both Louise and Kirche yelled at the same time while pointing at each other with their main hat-weapons.

"Louise. Kirche. Just put those away before you make the girl faint." I pointed out while pinching the bridge of my nose. The shopkeeper in question used the straw hat to hide her face as Kirche and Louise scrambled to return the hats that they took while apologizing to the girl. Monmon used that opportunity to laugh at her two friends some more while Tabitha just turned to the next page of her book.

"We shall purchase the hat, by the way." I reminded the girl, almost as an afterthought, even as my master and the Germanian continued to return the hats they took for their little battle.

"So..." I started.

"So..." Louise repeated.

"So..." Kirche repeated again.

"So..." Monmon added.

"..." Tabitha then turned the page of her book.

We were all outside the hat shop and more or less trying to decide where to go next. I would assume that we were quite the sight to behold considering all the stares and glances our group was getting. Understandable since we were all wearing hats. Louise was wearing her own hat, of course, while I had my new straw hat on. Kirche purchased the commissar hat she was wearing earlier. Monmon purchased the tricorne hat she was wearing earlier as well. Surprisingly, Tabitha seemed to have taken a shine to the top hat she had on and purchased it...along with a monocle that she was currently wearing on her left eye. We all knew better than to comment on it.

"Well, if no one else has any suggestions, the store where I want to go to is nearby." Kirche stated after a moment of silence. We all looked at each other and found no words that would suggest that anyone was against the idea.

"Lead on then, Kirche." Louise responded with a nod and the Germanian was more than happy to do so. Although, I wondered if everyone remembered that Kirche wanted to buy new underwear before they agreed to give her the lead...

...

"Urgh! How can buying things make me so tired?" Louise groaned as she stepped into her room after I opened the door for her. She promptly shambled to her bed before plopping on it and complaining about how tired she was.

"Well, you all were rather energetic with the way you went about your purchases. I guess the fatigue finally caught up with you." I stated with a shrug while placing the bags of clothing she purchased on her desk. The rest of the things she bought would be delivered to the academy within the next few days. They weren't really critical items for daily living and since there weren't any classes, there was no immediate need for them.

"Fuga. Fuga?" Ruukoto made its presence known after knocking.

"Yes, Louise is fine. Though, she may have had a little too much fun with her day out with her friends." I responded to the gynoid's inquiry with a smile. Louise just grumbled before taking off her hat and letting the Founder's Prayer Book slide off her head. She then sat up and started rubbing the top of her head where the book previously resided.

"That thing is surprisingly heavy. Anyway, did anything important happen while we were gone?" Louise mused before asking for an update from Ruukoto.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto responded with a shake of its head. Louise looked at me and waited for a translation. I shrugged before relaying the gynoid's words.

"Ruukoto assures that, aside from the repairs and renovations being done, nothing happened today that is worth noting. It also requests that you relax as there is little chance for anything bad happening at the academy." I stated and generally agreed with the gynoid. However, it seemed that Louise did not share our sentiments judging from the scowl she had on her face.

"Yuka, the last time someone said that, the academy was raided and nearly everyone was taken hostage. A dragon could have attacked for all we know." Louise said in complete deadpan. Ruukoto and I looked at each other and shared a shrug.

"That's fair, though an excess in paranoia isn't very healthy. I highly doubt that anything more exciting will be happening anytime soon." I pointed out. Louise looked like she had a few things to say about that but was too tired to put up the effort to do so. Kirche and the others had also retired to their own rooms to rest and organize the things that they had purchased. A productive day in most respects.

...

The next few days were mostly uneventful aside from updates about the ongoing war between the coalition forces and the Reconquista forces in Albion. Monmon had been receiving letters from Guiche so at least that meant that he was still relatively safe, much to the girl's relief. The days continued to roll by without incident and I could feel the changes in the seasons. Winter was coming. Of course, I made sure that Louise's training continued throughout the peace. No new spells became available inside the Founder's Prayer Book so we decided to work on the things we could improve. As such, we trained both in Mugenkan and at the academy grounds in both her mobility and casting under varying circumstances.

In fact, my master was actually getting regular audiences during her daytime training with Ruukoto and I. It initially started with just Kirche, Monmon, and Tabitha. However, other students started taking note of Louise running around all over the place and moving like they have never seen before. Indeed, my master's footwork had improved greatly compared to when she first started her training.

"Ugh...my arms, legs, and stomach are getting harder. I feel like a burly workman." Louise complained as she sat on the grass before reaching out to an offered glass of water from Siesta.

"For what is worth, Miss Louise. I don't think that you look like burly workman at all." Siesta stated with a smile that Louise returned before emptying the glass in her hands.

"Thank you, Siesta. It just feels strange...these are the sorts of things I would expect a man to have instead." Louise whined helplessly while rubbing her abdomen.

"A stomach?" Siesta inquired with a tilt of her head as refilled Louise's glass of water.

"I believe she was referring to the development of abdominal muscles." I provided as Ruukoto and I walked up to her. Louise's other friends were also approaching while the rest of her ever growing audience dispersed while speaking to each other in hushed tones. Though, I noted that what I could hear were actually comments of admiration for her athleticism. A very far cry from her taunts and snickers of 'Louise the Zero' she used to get from her peers. Louise had not seemed to realize the change in the way the other students regarded her personally, all the better since it might have caused her to become overconfident and try things to further impress her peers. Stupid things. Things that would end up with her and others hurt. Cirno kinds of things. I really didn't want to have to deal with that sort of thing again.

"They are a natural product of the training you are undergoing. Also, Cirno, Ruukoto, and I talked about your concerns and concluded that you would more likely end up with a toned athletic figure rather than becoming over muscled. In fact, if your body ends up developing somewhere between Eleanore's and Cattleya's body types, then you will probably develop the body akin to a professional dancer." I explained something came up due to my master's concerns about her developing body.

"Ha! Louise with a belly dancer's body? I'd love to see that!" Kirche exclaimed and got a glare from my master.

"I was actually referring more to dancers from back home. Certain forms of dance are very taxing to a human body that requires the endurance and fortitude of a professional athlete. Depending on how she develops in the next few years, and if she continues with her training, she can end up with either a straightforward athletic build like Agnes and her mother or a lithe cat-like build like Matilda and Eleanore." I answered and saw Louise's face light up in realization that what was happening to her body because of her hard work was actually a good thing.

"That sounds...impressive." Monmon commented.

"Useful. Practical. Beneficial. Continue with training." Tabitha agreed with a nod while flipping to another page of her latest literary conquest.

"That is right, Miss Louise! A strong body houses a strong mind and spirit!" Siesta added with a determined nod. Louise blushed at the words of her friends and started to fidget from her seat on the grass. We then turned to Kirche who walked up to Louise while giving out a thoughtful hum.

"W-w-what do you want now, Kirche?" Louise asked while tensing up. Not really appreciative of the way the Germanian was looking down at her with a serious measuring stare.

"Louise with a lithe toned body..." The redhead muttered to herself before licking her lips at my now trembling master.

"...sounds delectable. I'll be looking forward to it." Kirche stated while giving Louise a predatory smile.

"Eep!" Louise squeaked before jumping to her feet and scampering behind me.

"Louise, you might not have noticed it, but you should already be physically strong enough to overpower Kirche if she tries anything." I pointed out to the girl behind me.

"Oho~! So Louise can actually push me down on the bed now too~?" The Germanian commented.

"That is not what worries me about her, Yuka." Louise hissed at me.

"Yes...I can see your point." I conceded after noticing the hungry look Kirche was giving my master.

"Kirche, you can't possibly be interested in Louise in that manner, could you? I mean...you're both women!" Monmon exclaimed with a rather bright blush on her face at the implications that Kirche was implying.

"Miss Louise and Mis Zerbst...oh my~" Siesta muttered while putting her hands on her cheeks while blushing even harder than Monmon.

"Free relations. Kirche gonna Kirche." Tabitha stated and got an appreciative nod from her best friend.

"Exactly~! Passion is passion! Regardless of the gender of both parties involved! I just want to hug you, take you home, and show you the true meaning of ardent passion~" Kirche declared with her chest puffed out and her arms out wide while smiling at Louise. Tabitha looked up from her book and regarded the Germanian very seriously before turning to Louise.

"Always lock the door. Might be serious in her intentions." The normally quiet Gallian stated in all seriousness.

"What?!" Monmon yelled out in surprise.

"Oh my!" Siesta exclaimed with a rather intrigued expression.

"Zerbst!" Louise all but screamed at Kirche in panic and fear.

"What? It's not like I would hurt you, I'd never hurt you." Kirche responded with a raised brow before adopting a thoughtful expression and smiling at Louise.

"Besides, you would be my first in that regard. First female partner anyway." She added with the kind of radiant smile none of us had ever seen Kirche show before. Something suddenly occurred to me.

I had seen the young woman give smiles that burned with passion, smiles that boiled with lust, smiles that was more akin with a sneer, smiles for jokes and jests. However, this was likely the first time I had seen her smile with what looked like sincere joy or happiness.

"Kirche..." Judging by the way Louise called out her name, it seemed that my master had reached a similar conclusion.

"Sooo~" The Germanian started while leaning forwards, her smile changing into something we were far more familiar with.

"No." Louise responded in an appropriately deadpan manner while giving Kirche a flat look.

"Aww~! But you're just so cute~! Just for a few hours~! I'll be sure to take you to heaven~! I can even therapeutically massage your breasts to help them grow bigger~!" Kirche proposed while giving Louise what I assumed amounted to the 'puppy dog eyes'.

"No." And was replied to in the exact same manner.

"Kirche, stop propositioning my master." I stated with a sigh before raising my hand up before she could respond.

"No, you cannot proposition me instead." I added with a shake of my head.

"Oh, poo~" Kirche pouted with obvious disappointment.

"Why haven't you offered that kind of thing with Tabitha?" Monmon asked with looking between the two unlikely best friends.

"I did. She shot me down faster than a Dragon Knight going up against the Heavy Wind." Kirche answered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Threatened to freeze and throw off Sylpheed." Tabitha added with a nod.

"She said that she wanted her first time to be with someone she was in love with and would marry. Adorable if a bit idealistic really." Kirche commented while giving a sly grin to her friend. Tabitha looked up from her book and stared at Kirche right in the eyes.

"Save in the name of true love." The Gallian stated in all seriousness.

"I can agree with that." Louise said soon after.

"How romantic~" Siesta added with a wistful smile.

"Indeed it is. Good for you, Tabitha" Monmon also agreed with Tabitha's line of thinking.

"Old fashioned, the whole lot of you." Kirche scoffed, earning looks of disapproval from her friends.

"And why don't you believe in such a thing, Zerbst?" Louise asked with a bit of an edge in her voice. Kirche considered the question for a moment before closing her eyes and facing Louise. The seriousness she displayed after she opened them startled my master and the rest of her friends.

"Because few men have ever looked at me that didn't immediately desire my body for sex. All of whom aren't even interested in me in any other sense. Everyone else just wanted me for my body, cheap thrills at best." Kirche stated, her voice lacking the usual fire it normally possessed. That alone made us all give pause.

"So no, I'm afraid that I can't agree with you on that point, Valliere." Kirche said with a sad smile before turning around and walking away without another word.

"Well, that conversation certainly did not go in the direction I expected it to." I admitted and I was certain that the others shared my sentiment.

"Will Miss Zerbst be alright?" Siesta asked us worriedly. Louise looked like she was debating on following Kirche when Tabitha took matters into her own hands.

"I will handle it." The Gallian stated before walking off after Kirche.

...

Kirche did not show up at dinner that evening. It worried Monmon and Louise, even though my master would not openly admit, but Tabitha assured us that she just wanted some time alone. Siesta offered to bring some food to Kirche's room later and Tabitha graciously accepted and accompanied the maid to her best friend's room.

The rest of the day was uneventful and we eventually went back to Louise's room to prepare for the night. Louise, Ruukoto, and I were discussing about what kind of training we should try next when we heard a knock on the door. Ruukoto started to move to open it but I raised a hand to stop the gynoid before walking to the door myself.

"Hello again, Mister Yuka." I sighed after confirming what I had sensed from the other side of the door. I had felt a sense of deja vu at seeing the cloaked figure of Pirncess Henrietta de Tristain. She was about to speak when I moved to close the door to save the whole lot of us from whatever headache she decided to share.

"Yuka! Don't shut the door on the Princess! Please come in-Prince Wales?!" Louise hissed while stopping me from shutting the door on her princess. She then noticed the figure standing behind Henrietta and exclaimed her surprise at seeing Prince Wales Tudor who was sporting a similar outfit to his previously secret lover. Well, I supposed that their little love affair was still secret to the rest of the continent, but still, that was neither here nor there.

"It is a joy to see you again as well, Dame Louise." The currently still displaced prince of Albion greeted my master with a warm smile that made her blush. Unfortunately, I was too irritated at the time to appreciate Louise's reaction in a show of maidenly attraction towards the prince.

"Is this going to be a thing?" I asked with a raised brow that made Henrietta flinch. Louise then smacked the back of her left hand on my chest to show her disapproval at my actions.

"Yuka! Shut up! Please come in!" Louise hissed at me again before inviting the two royals into the room. Henrietta and Wales quietly entered the room and sat at the table we were just using. Louise and I stood before them while Ruukoto quietly exited the room before closing the door behind it, likely to act as sentry from out in the hallway.

"I wish that we could meet you in a less-" Henrietta started after taking a deep breath. She was obviously nervous and apprehensive about going to Louise, likely due to guild on how she kept putting her old friend through so much danger, yet she still did so anyway. That was the big thing for me.

"Henrietta, just get to the point." I stated while rolling my eyes and ignoring the elbow to the side that Louise gave me.

"We need your assistance with the situation in Albion." Prince Wales answered in Henrietta's behalf. The princess gave him an appreciative smile but I doubted that she saw it considering how seriously he was looking at me. Again, I didn't care. Even more so because they were asking us to go back to that Shinki forsaken country.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you ask me to throw both of you out the window." I stated with a beatific smile. Both Henrietta and Wales looked worried while Louise looked horrified about what I had just suggested.

"Yuka! I apologize for my familiar's behavior!" Louise reprimanded me before bowing at the prince and princess over and over again in apology.

"Think nothing of it. I am not offended as I know that Mister Yuka is only saying those words to protect you." Henrietta stated with a smile, though I noted that she was trying not to look me in the eye.

"Considering what happened the last time we were there..." I muttered and got another elbow from my master.

"So, what exactly do you need our help with, your Highness?" Louise asked the two royals.

"It is about the absurdly powerful female Earth Mage that Reconquista has. The soldiers have come to refer to her as 'The Silent Harlequin'. We need your help in dealing with this threat." Princess Henrietta said and both of our eyes widened with each word. I could have even sworn that I could hear my subconscious laughing at me for not learning my lesson...I didn't even understand what it meant.

...

So yeah, Albion Round Two and nearing the end of S2 of this story.

Please R&R~


	39. Chapter 32

Author's Notes: I had originally debated in posting this the way it is because of how short it was. Then I realized that this was really the only way for a cutoff point before the story swings back to Albion, so here it is.

_Also, just a bit of a rant to get something off my chest. You can skip this and go ahead and read the chapter if you want:_

I've been reading a lot of fics and discussions wherein people have been deliberately bashing Karin as being a bad mother towards Louise. This is completely false and is honestly getting on my nerves because of how sure people are so sure about it.

Why is Karin a bad parent?

If your first point is "Well, she hasn't tried other parenting styles before" then that is no mark good or bad... actually, it may actually be leaning towards "Good".

Changing parenting styles midway FUCKS KIDS UP. It's one of the major issues with divorce, remarriage, and other major familial changes. Changing parenting styles, (especially cycling through various ones) should be a neutral kind of thing, but when you take into account the need for stability in a child's development, especially a stable and constant set of rules to develop in, it is NOT conducive to healthy development.

Especially to a developing child, every time a parenting style changes, the whole world changes! Morals need revision, and the established dogma of what is right and what is wrong is being challenged by the change in actions, reactions, rewards, and punishments. Just like how "too many cooks spoil the soup", too many changes in parenting styles causes the child to look for double-speak and loopholes in every system thereafter. Unless you're going for a society more conducive to lawyers, I would not say "Not changing her parenting style is a reason why Karin is a horrible mother".

Also, have you considered what kind of "new methods" are available to her? What kind of things does she have the luxury to do? What kind of effects would they have?

If your next point is "Well, she attacked Louise and the gang after they saved Tabitha in Gallia right in front of Henrietta" then you didn't look at the bigger picture.

First off, have you considered what Louise did?

For all intents and purposes, she was the Franz Ferdinand of Halk.

Her actions, as seen at that time by anyone that is not the audience, is seen as forcibly dragging the two countries, Gallia and Tristian into a war.

A war Tristain cannot afford.

She singlehandedly signed her family's death warrant.

There are MANY enemies of the crown and of the Valliere out there. And Louise, with her actions, even if Henrietta supported her, made her, and due to her age and single status, the whole Valliere family into scapegoats.

In the eyes of the nobility, Louise went rouge. Karin HAS to deal with it properly. Even if Henrietta does not think it needs punishment, everyone else would require it. Giving into Henrietta and not punishing Louise would only weaken the Queen's position along with the Valliere's honor.

The Valliere know how serious this is. Not only is Louise working with their sworn familial enemy but weakening the family's own position to the point where other people's lives are at stake.

More importantly, her sisters.

Without their current resources and reknown, Eleonore would not be able to keep her position.

Without their current resources and reknown... Cattleya will die.

Remember: Louise was ALREADY ARRESTED BY THE QUEEN HERSELF. IN FRONT OF OTHERS. AND SHE BROKE OUT OF JAIL. Not only that, but the jailing of a whole group of knights is pinned on her by the crown itself and widely known throughout the noble court.

It goes beyond the matter of "did she do this or not", and into the realm of familial honor and the court of nobles/noble opinion.

Louise did not just "Break a rule" or "Break the Rule of Steel". She committed Treason. And in this sort of setting, especially when dealing with a noble house that is both influential and already showing some chinks in the armor, this is a death knell.

If Louise wasn't successful, I doubt that any of the Valliere family would be alive within the next few years.

And then let's talk about her punishment: The Heavy Wind.

She doesn't Not have magic, right?

She clearly told her family that she awakened her successful magic, fire magic. This still means that she can cast dot-level wind spells at least, or do something to mitigate some of the damage, right? It wasn't like Karin didn't give her a chance to truly defend herself.

Karin isn't perfect, but the situation is not that simple.

Sometimes you must kill the children in the embrace of pestilence to stop the disease from spreading to the healthy ones. It's not a good choice or a happy choice, and you can see that Karin does not enjoy making it. But Louise's actions, in the eyes of the world, were not a positive thing.

Henrietta sparing Louise is BAD.

Because it confirms the "Close relations" of the Valliere and the crown, not only making the Valliere a high priority target (to destroy, manipulate, or weaken), even moreso than before, as well as undermines the strength and powerbase that the princess has built up over the duration of her term.

Karin "knows" that Henrietta is a weak queen. Every noble "knows" that Henrietta is a weak queen. A queen so afraid of mages she dismissed her 3 personal contingents of mage gaurds and surrounds herself instead with "Commoners". She's Too afraid to use the very gaurds they have provided for her specifically. And everyone knows it.

Make no mistake, the execution of Richmond is not a sign of strength, but weakness. A queen so weak she has to resort to putting herself on the line (kidnapping herself) in order to find and catch a traitor. There was no assassin making an example of her political enemy, or brash unbased execution. She had to put herself in danger, all while pretending to be, and using a literal army of commoners to apprehend one corrupt judge.

Henrietta "going easy" on Louise because a) Everyone knows they're friends, and b) She's a valliere, and the valliere are "in bed with/favored by" the crown, or at least, Seemingly so, is probably the worst thing that can happen to both the Valliere and the crown itself.

Remember, at this time (Even after Richmond's death), Karin and Duke still call Henrietta a weak queen. And these are her supporters! Not only that, but look at her interactions with Karin when Henrietta's trying to call her off: the "queen" is basically a ball of quivering nerves, barely able to articulate her commands. There's no way Karin would take that seriously.

Frankly outside of knowing Louise was a Void Mage, allowing it to go through is a BAD IDEA, as Germania was Tristain's ally against Albion. They never said anything about Gallia. Not only is Tristain weak and completely unprepared for a second engagement, what makes matters worse is that Henrietta is welcoming Louise back with "Open Arms", It's like asking Gallia to declare war and attack. Karin sees more of the situation politically than you think. After all, her quote:

Outside of strict LN canon wording, my understanding was that Karin took Louise's punishment into her own hands so that Louise will still be alive by the end of this, and can be healed back to full health eventually. Whereas a strict interpretation of the Rule of Steel and Tristainian Law suggests a harsher punishment and maybe execution for Louise and Karin did not want that. In her own way Karin is trying to get Louise off 'easy', and done in such a way it will satisfy the Rule of Steel and the greater politics in Tristain lest nobles say the princess is not ruling fair and favours the Vallieres.

She has to make it look strict, or else everything would be pinned on them. It's not a good situation. And it doesn't matter the truth either, but how it looks. And it doesn't look good.

If Henrietta came out and said "It was my idea all along, it was all a covert op, disguised as treason!" Then that argument would hold water in my eyes. But in-verse it's just a weak queen saving a childhood friend, and putting everyone even moreso in danger.

Louise DID commit treason, even going against being imprisoned by Henrietta. Henrietta also DIDN'T let Louise escape. She is THOROUGHLY AGAINST this plan.

This is basically on par with letting an rouge agent breaking out of CIA custody, having it blared all over the international news, then allow him to bomb/destroy, say, England's capital and then kidnap a high security target, and then be allowed back into the united states, with great fanfare and celebration publicly, along with taking custody of the target, all while pardoning the rouge agent for treason and tresspass while refusing to allow the target back and the agent to stand justice.

Make no mistake. Poilitically speaking and honestly speaking from the numbers, Louise was wrong. It makes you feel nice, morally, to save a damsel in distress, a princess locked up in a tower guarded by a monster. But make no mistake. What the heroes did is Wrong. Unabashedly Wrong. Treason, sedition, you can even put a spin on it and call it "terrorism" if you're a warhawk. Louise, for all intents in purposes in the eyes of the international (but more importantly Tristainian) community, committed an act of aggression in a foreign, Neutral/ALLIED nation.

And Henrietta was going to let them off... protect them even, from the coming wrath of Gallia.

It does not add up. This is a classic example of saving one over the many.

But of course, we Know Louise and Saito were** Right** because they're the** Heroes** after all. They **Can't be Wrong.**

Lastly, if your point is "Karin simply doesn't care/love Louise" you are still not thinking the situation through.

She let Louise go to the Tristain Magic Academy despite not showing any real magic talent. She continued to let her go there despite Louise not giving any results even with the help of the best teaching program in the continent. Think about how most other nobles in the setting act and imagine the way they would have treated Louise if she was born into their family?

Karin loves Louise because she's trying. She never truly gave up. She could of exiled her, killed her, sent her off to the monastery/nunnery, yet she lets her stay and takes care of her, willing to put herself on the line. and expending resources that she could have saved. She lets her stay as family... which is far better than many of the canonical nobles or even certain modern families have done.

If Louise had been born in any other noble family, she would have been married off or disowned the second they found out about her inability to cast any magic. Why waste time on broken merchandise when you can just make more, right?

She doesn't show it, but Karin is honestly the best mother in the whole damn setting for me.

Karin was really one of the things that really needed more material in order to fully understand why she does what she does. She has her prequel but we don't know why she turned into Mind of Steel Karin she was during Louise's time. Yet another reason why ZnT has such great characters and setting but was completely squandered by the people in charge...such a waste.

Whew! That is all! Thank you! On to the chapter itself!

Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: Disclaimers? Why not Zoidberg?

...

"Maybe I should have asked Yukari to bring more kinds of tea before she headed back to Gensokyo." I idly commented while taking another sip of my conjured tea.

"I mean, my own repertoire of tea is rather vast, but even that can get stale after a while. I wonder if I can have Siesta brew a batch before going back in here?" I added before wondering about the possibility of getting Siesta's help in the matters of tea in my border of dreams.

"Enough of your idle games, familiar!" Eleanore yelled before slamming her cup on its saucer. I always made sure that the items I conjure up would never break or be destroyed unless I intended them to. Therefore, while loud enough to make both her and Cattleya wince, neither the cup nor the saucer broke. I looked at my two guests in Mugenkan for the evening and sighed.

It was one of those odd days where Louise did not show up in Mugenkan after she went to sleep. However, for whatever reason, her sisters decided to drop in expecting for their youngest sister to be there. After I explained that little oddity in Louise's appearance in my realm, Eleanore asked what could have caused it to happen. I told them that there was no real pattern to it, then I let slip that it might have something to do with what we talked with Henrietta and Wales about. I later found that such a meeting was not really the norm between nobility. It took a while for me to explain to the two sisters about our previous involvement with Henrietta's problems but, once I was done, the atmosphere at the table was less than cheerful. It appeared that neither of Louise's older sisters was particularly happy about their youngest sibling being put in such dangerous situations. A sentiment that I fully agreed with.

"What do you wish for me to say? Louise has personally invested herself in this matter, especially if our prior suspicions prove true regarding this Silent Harlequin. All I can do now is to keep her safe once the other hat falls." I pointed out with a shake of my head. Logical as my point seemed to be, it appeared that my answer was not the one that Eleanore and Cattleya wanted to hear.

"Ah, yes. The unholy Albion Witch that you suspect 'may' be Louise's currently unaccounted for personal tutor. Why haven't you dismissed that outlandish claim yet?" Eleanore stated sarcastically before asking why we should even consider such a possibility.

"Because Matilda is a Square-Ranked Earth Mage who has green hair. She also left due to unspecified circumstances and we haven't heard from her since. We had previously let her sudden leave slide because Louise and I trusted that she could take care of her self. It now seems that we may have misjudged the situation." I pointed out to the eldest sister. Green haired female Earth mages, that could do what the Silent Harlequin did, were in rather short supply if my understanding of current Halkeginian mage quality was correct.

"So she betrayed you and became a dog of this Reconquista organization! She not only betrayed your trust in her, she also betrayed the crown who gave her the honor of the title Chevalier! Gah! It's like that little runt has a curse of attracting people who would eventually betray her!" Eleanore countered while glaring at me. Her words were sharp and without mercy, seething with anger at Matilda. However, I could also see in her eyes the telltale signs of worry, fear, and frustration. It was obvious that the possibility of Matilda betraying Louise like Wardes did angered and hurt the woman greatly. I then wondered how she could have known about Wardes. Then again, such a blatant betrayal by a Captain of the Griffin Knights must have been rather big news when it happened. And since said betrayal was done by Louise's former fiancé that their mother personally trained, it wasn't that hard to understand where the blonde was coming from.

"That remains to be seen, Eleanore. I personally do not believe that Matilda would willingly allow herself to work with that group." I reasoned with a wave of my hand. Considering what we learned about who Matilda was, it stood to reason that the woman would rather die than willingly have anything to do with Reconquista again.

"Oh? And may we know the reason for your confidence towards Miss Matilda's loyalty?" The previously quiet middle sister asked after daintily lowering her cup from her lips and onto its saucer. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the way Cattleya said those words. She did not speak in the usual air-headed teasing manner she normally did. Indeed, had Eleanore not clued me in previously about the middle sister's deceptive depths, I would have assumed that I was speaking to a completely different person. So this was Catteya's no-nonsense self. She certainly resembled Karin's own usual calm and unreadable facade as a duchess. The most dangerous of the three sisters indeed.

"Because she told us of her past and showed great insight on the kind of person she is. She shared that with Louise and I in confidence." I explained and got a slight nod from Cattleya and a raised brow from Eleanore.

"And how can you be sure that she is telling the truth? Can you read minds now as well?" The eldest sister asked with valid skepticism.

"I cannot read minds, so no, I cannot be absolutely certain that everything she told us was true." I admitted with a shrug.

"And yet you continue to believe in her despite that? Despite everything pointing to the very real possibility that she is indeed working with Reconquista?" Cattleya asked with a leveled tone of voice. I had to admit to myself that I was still adjusting to hearing the middle sister talk in that manner, which was why my response was delayed for a second.

"Isn't that was trust is?" I asked in return.

"Indeed." Cattleya answered with another measured nod.

"You are certainly giving this Matilda great consideration. If one did not know any better, one might even assume that you had feelings for her." Eleanore pointed out while folding her arms over her chest. Cattleya raised an inquisitive eyebrow while looking between her older sister and I but did not comment on the blonde's words. I just gave a tired sigh before refilling my cup of tea.

"I had almost forgotten about that. One of these days, I really need to find out why people keep thinking that there is something between Matilda and I." I mused before regarding the two Valliere sisters who were both staring intently into my eyes. That thing again. I again wondered if that was something inherent with the sisters to try to see if who they were talking to was telling the truth or if it was something Karin taught them.

"The answer is 'no', by the way. I respect the woman as a magic user. She was the first human here who was able to hold her own against me without dying, so that certainly counts for something. Dare I say that she could likely give the both of you a run for your money?" I stated before casually saying that Matilda was an Earth Mage that could match Cattleya and Eleanore, both of whom here Earth Mages as well.

"That is quite the claim to make. Your confidence in that woman is almost impressive, considering that Big Sister Eleanore and I are rather proud of our Earth Magic." Surprisingly, it was Cattleya who said those words and not Eleanore.

"Confidence in a friend." I responded with a smile. Cattelya and I held each other's gazes for several more moments, I had noted an odd glint in her eyes. It was not something that shone with mischief in mind. No. It was the kind of glint that I used to see in Marisa Kirisame's eyes whenever someone said that it was impossible for her to do something...like copy my Master Spark. Our impromptu staring contest was interrupted with a rather deliberate cough from Eleanore.

"Regardless, that does not change the fact that Princess Henrietta and Prince Wales essentially asked Louise to fight that Albion Witch." The eldest sister quickly brought the topic back to what we were originally talking about.

"I'm not really sure I understand. Judging from your mother's past and her code, I would assume that what Louise is about to put herself through would earn approval from the Valliere family." I stated with a tilt of my head. After finding out that Karin was something of a legend in their country, I had thought that she would like nothing more than for her daughters to follow in her footsteps to glory. I seemed to have been mistaken in my initial assumption considering the matching frowns the elder sisters of my master were giving me.

"Are you a fool? Do you really think that our mother wanted that kind of life for any of us?" Eleanore spat at me, clearly offended with my disingenuous assertions. At my raised eyebrow, both Eleanore and Cattleya gave me a tired sigh.

"Please think about this, Yuka." Cattleya slowly stated, as if trying to explain something to a child.

"Mother is considered as the single most powerful mage of any element in centuries. She had a storied military career and is a living legend." Cattleya continued and I nodded along with her words.

"That much, I know." I said to the sisters.

"Think about this then. You have seen mother's combat attire, correct?" Eleanore asked me and I responded with a nod.

"And you also know that she was always referred to as The Heavy Wind, yes?" Cattleya asked and I nodded as well, not really certain where they were going with this.

"Not once was she ever referred to by name, only as The Heavy Wind. Not once did she ever use her name as a legend after she married father. In fact, they actively made sure that our mother's past as The Heavy Wind would be kept secret." Cattleya explained. I hummed thoughtfully at the implications of what the two women were saying. It certainly explained why everyone was so surprised at Karin being The Heavy Wind back at Tarbes.

"Wait...how did the two of you know this then? I think that Louise also knew of her mother's past as well." I asked the two of them. The sisters shared a look before turning back to me.

"We made father tell us." They both stated simultaneously.

"Not at the same time, of course." Eleanore quickly corrected.

"So he just told you about Karin's exploits?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"Father can easily be persuaded by his beloved daughters." Cattleya explained with a bit of a giggle.

"Besides, it was not like mother would tell us anything." Eleanore added and I nodded along in understanding.

"In any case, the reason why mother kept her past secret and why she never pushed any of us into careers in the military is specifically because she did not want any of us to become like her." The eldest sister continued with a sigh.

"I do not understand." I admitted. It was to my understanding that the concepts of Legacy and Tradition were things that Halkeginian nobility held in high regards towards.

"Father said that...he told us that our mother's childhood was not the most ideal of childhoods for nobles. He did not specify on any details. I believe that the full story was something that only he and mother shared. Regardless, our mother has gone through many many trials that would have broken any other nobles." Cattleya provided hesitantly. Clearly, the subject of Karin's past was a rather sensitive subject for their family.

"Trials that eventually forged her into the woman she is today." Eleanore stated with a firm nod.

"I see..." I trailed off in consideration of their words. I had my suspicions but I wanted to be certain with the two sisters.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked my master's older sisters. Eleanore sighed before rubbing her forehead and glaring at me.

"Because the runt keeps doing things that puts her in situations that veteran mage knights should be dealing with!" Eleanore snapped at me before Cattleya placed a soothing hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Mother is...worried. She has few tells when it comes to her emotions. However, that just makes the tells she does have even more striking when they become known." Cattleya took over the explanations.

"Worried?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Worried. Very. For Louise. She does not say it, but it was clear to me that her involvement with various incidents did not sit well with her. I very much believe that she had wanted lives for us that did not put us in danger. However..." The middle sister said sadly before trailing off.

"Fate seems to have other plans for her youngest daughter." I finished with a nod. Both Cattleya and Eleanore nodded in agreement.

"Mother loves us. Of that I have no doubt. She simply cannot convey it in the way other parents could because she never experienced such warmth when she was a child. So instead, she teaches and provides us the means for us to stand on our own someday while keeping us safe from enemies without and within. It was the only way for her to show what love she could without violating the code of honor she imposed upon herself." Cattleya said with a sigh before giving me a sad smile.

"Honestly, father, Eleanore, and I all think that she is far too hard on herself when it comes to many things in many ways." The middle sister wistfully mused.

"Just like her youngest daughter..." I trailed off with my own sigh.

"I think that mother is starting to see more of herself in the runt than she would like, lack of magical talent or no. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that your escapades with my youngest sister was directly requested of you by a member of the royal family, mother would have likely had the runt sent back home and to be taught by a tutor instead." Eleanore added with a huff.

"And what of the two of you? Are you also worried about the frequency of Louise's involvement in such matters?" I asked and got an immediate response from Eleanore by way of slamming her fist on the table.

"Do you honestly believe that I would be happy with the news that my sister -my youngest sister- is constantly being thrown to the wolves and there isn't anything I can do about it!?" The blonde all but screamed at me after standing up from her seat.

"Eleanore..." Cattleya called out to her older sister by name while giving her an embrace. That seemed to have snapped Eleanore out of her rage and she was guided back down to her seat but was still breathing heavily.

"You cannot possibly understand how helpless we feel..." The eldest sister muttered while glaring at her empty cup of tea.

"No, I cannot. However, if I may..." I admitted with a nod before trailing off and getting the attention of both sisters.

"Louise is precious to me as well, as has she become to many others, both in your realm and mine." I stated with clear seriousness.

"Understand that I will obliterate all who would threaten or harm her. Should it come to pass that something were to happen to her despite my efforts to protect her. Know that I will not be the only one who would want justice." I stated darkly. My own feelings aside, I know that Louise had become important to Ruukoto, Cirno, Yukari, Yamame, Touya, and Yuyuko at least. Indeed, I would be the least of the worries of whoever would harm Louise. Not that I would ever allow such a thing to happen in the first place. Though it did remind me of something...

"This was exactly what I was trying to make sure Louise would be ready for when the time came." I mused with an oddly amused chuckle.

"What are you talking about?" Eleanore asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well...ever since we discovered and confirmed that Louise was a Void Mage, I made sure to step up her training here in Mugenkan with Cirno's assistance." I answered with a smile when I remembered Louise's reaction when I told her that Cirno would be helping with her training. The smile faded when I also recalled that we arranged that a little before we were sent to Albion with Wardes. I then turned back to the suddenly quiet Valliere sisters and saw that they were staring at me with wide eyes and slack jaws. It took me a moment to understand why that was.

"Oh yes...we never got around to telling you that Louise is a Void Mage." I mused with a nod but my words did not seem to register to either Cattleya or Eleanore.

...

"Hi everybo...dy...umm...well, if you were into that kind of play to begin with, you should have told me. I'm pretty sure that Eirin has equipment for that stashed away in Eientei from way back. For scientific research purposes, of course." Yukari suggested after her entrance into my border of dreams was interrupted by what she saw. The border youkai appeared a few feet away from the table by way of coming out of her gap upside down and seemed to have intended a flashy entrance for her most recent visit.

"This isn't what it looks like." I stated blandly to the border youkai, who was still upside down. By that, I meant that there was a very logical and reasonable explanation as to why we were all standing. Clearly, there was an even more logical and reasonable reason as to why Eleanore currently had her hands around my neck and trying very hard to choke me while Cattleya feebly tried to pull her older sister away. Of course, despite her great enthusiasm in trying to strangle me, she did not have nearly enough strength to do any real harm.

"How am I supposed to interpret this?" Yukari asked with a small pout before retreating back into her gap. She came back out a moment later on the other side of the gap to appear right side up.

"Yuka! Were you caught cheating on these poor girls?" Yukari asked in a scandalized manner before gasping and covering her mouth with both of her hands.

"It's...it's Yuyuko, isn't it?! I should have known! I had thought that, if anyone would have been able to successfully seduce you, it would have been Yuugi since you both like physical fights. Maybe...MAYBE...Kasen, if you catch her at the right moment. After all, pitched battle is a FANTASTIC turn-on~! Haa~" Yukari said with narrowed eyes. She then started to go off into her own little world and barely being able to snap out of it with a shake of her head.

"As expected of my dearest friend." The border youkai then added as she nodded approvingly at the perceived gambit by the ghost princess. I just flatly stared at her while the two sisters just looked at her as if she was crazy.

"What?" Yukari innocently asked with a tilt of her head.

"How did you even REACH that conclusion based on seeing me try to choke-" Eleanore started rather hotly until I clasped her right hand in mine. The eldest sister glared at me but I cut off any sort of retort before it was too late.

"Don't ask her that." I hissed at her before giving a quick sidewards glance to Yukari.

"And why not?!" Eleanore hissed back while pulling her hand out of my grasp. Thankfully, she also lowered her other hand from my neck. I might not have been painful, but it was starting to get old.

"Because she might actually try to explain it with her twisted logic and make you believe her stupid reasoning." I answered with narrowed eyes. Eleanore opened her mouth to say something before closing it. She opened it again before closing it again. She repeated the process a couple of more times until Cattleya placed her hand on her older sister's shoulder.

"Perhaps we should defer to Yuka's judgment in this matter." The middle sister said with a smile.

"Fine." Eleanore huffed before turning away from me.

"Well, that happened. Wonderful reactions from you sisters as always~! Now then, where is our little pink ball of adorable?" Yukari commented before looking around for my master.

"Louise will likely not be joining us this evening. Just one of those days when she doesn't show up." I provided before sitting back down on my chair and conjuring up another one for Yukari.

"Oh, okay." The border youkai acknowledged before moving her gap to the chair and depositing herself on it and dismissing the gap she arrived in. Both Eleanore and Cattleya returned to their seats as well, but I noted that the blonde sister was still glaring at me.

"So, how did that whole 'Eleanore trying very hard to choke the life out of Yuka' thing transpire?" Yukari asked us with a clearly amused expression.

"Before that, do you have any new tea brews?" I asked the border youkai. I raised a brow at the odd looks that the sisters were giving me.

"What? I was serious when I said that I was interested in getting new kinds of tea." I told them, going back to our talk earlier that evening.

"Weeell...there was this tea that Eirin brought with her when she visited Kaguya recently. Apparently, it was some sort of high grade royal Lunarian tea or something. I think I can get you some from little miss Loves-Firebirds." Yukari remarked while looking upwards in recollection. Lunarian tea? Interesting...

"Is it any good?" I asked the obvious question. Yukari's immediate grimace did nothing to inspire confidence.

"It tasted like old cough syrup. Kaguya assured me that it was an 'acquired taste' but I'll go with Mokou's assessment that it tasted like bile that was left out in the sun for a few days. Certainly nothing as tasty as their liquor." Yukari answered while sticking her tongue out in distaste. Well, so much for that tea.

"That is absolutely disgusting!" Eleanore yelled out and I saw that she had abruptly put her cup back down on its saucer with a loud clink. I also noted that Cattleya had also put her cup down and slowly pushed the saucer and cup away from her while her expression looked rather sour. It was a bit amusing to see first hand that, despite how capable and reliable they were, they were both not immune to things that were generally considered 'icky' to other females.

"And so we shall all make an effort never to bring it up again. With that in mind, why were you trying to choke out Yuka? Going for another win over him with a different sister this time?" Yukari stated before asking the eldest sister about the state she found us in, while referencing how Eleanore effectively 'won' my match with her and Louise.

"Oh, it was because they -by that I mean Eleanore- were rather upset that we never told them about Louise's status as a Void Mage." I answered in the eldest sister's behalf.

"Ah! Louise's mystery magic element, right? Cirno did mention once that it was supposed to be a big deal in her realm." Yukari responded with a casual nod.

"The claim that our younger sister is host to a magical element that has not been documented in thousands of years, the element used by the founder of our entire civilization and way of life mind you, is a bit more than a 'big deal' for us." That got an immediate response from Cattleya. The middle sister was not as enthused as her older sister was when it came to dealing with the revelation of Louise's element, however it was not as if it did not affect her as well.

"Yes, of course. I didn't mean to offend you two." Yukari waved off Cattleya's words before pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Now that we're actually on the subject again, why were we not informed of this before?" Eleanore asked me with a frown.

"Well, there wasn't really any good time to spring the news on you. It wasn't like we could simply tell you one day that Louise was a Void Mage." I pointed out.

"And, does anyone else know of this?" Cattleya followed up. I hummed thoughtfully before swirling the tea in my cup as I considered her inquiry.

"Both Princess Henrietta and Prince Wales know. The remaining members of Wardes' old squadron should have figured it out, or at lease suspect something. Both Headmaster Osmond and Professor Colbert know. Matilda knows. Louise's friends know. Agnes probably knows as well considering how much Henrietta trusts her. Karin also knows, as well as your father if she ever decided to tell him about it." I listed those who I could recall knew about Louise's element off the top of my head. I sighed after I recalled that the only times when people really figured out Louise's element were due to the incidents in Albion and in Tarbes. Proof that even old problems had the potential to cause more headaches down the line.

"If such a number of people know that, then why not us? Why isn't this public knowledge now?" Cattleya asked with a strained expression. I had the feeling that she already came to an answer and was hoping that the truth was something different.

"Isn't it obvious? It's because the runt would have been a target for those Reconquista curs and Founder knows who else. They're keeping it secret to protect the runt. Just like how mother keeps her old life under wraps." Eleanore bit out as both she and the middle sister frowned at the apparent danger Louise was constantly in without their knowledge.

"That attack on the Academy. Do you think maybe those men were after Louise?" Cattleya suddenly asked worriedly. I blinked at her question since I hadn't even considered the possibility.

"Attack? What attack?" Yukari piped up from where she sat, obviously curious.

"Remember when Louise stayed over here one night a few days ago? Coincidentally, the academy was raided by several men and took most of the humans there hostage. The whole thing was resolved thanks to Ruukoto and Agnes' Musketeer Squadron. As far as what exactly they wanted to accomplish...well, you'd need to ask Agnes about it since she took all the surviving raiders for interrogation and whatnot." I explained with a shrug. I noted that neither of the sisters seemed happy with my answer, a pattern that had seemed to be going on all night.

"What's with that attitude? Aren't you the least bit concerned that they might have been there specifically to take the runt?" Eleanore asked me with a huff.

"Considering Louise is safe and the interlopers dealt with, not at all." I pointed out to the blonde.

"And what of the possibility that a similar attack might happen in the future? One that may very well end with our sister captured and taken away?" Cattleya followed up with her own seriously delivered inquiry.

"Firstly, that kind of attack only works once. No one ever expected that someone was stupid and skilled enough to pull it off. I doubt that the academy would allow itself the same mistake again. Additionally, anyone trying to get to Louise would need to go through Ruukoto and me. To say nothing of what Louise herself would do to anyone who tries to make her a damsel in distress, as well as what we would do to get her back in the unlikely event that she were to be captured." I answered confidently. And it was true. Whoever wanted to get their hands on my master in a less than hospitable manner would need to deal with at least Ruukoto and myself. Even if they could get past us for whatever reason, Louise has developed enough to be able to defend herself through her broken spells and using the physical prowess she had painstakingly earned through her own efforts. I also made sure to look them both in the eye as I mentioned that 'we' would get Louise back should she actually get herself captured. Both sisters were of course part of that aforementioned 'we'.

"Even so..." Cattleya trailed off, both her and Eleanore still very uncomfortable with the idea that Louise would ever come under threat again.

"You're both overthinking this whole thing." Yukari pointed out while gesturing to both sisters with her cup of tea.

"Your worries are all speculation in 'maybes' and 'what-ifs'. Our little pink ball of fun is fine despite all the trials her realm has thrown at her thus far. What is there to worry about?" Yukari pointed out before asking her question with a shrug. As irresponsible as it sounded, the border youkai made a very good point.

"The 'worry' is once the world throws her a trial that she cannot overcome." Eleanore stated with a clearly worried and angry expression that Cattleya mirrored. Yukari simply looked at the two of them like they were idiots before shaking her head.

"Isn't that where you all come in?" She asked with an expression that clearly said 'you're both smart, why haven't you figured out something so simple yet?'

"If something does happen that would overwhelm the poor girl and put her in a very bad position, would you just leave her alone to deal with it?" Yukari asked slowly and got an immediate response from both of Louise's older sisters.

"OF COURSE NOT!" Both sisters yelled out at the border youkai in unison while standing from their seats at te same time.

"We would never leave Louise in danger!" Cattleya continued with more force in her voice than I had ever heard from the middle sister.

"I'll rip anyone who hurts that runt to pieces!" Eleanore snarled with equal ferocity.

"Well, there you go." Yukari said simply, completely unfazed by the sudden display of sisterly protectiveness shown by both Eleanore and Cattleya. The two elder Valliere sisters glanced at one another before turning back to Yukari smug smile and sighing before sitting back down.

"And I would like to think that the two of you aren't the only ones with that kind of disposition towards Louise." The border youkai added with the same smile. The two sisters sighed and finally relented on the matter. Surprising though it was, Yukari actually made logical and meaningful points on the worries of Eleanore and Cattleya. It was one of those rare times of the year, I supposed.

...

Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere sighed as she closed the door inside her room that led to the pocket realm of her younger sister's familiar. The late night meetings that she had been having there were shortening her available time to sleep for the past several days. However, Cattleya would have been a fool by her own definition if she passed up an open invitation to spend time with her sisters. To say nothing of the interesting things that the residents of Gensokyo would talk to them about. Indeed, her time inside Yuka Kazami's Mugenkan had been the most fun the previously ill Valliere sister had in a very long time. Cattleya thought about the possibilities that opened up after Yamame's treatment ended.

She was cured! She was healthy! She might have the opportunity to study at the Tristain Magic Academy! Summon her very own familiar! Study alongside her younger sister! She could actually finally live her life!

It was all almost too good to be true...

"So..." A voice from behind that made the second daughter of Duke Valliere freeze. Her blood froze and she dearly hoped that the person behind her did not notice her tense, thought she doubted it. Cattleya took a few deep breaths before slowly turning around. Her mind was already racing to try to figure out how she would be able to explain everything without bringing undue problems to her and her sisters.

"Good evening, mother." Cattleya greeted her mother with a smile and a bow. Duchess Karin Desiree de La Valliere was in her evening wear and was sitting on the edge of Cattleya's bed while staring intently at her second daughter.

"I was having a difficult time sleeping and decided to check if my second daughter was already asleep. Imagine my surprise when I found her room completely empty. Indeed, even her bed seemed like it was never occupied. I had searched the manor for her and asked the servants if they saw her but came up empty. Hence, I simply decided to wait for her return and hear her explanation personally." Karin stated without batting an eye while Cattleya almost felt compelled to just run back and hide in Mugenkan for a few years.

"Now, daughter. I would like an explanation for your current behavior. Mayhaps it is related to your younger sister and her pet monster? Perhaps even related to your rapid, almost miraculous, recovery from your illness?" The former Manticore Knight Corps Commander asked in a clear tone of voice. Cattleya could tell that there was neither anger nor coldness in her mother's voice. Regardless, it did not prevent her heart from beating faster than it ever had before and her body to develop a cold sweat. There was one thing worse than Karin de La Valliere glaring at you with anger. It was Karin de La Valliere looking at you with complete control over her emotions. That was because one could not tell what she was feeling or thinking. Cattleya hated not being able to read her mother because she did not know what to expect.

"So speak, Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere. I am rather curious as to what you have to say for your actions." Karin said to her daughter with a small nod.

"Well...it is a bit of a long story, mother." Cattleya started, still trying to form her words and reasoning in her head.

"I am in little mood to go back to bed right now. Judging from the fragrance of fine tea I can detect on your person, I believe you are far from being tired as well." Karin dismissed Cattleya's concerns before gesturing to the space on the bed at her side. The younger strawberry-blonde woman nodded before taking a seat at her mother's side. She almost laughed at the irony of the fact that this was likely the very first time they had ever just sat down and talked in years, subject notwithstanding.

...

Please R&R~!


	40. The end of an era and a creator

Author's Notes: This it not an update. This more of a public service announcement and tribute.

In case some of you don't know it yet, Noboru Yamaguchi's death due to his long battle with Cancer was confirmed by his family and publishers today. The man died after fighting the good fight for two years while still trying his best to finish Zero no Tsukaima. Sadly, he was never able to finish it so we will never know the True Ending of Louise and Saito's lives. However, I will continue my own story here in honor of the man who has unexpectedly given inspiration to me and several other authors to start writing in the fantastic world that he had built with his own two hands.

Shine on, you Crazy Diamond. Rest in Peace Sweet Prince.

I will post the actual next chapter once it is finished. Please give time to pray for the soul of Yamaguchi-Sensei.


	41. Chapter 33

Author's Notes: Hi everyone! Been a while. Took me a bit longer to get this out than I planned because I forgot the release date for Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. Dat ending man. I was rooting for Yui too. Kinda got weird at the end when things started turning into Zeta Gundam for some reason.

Anyway, this is the first part of the 2nd Albion arc and the home stretch for S2 of the story. I'm planning on doing just one more part but I think that it won't be as long as the finale of S1. In any case, it will likely take a bit for me to write since the summer lineup for games is going to swamp me. Starting with The Last of Us and Deadpool...but the big time sinkers are going to be Dynasty Warriors 8, Dragon's Crown, and Tales of Xillia. Yeah. I'll see what I can do at work until the madness begins.

As always, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: [x] Put the Warmaster Cap on Kyoko and watch the results.

...

"You seem rather quiet." I commented to the large lump under a blanket on top of a rather ordinary looking single-person bed.

"Last time I was in this kind of situation, I didn't even realize I was being kidnapped." The sentient blanket responded with Louise's voice.

"Well, you volunteered for this if I recall correctly." I pointed out and got a frustrated looking shudder from the blanket.

"I volunteered last time too." It weakly stated, still using my master's voice. I walked up to the bed and, ever so slowly, pulled the blanket back to reveal Louise curled up into herself and trembling.

"It will not end the same way as it did back then." I reminded her while stroking her hair. Indeed, things are far different from the last time we went to Albion.

"I don't know, Yuka. The closer we get, the more this whole situation hits too close to home. What if we really do have to fight Matilda? What if we can't reason with her? What if she really is a traitor and has been playing us for fools?! What if-" Louise said while shaking her head before she started talking in 'What Ifs' in an increasingly frantic pace until I interrupted her.

"What if we all spontaneously turned into a variety of pies? What if you and Kirche suddenly became passionate lovers? What if one of the moons suddenly disappears? What if the cake was indeed actually a lie? What if...what if worrying about things we can't verify or deal with at the moment will not actually help us resolve the issues at hand? What if it would be a better idea to save our energy for when we actually have to deal with whatever this latest problem throws at us?" I stated my own mockery of her 'What Ifs' before reminding her on what we should actually be doing. Louise frowned at me for a while before rolling in her bed to face away from me.

"I hate it when you make sense like that." I heard her mutter in a displeased manner. We settled into a much more comfortable silence afterwards so I decided to walk up to the far wall and take a look out the porthole. Yep. Still in the air and still en route. Ruukoto remained impassively standing next to the door of our private cabin even though we were each provided our own beds. Since it was obvious that neither Ruukoto nor I would be sleeping on said beds, Louise took it upon herself to commandeer the pillows provided for our use. Ruukoto had jokingly asked if she was trying to make a Pillow Fort but Louise didn't understand her at the time so the joke merely flew over my master's head.

We were currently being ferried to Albion by a rather large Tristainian airship called the 'Varsenda'. It was certainly larger than Murasa's Original Palanquin Ship, before it was grounded and later upgraded, but it was also far less stylish. The ship was littered with mage knights and the like and their various mounts on deck and in the interior of the ship. It seemed that the ship was designed to move around Tristain's air cavalry en masse. Odd that I did not seem to recall seeing such a ship at Tarbes. Regardless, considering the number of mounted knights, Louise inquired if her old friends from Tarbes, the Sixty-Sixth, were aboard. She was a bit disappointed when she found out that they were not onboard and were in fact deployed somewhere else in Tristain at the time.

In the end, Louise just opted for us to remain in our cabin to stay out of the way of the hustle and bustle. Thankfully, that also meant that our meals were brought to our cabin directly. It took a while to convince the boy who delivered the meals that Louise was really the only one who actually needed to eat regularly.

"Yes. I've noticed that you and Eleanore tend to dislike my use of blunt logic." I commented with a shrug and a smile. Louise then sat up on her bed and sighed before reaching out for a brush that was placed on a nearby table. Louise then proceeded to start brushing her hair, likely because she didn't really have anything else to do.

"So...is there any reason why everyone seems so...relaxed and festive despite there being a war going on?" I asked after having observed the knights and crew being rather...upbeat. I understood that having good morale in a war was advisable but it was more like they were all going on holiday rather than to a war.

"Huh? Oh right, you don't know about our holidays. Well, to answer your question, the Silver Pentecost is approaching." Louise explained while continuing to brush her hair.

"Silver Pentecost?" I asked with a raised brow. It was true that I knew nothing of the local holidays. I did not even realize that they had regular holidays.

"Yes. It is a day of peace to celebrate the coming of a new year. The Princess says that there was a ceasefire agreement between the coalition and the Albion forces for the holiday." My master explained and I blinked at her words.

"And...they're actually trusting their foe to keep their word? Really?" I asked in full skepticism of the so-called agreement. At my remark, Louise turned to me and gave me a glare that seemed to show that she was personally insulted by my words.

"The Silver Pentecost is a sacred day for all of Halkeginia! It marks the New Year after Founder Brimir's victory over the elves and symbolizes the new era of freedom for our people from the Firstborn. Not even the Albionese armies would dare to stain that day with blood. That would be beyond heretical!" My master declared imperiously with a tone that brooked no arguments. She then proceeded to grumble when her brush got caught by a particularly stubborn tangle in her hair. I walked up to her and gestured for the brush. Louise looked at me like she wasn't sure if it was a good idea but she eventually relented and handed it to me.

"And how is that any less 'heretical' from what they have already been doing?" I asked softly after sitting down next to Louise on her bed and gesturing her to turn around so I could work on her hair.

"That's...true. However, I don't think that they would dare cross any more lines than they have already had." Louise insisted in a voice that seemed like she was trying to convince herself rather than me.

"And why is that?" I asked while gently untangling her hair. There was a time when I had grown my hair out like how I had it when Reimu was young. I was abruptly reintroduced to an old adversary of mine by the name of 'Bed Hair'. I had eventually decided to cut it short again but I was still rather adept at dealing with tangled hair.

"Because the Pope might decide that it was appropriate for Romalia to step in and sort things out. The Pope is likely willing to stay back and let the coalition take care of the situation in Albion for now. After all, Reconquista more or less has all the other Brimiric Nations as foes in Albion. However, if they sully the name of the Founder any more than what they have already tainted then they would end up facing the entire continent itself." Louise reasoned while moving her head along with my brush strokes. It was sound logic, I supposed. Their pope would allow someone else to deal with the problem while he preserves his own resources. If things go out of hand, he can just declare that the country of Romalia was acting to uphold the laws of their Founder if they should ever need to intervene.

"Point. In any case, how do you want to deal with the task that Henrietta and Wales gave us?" I conceded the point for now and moved the conversation to a more relevant topic for our personal interests.

"Finding this Silent Harlequin would be a wonderful start. Between you and Ruukoto, she shouldn't be able to get away as easily as she has been able to against the regular forces." Louise said with a slight nod.

"Alright. Do we know where to start looking?" I asked. Sadly, even though the two royals specifically asked us to deal with the Earth Mage, they were not able to provide any helpful information on how to pin down her location. In the end, Agnes simply gave Louise a letter from Henrietta when the Knight Captain showed up to escort us to the ship that would take us to Albion.

Obviously, Louise's friends immediately wanted to come along. However, they were quickly dressed down by Agnes as the knight quickly pointed out that the orders were given by Princess Henrietta to only include Louise and her followers. Should they violate that and tag along anyway, then the would be breaking Tristanian law. In the end Agnes somehow got Professor Colbert to make sure that Kirche and the rest stay at the academy until our return. The relationship between the knight and her old savior seemed to still be rather tense but Colbert was more than happy to defer to Agnes' judgement on the matter. Although, Agnes did have to pull away the professor for a private talk when he had initially protested about Louise's involvement with the war. In the end, Louise's friends stayed at the academy under the direct supervision of Professor Colbert.

"Well, according to the Princess' letter, we are to report to the person in command of the forces in Saxe-Gotha in order to get the most recent information about that. It seems that the Silent Harlequin simply shows up almost without rhyme or reason before laying waste to our forces. She could show up at the front lines in the middle of battle or in front of soldiers on march well within friendly lines." Louise explained with a sigh and a shake of her head. I was afraid of that. Yet more complications in an already annoying state of affairs.

"Unpredictable and seemingly being used purely to create chaos and fear in the hearts of men." I mused. The fact that she can suddenly appear without warning in both the front lines of combat and behind the coalition's lines means that she may have the means to strike anywhere at any time. Louise responded with another nod before sighing.

"I have no idea how we can even find her if she behaves that way. Let alone capture her if she really is Matilda." My master admitted, suddenly sounding very weary.

"Have you ever dealt with that kind of enemy before?" She suddenly asked me without turning around.

"Yukari, Koishi, and Nue all qualify. However the sudden chaos they usually spread are those meant to surprise and annoy, for fun and jokes really. Certainly none of them would go about it in such a way that would result in dead bodies." I responded and Louise seemed to deflate more and more as I went on.

"We will find her and catch her, Louise. If she really is Matilda, then we will find out the truth about her actions and deal with the situation as needed. If she is not Matilda, we will do the same anyway. It will likely not be easy. Indeed, more headaches will likely be in store for us before this whole mess is done. However, I can promise you that we will see it through. We will keep you safe. I will keep you safe." I stated softly but resolutely. My master finally seemed to relax and she demonstrated it by leaning back until she was resting her back on me.

"Louise, I can't brush your hair like this." I reminded my master who was clearly not going to move from her spot.

"Thank you, Yuka." Louise mumbled. I smiled at her words and shook my head.

"You of all people should know I do not put up with all the things Henrietta asks of you and us in order to be thanked." I said before blinking when Louise did not respond.

"Louise?" I called out softly to my master.

"Fuga." Ruukoto pointed out to me. I adjusted myself and saw that Louise had indeed fallen asleep.

"Fuga." The gynoid said and I gave it a flat look at the comment.

"Yes. I am certain that Louise finds her current position to be comfortable if she could fall asleep so easily while leaning on me." I said with no small amount of sarcasm that just slid off the gynoid without reaction.

"Fuga. Fuga Fuga." Ruukoto let its opinion known.

"I agree. These kinds of things are not issues that she should have to be dealing with." I responded with a chuckle and a nod. It appeared that, barring specific exceptions, Ruukoto's opinion on the overall competence of the armed forces of Tristain just kept getting lower and lower. Especially if the crown had to rely on someone so young to deal with problems that would have had significant consequences for the entire country. It seemed that the gynoid shared my opinion that Louise was not, nor should be treated or expected to be, some sort of hero. A convenient existence that they can turn to in order to deal with their problems.

"I can talk to Louise about that once this is all over. Regardless, all we have to make sure of is to keep her safe and crush all who would have the misguided idea of bringing her harm." I added while looking right at Ruukoto's eyes.

"Fuga." The gynoid agreed wholeheartedly.

...

"Well, it certainly is rather nippy out today." I commented as we disembarked the Varsenda after it had arrived at Saxe-Gotha's docks. There was a cloudy overcast due to Albion's location and the shifting of the seasons. That also meant that the ambient temperature was dropping as well. I sighed as the weather reminded me that I should already be preparing for my winter hibernation by now. In fact, Yukari was probably already asleep back in Gensokyo.

"Don't tell me that you don't like the cold." Louise commented from behind me as we descended the ship's gangplank. The rest of the occupants of the ship seemed to need more time to prepare to disembark, so we decided to get the ball rolling and meet up with our contact here to be led to the coalition commander in this city.

"Fine, I won't tell you how I don't like the cold." I responded with a shrug and I could almost feel Louise's glaring into my back.

"Fuga." Ruukoto added from behind my master as she carried Louise's travel bag. Thankfully, it was just one large leather bag instead of the small pile of luggage that mysteriously appeared at La Rochelle when we first went to Albion.

"What is it?" Louise asked Ruukoto after turning her head towards the gynoid.

"Well, it seems that Ruukoto has noted that someone has been staring at us rather intently ever since we emerged from the ship." I explained while inclining my head towards a certain uniformed gentleman who was indeed staring at us from the docks.

"Our contact?" Louise asked out loud.

"One way to find out." I answered before we made our way to the man.

"Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere?" The man in question asked while looking right at Louise.

"I am she. May I know who is asking?" My master declared after taking a breath.

"Herr Johann Ludwig von Seckendorf. A knight in the proud service of the Germanian Empire. I was instructed by the kommandant to receive you at the port and escort you to his office." The man in question answered. He seemed to be around the same age as Agnes and her Musketeers. He had short cropped black hair and sharp blue eyes. He was shorter than I was but was still built like he could fight well. He was wearing some sort of red dress uniform bereft of any visible protection aside from a sword strapped to his left hip. Most curious was the fact that I could not feel any hint of magic coming from the man.

"I see, you have my thanks. Let us be on our way, Sir Seckendorf. We don't want to keep your commander waiting." Louise smoothly responded and we quickly found our way out of the docks. The knight Johann was in the lead with Louise following close behind. Ruukoto and I walked alongside one another a few steps behind my master.

"Is there anything you can tell us about the situation here Sir Seckendorf?" Louise asked as we walked down the streets of Saxe-Gotha. The man took a few moments to consider the question before responding.

"Saxe-Gotha's in a pretty peaceful state. Then again, this was the first place we hit and is our foothold to the rest of the country. Making sure it stays secured would be a top priority. The problem is, it gets worse the further out you get from here." Johann answered while continuing to lead us to wherever his commander was located.

"The city seems well intact for one that was assaulted by what I would assume to be a combined army from three nations." Louise pointed out since there was little to no evidence of any structural damage to any of the buildings or roads.

There were soldiers and military equipment here and there but it was still rather obvious that the civilian population was still well intact and seemed to be going about their usual business. It was also notable that the soldiers I could see did not all wear the same colors, likely some were soldiers from Germania and Gallia.

The previous king of Gallia was murdered. The queen was given a poison that caused her mind to break down, poison that was meant for her daughter. Princess Charlotte Helene Orléans de Gallia was sent into exile because she threatened the rule of the current king due to her bloodline. Joseph Gaul is not the rightful king of Gallia.

I had to consciously prevent myself from grumbling out loud after I remembered Tabitha's words in Tarbes when I inquired about the apparently exiled princess of Gallia. I didn't really think much of it until now because we had more pressing issues at that time and new issues kept coming up afterwards. Another possible future headache if the current king of that country really was a madman or something. I just hoped that he had mellowed out since taking the throne from his brother.

"That is because we didn't attack with the full force of the coalition army. An assault team composed of Schwarzer Hase took the city instead. It was a planned attack proposed by the Germanian war council." The knight responded with a hint of pride in his voice.

"That is Germania's elite is it not? Did they not suffer severe casualties against the Silent Harlequin?" I asked with a raised brow. The mention of the Silent Harlequin made both the knight and my master twitch, though I suspect for different reasons.

"Yes, however the Schwarzer Hase has more than twenty members. That is why the war council wanted to let them have a chance to reclaim their honor. The coalition leaders accepted the plan since it would be the best way to take the city without alerting the entire country of our chosen gambit." He cooly answered as we approached a large building located in the center of the city.

"You seem rather enthused when talking about that group." I mused as I noted the way he talked about the Schwarzer Hase. He smiled before saluting a pair of guards that were guarding the door to the large building and opening the door to let us inside.

"Of course! My older sisters Oktavia and Ophelia are members of the Schwarzer Hase and were part of the assault group that took this city. Oktavia personally secured this very building herself with only two others acting as lookouts. I also wish to someday be worthy of joining their ranks." Johann answered with great pride, even going as far as lifting his chin a bit higher as he spoke. Impressive if his sisters also lacked the ability to cast magic as he did. Louise did not say anything but she smiled at the way the man talked about his sisters. After all, my master knew what it was like to have older sisters that you look up to and want to be like.

We were led up to the second floor and to one of the many doors that lined the hallway. Despite the relative peace outside, the interior of the building was abuzz with people going back and forth like worker bees. Seckendorf gave the door three sharp knocks before a muffled voice from inside bade us to enter.

"Herr Johann Ludwig von Seckendorf reporting in with Dame Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere as ordered, sir." Johann introduced my master with a crisp salute after we had entered the room. For a moment, everything was quiet until Ruukoto closed the door behind us. The commander of the Saxe-Gotha forces was a man with short blonde hair and looks that could pass as handsome. He seemed younger than Colbert but definitely older than Wardes was. His features was oddly familiar though but I couldn't really place it at that moment. The man looked between Louise, me, and Ruukoto in turn before standing up from his seat and making his way towards us.

"Greetings, Dame Valliere. I am Enzo Anselmo de Gramont. Member of the Cavaliere di Gran Croce and commanding officer of the forces stationed in Saxe-Gotha. I do hope that my younger brother has not been giving you any problems at the academy." The man introduced himself to the widening eyes of Louise and my raised brow.

"You are Guiche's older brother?" Louise asked even though it was already obvious that he was. Then again, I could understand her surprise. There were indeed similarities between Enzo and Guiche, but the man before us looked far more confident and competent than Monmon's lover. He seemed like a man who can sweep any woman off their feet while capable enough to back up whatever outlandish claims he might have about himself.

"Second oldest actually. Thank you Sir Seckendorf. You are dismissed, you may return to your unit." Enzo corrected before dismissing Johann. The two military men exchanged salutes before the Germanian turned to us.

"Good day to you and your companions Dame Valliere. It was an honor to speak with a member of the family that the Von Zerbst considers as worthy foes." Johann said with genuine respect for Louise and her family before offering his hand to her. My master was momentarily taken aback by that but was able to recovery almost immediately.

"The honor is mine Sir Seckendorf. I wish you the best in your future endeavours. I hope that you will one day stand alongside your sisters in the Schwarzer Hase." Louise responded in kind before shaking the knights hand. The knight quickly left and closed the door behind him afterwards. We all turned back to Enzo and saw him giving us an amused expression, one that truly resembled on of Guiche's smiles.

"Did you know that Sir Seckendorf and his sisters are commoners?" Enzo finally said, confirming my earlier observation on the Germanian knight as well as my guess regarding her sisters.

"What?" Louise exclaimed, obviously surprised considering that the man certainly did not look like a commoner.

"He cleans up quite well doesn't he? I had also heard that his sisters are quite the beauties as well." Enzo mused with a smirk.

"Is it really a surprise? Agnes and her knights are commoners as well." I pointed out to my oddly surprised master.

"Well yes, but they are the Princess' personal guard that she formed herself." Louise reasoned.

"As you should already know, Germania's system of nobility is rather different from the rest of Halkeginia. Regardless, I cannot exactly deny their effectiveness. While father and the rest of my brothers have reservations with working alongside commoners as peers, I don't really have such issues." Enzo explained with a smile that made him resemble Guiche quite a bit.

"An unusual way to think from one from a prestigious noble military family." I commented and Enzo simply shrugged.

"If they can do the job, why keep them from doing so just because they are commoners? I've no qualms working with them so long as they get the job done. Just don't tell my brothers and my father about that, alright?" Enzo asked rhetorically before winking at Louise and thus making her blush. Well, at least he had more style at dealing with women than Guiche was.

"Of course. Now, I would like to assume that you were already told why we are here?" I spoke out, if only to save Louise any further embarassment at the hands of the elder Gramont brother.

"Quite so. Please have a seat, we have a few things to go over." Enzo gestured to the two wooden chairs in front of his desk before he retrieved some documents from a side table. Louise and I sat down on the offered seats while Ruukoto just stood by the door with Louise's travel bag set down at her feet.

"Where is Guiche anyway? Montmorency has been worrying about him back at the academy." Louise asked as Enzo made his way back to his seat.

"Ah yes, I recall that he is in a rather serious relationship with the Montmorency heiress. Well, he is with father at one of our forward command camps last I heard. The boy has been praised by father and his men after he apparently saved a few soldiers in the front lines." The commander said with a mix of amusement and pride as he informed us of another surprise.

"Guiche saved soldiers?!" Louise deemed it necessary to express her own surprise vocally.

"More specifically, his Bronze Valkyries did." Enzo appended.

"The unit he was with at the time was ambushed and, while by brother did not fight, he assisted nonetheless by using his Valkyries to get the injured to safety. He even got a medal out of it after he continued to pull injured soldiers out of harm's way while being wounded himself." The commander explained with brotherly pride for what Guiche had accomplished. I honestly did not expect the boy to be capable of such things. Then again, Louise's friends did tend to have surprising depths to them.

"And I'm sure we will be hearing all about that for a long time when he comes back to the academy." My master muttered dryly which got her a laugh from Guiche's brother.

"Indeed. Well then, shall we get to business then? To be perfectly honest, I had originally thought that your deployment here was some sort of joke." Enzo started with a shrug before raising his hands up defensively after noticing how my master scowled after hearing his words.

"I meant no disrespect, Dame Valliere. You would understand my surprise when I recieved a letter about your arrival that was co-signed by both Prince Wales and Princess Henrietta. Full cooperation and assistance to be rendered to the Chevalier Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere and her party in regards to any matters involving the Silent Harlequin. It was quite the shock to know that a second year student at the Tristain Magic Academy held the confidence of two heirs to their respective thrones." The man apologized before telling us why he had thought such. It was a reasonable reaction all things considered really.

"I have no problem sharing what information we have on her at the request of the crown. However, if you would indulge my curiosity, why would you require such information to begin with?" Enzo asked before leaning forward and steepling his hands in front of his face. Louise gave me a meaningful glance but I simply shrugged at her. The gesture conveying that it was her choice to reveal what we know or not to Guiche's brother. Louise scowled at me in response and I just shrugged at her again. After all, Ruukoto and I were mostly there to make sure anyone who tried to harm her would be dealt with accordingly. We both turned our gazes back to Enzo who was looking at us with an expression of great amusement.

"Already being able to have lover's quarrels with only eye contact? The two of you are very lucky to have one another then. Very rarely do couples develop that level of mutual understanding with one another. Treasure that bond." He easily says while nodding to himself sagely. I sighed at how he managed to misread our bond while Louise reacted in her usual manner of blushing bright crimson and looking like she was about to hyperventilate. All the while, Ruukoto simply looked on with apparent disinterest.

"That is-" I started in order to preempt Louise from doing her usual outburst and digging the hole deeper. However, Enzo simply gave us a dismissive wave.

"Incorrect? There is nothing going on between us? We are not in such a relationship? There is no way that you two could ever fall in love with one another? Please, I've heard it all before. Such words only shows that you want to keep your love from becoming public knowledge. I understand." The man asked is with a raised brow and a smirk. I simply sighed at how he completely misread the situation. On any other circumstance, his analysis would have held water. However, the special bond that Louise and I shared was not romantic in nature. Sadly, the way Louise's face lit up at the elder Gramont brother's words was not really helping.

"But it's true! Yuka is not my lo-lo-lo-" Louise tried to deny the silly claims but the fact that she couldn't even say the word 'lovers' was just making things look worse. I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and just shook my head when she turned to me. Louise's face shifted through a few expressions before settling on a resigned sigh. At least the action let the built up tension from earlier melt away somewhat. Despite my earlier decision to let Louise explain the situation at her leasure, I figured that she wasn't really in any shape to explain anything until she could snap out of her funk.

"Your Princess and Prince Wales has requested us to deal with the threat of the Silent Harlequin." I explained after turning back to Enzo. The mention of the Silent Harlequin made Louise flinch and apparently finally snapped her back to normal.

"Deal with? You cannot possibly mean..." Enzo trailed off while narrowing his eyes at us.

"Yuka is correct. We are here at the behest of the crown to put an end to the threat the Silent Harlequin poses to the coalition and the people of Albion." Louise affirmed with a determined nod, a reflection of her desire to face the mystery mage who may very well be her missing tutor. The commander's expression hardened as his eyes moved from Louise to myself and to Ruukoto in turn several times, obviously contemplating about a few things.

"With only the three of you?" He finally asked and his expression grew grim after Louise nodded.

"You understand the kind of havok that woman has wrought our combined armies, yes? I find it hard to believe that three individuals, regardless if your prestigious lineage, will be able to overcome something our combined might could not. I would rather not have to needlessly risk the health and safety of a promising beatiful young woman such as yourself. I say this as the commanding officer of the coalition forces in this city as well as a man of the Gramont family." Enzo said with a grave seriousness that made my master give pause. There was clear doubt in his words as well as genuine concern for Louise's safety.

"While your concerns are as understandable as they are appreciated, please know that your Princess and the Prince of Albion did not put their faith in us without cause. We are all far more than meets the eye, Commander Gramont." I responded smoothly with a warm smile. Louise gave a determined nod in agreement while Ruukoto simply continued to monitor the proceedings passively.

"Meaning?" Enzo asked with narrowed eyes.

"Unconventional assets to deal with unconventional issues." I stated bitterly with an equally bitter smile in reference to the kinds of trouble we've been involved in. Louise frowned at me after picking up my tone of voice. Enzo's eyes glinted with understanding and gave a reluctant nod.

"I see. I cannot begin to imagine the feeling of being forced to expose your beloved to open danger because of duty and absurd circumstances." The commander said to me with a sympathetic smile. The look in his eyes showed that he probably was going to continue to believe that Louise and I were somehow lovers no matter what we do or say. Oh well, more's the pity.

"Yuka and I are not in that kind of relationship!" My master yelled and just got a smile and a nod from the elder Gramont brother. I had wondered why he did not seem to be offended by the idea of Louise and I in a relationship, he even came up with the whole thing himself. Most people at first glance would have dismissed me as a commoner due to my attire and general attitude, even so...

An oddity as a Gramont and as a noble in general, this Enzo Anselmo de Gramont.

"Now then, since you all understand the level of threat the Silent Harlequin poses to everyone..." Louise scowled at how her protests were ignored as Enzo presented us with several leaves of parchment. I took the offered parchment and gave the topmost one a glance. I then frowned and handed them to the still frowning Louise. Yet another reminder that I still haven't learned the written language of this realm. It was almost as if all these incidents keep happening specifically so I would never get around to learning it.

"These are..." Louise trailed off as she went through what was written. Her eyes widened bit by bit with every page she read.

"A comprehensive report that our best analysts were able to put together on the behavioral patterns of the Silent Harlequin. It was sent out to all commanding officers deployed throughout Albion." Enzo explained while gesturing to the bundle in my master's hands.

"There is a lot to go through..." Louise admitted with a furrow of her eyebrows.

"Indeed. I haven't even been able to sit down and read it all because of everything else that requires my attention. However, that is the most up to date and accurate information we have on the Silent Harlequin." The commander stated before standing up.

"Now, I don't really expect you to be able to go ahead and read all of that so soon after your long trip here. I have arranged a room for you and your party at a nearby Inn so you can rest and prepare." Enzo spoke as he took a smaller sleeve of parchment and writing something on it before handing it to Louise.

"Show that to the innkeeper and it should be enough to get you to your room without any fuss. I'll get someone to escort you to the Inn." He said with a warm smile. Rather considerate of him to arrange that. Then again, Louise was here as an agent of Henrietta and Wales after all. Louise looked at the apparent note and stiffened in her seat. Enzo did not seem to notice it and merely continued talking as he walked to the door.

"The current proprietor of that Inn is a bit eccentric but he and his girls are good people. They have certainly lifted the spirits of the men stationed here at least. Please wait here while I fetch your escort." The commander stated before exiting the room.

"Louise?" I called out to her after she had not moved since she read that note Enzo gave her.

"No...just a coincidence." She muttered to herself. I raised a brow as she shook her head and stood up from her seat with visible effort.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Nothing. Yes, it is just a coincidence." Louise continued to repeat to herself until Enzo returned with another soldier, one wearing a Tristainian uniform this time. We were quickly escorted to the Inn we were supposed to be staying at, only a few blocks away from the building where Enzo was in fact. Only after seeing the name of the Inn and hearing the commotion inside did I understand Louise's oddly irrational behavior earlier.

'The Charming Fairy Inn'

What?

...

"So..." I muttered uncomfortably while looking up at the sign that held the name of the establishment we were currently in front of.

"So..." Louise repeated lifelessly to my left while looking at the same sign.

"..." Ruukoto remained silent and was just staring at nothing in particular to my right. The soldier who escorted us to the Inn excused himself to return to his regular duties. That left us awkwardly and silently considering what we should do in this current situation.

"Do...do we go inside? I mean, it really could be just a random coincidence you know." My master asked in a voice that seemed like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince me.

"The kind of random coincidence that might actually happen considering our past luck in these kinds of silly situations." I pointed out. Louise groaned since she knew from experience that my words were true.

"Mistress Louise? Mister Yuka? Ruukoto?" We immediately all turned to the source of the clearly unexpected voice. Lo and behold, walking up to us with an empty wicker basket in her hands was none other than Siesta. The maid was dressed modestly in a brown top with long white sleeves with a long beige skirt. She was also shifting her expression constantly between surprise, joy, and nervousness in no particular order.

"Siesta? Didn't I tell you to stay with your family until we returned?" Louise asked after recovering from the initial shock.

After Henrietta and Wales' surprise visit, Louise thought it prudent to give Siesta a paid vacation after explaining the situation to the maid. It was a concept that she had apparently picked up from Yukari at one point or another, likely during a story regarding Ran. The maid was flabbergasted at the whole thing and protested that she only be paid for what services she rendered for Louise and the school. The whole thing more or less devolved into an argument between the two until Ruukoto pointed out that Siesta could use the opportunity to check on her family at Tarbes. After that, the discussion went in a more reasonable direction. I had gone outside for some sun during most of the following discussion since haggling always bored me greatly. When I returned, Siesta and Louise were chatting about the latest entry in that silly sordid romance novel series they both seemed to love.

"Wait, no! What are you even doing here?! This is Albion! A war zone!" My master continued to build up momentum and was very nearly cornering the maid even though she was shorter than Siesta.

"But Mistre-" Siesta tried to explain herself but Louise didn't seem to be in a listening mood.

"Are you insane?! You could get hurt!" My master yelled out at the maid. Siesta looked and Ruukoto and I pleadingly for some assistance. While I was curious as to why she was here as well, I knew that Louise was indeed overreacting again. I was about to pull Louise away from the frightened maid when the doors of the Inn suddenly opened up.

"Hey! Who's shouting like an idiot out he-Louise? Yuka? Ruukoto?" I pinched the bridge of my nose after seeing who the new person was. On one hand, considering the name of the Inn, it wasn't really that surprising. On the other hand, that also meant one other thing.

"Jessica too?!" Louise exclaimed and likely came to the same conclusion as I from the way her face paled.

"That must mean..." My master muttered before we heard some approaching footsteps from within the Inn.

"Tres Bien~" Scarron exclaimed after it saw us all standing outside the establishment. I could almost hear Louise's sanity slip and fall down a flight of stairs in the least comfortable way possible.

...

"Wait! You are related?!" Louise yelled out after it was explained to us that Siesta was the cousin of Jessica, and effectively, the niece of Scarron.

"That's right Mistress Louise! So I'm not really going against your wish of me staying with my family until you return to the academy!" Siesta answered almost victoriously to her official employer, even going as far as lifting her chin up and putting her hands on her hips in a show of superiority. It turned out that Siesta really did go back to Tarbes but was quickly snapped up by Jessica, who was visiting as well. Scarron had the wonderful idea of supporting the coalition troops by moving their operations to Albion and Jessica thought that Siesta would be a potent addition to their lineup.

"Don't get smart with me, maid." Louise deadpanned at the still gloating maid. Despite her tone, it was obvious that they were both happy to see each other again. Louise, Siesta, Ruukoto, and I were all seated at a table in the apparent Saxe-Gotha branch of the Charming Fairy Inn.

"Now the question becomes, what are all of you doing out here and why are you the ones who will use the room that Commander Gramont personally reserved for an important group of people from Tristain?" Jessica asked us after she walked up to our table and put down some drinks for us. The young woman put the tray she used to carry our drinks under her left arm and placed her right hand on her hip as she waited for an answer.

"We could tell you, but I'm not sure if we're supposed to kill you if we do." I mused conversationally before taking a sip of the frothy mug in front of me. I was never really into alcohol, western ones even more so. Some warm sake or fine wine would be perfectly acceptable on occasion, particularly during festivals and parties. However, beer was not really a beverage that I've had a lot of experience with. I did not doubt the quality of what I was drinking considering the establishment I was in as well as the fact that the owner is related to Siesta, who brews the finest tea in Halkegina. I supposed that it was just personal taste really. I did not really find beer distasteful, I just did not like it as much as I liked tea.

"W-what are you talking about?! Are you threatening me?" Jessica suddenly asked in a rather frantic manner after gasping at my words. Siesta simply giggled at her cousin's reaction since she was already privy to our reasons of being in Albion this time. Louise was giving me flat look that said 'Seriously, Yuka? Seriously?' Ruukoto was quietly sipping its own drink without really reacting. I raised a brow at the fact that the gynoid could ingest liquids, alcohol even, without any consequence. Must be those nanomachine things. I silently hoped that the gynoid did not have the capacity to get drunk.

"Yuka is just joking. We're here because we need to take care of something under the direct request of Princess Henrietta. Unfortunately, it is something that we cannot really discuss it out in the open." Louise explained to the frightened young woman after giving me one last glare. Jessica did not seem convinced by my master's words but she seemed to relax at the way Siesta smiled and nodded at her.

"Oh, well okay." Jessica finally relented. I put down the ceramic beer stein after drinking all the contents. Might as well finish the whole thing while it was still cold and be done with it rather than nurse it little by little and end up with warm beer...eugh.

"It is as Louise says. My previous statement was merely meant as a joke, really. I was surprised that someone as sharp as you are could not catch that." I said with a shake of my head and a smirk. I was expecting Jessica to be offended or laugh it off, but she just looked at me curiously before her expression twisted into one holding back laughter.

"Pfft! W-well...okay. Wow, you can really put it away huh? D-do you want another round?" She asked in a trembling voice. Curiously, instead of looking scared, she continued to look like she was trying desperately not to laugh. I raised a brow when I noted that both Louise and Siesta shared her expression. My master even went as far as to put both of her hands over her mouth to stifle what laughter threatened to escape.

"Okay, what is it now? Is there something on my face?" I asked with a sigh as they clearly found something very amusing while looking right at me. That seemed to be the danmaku that broke the spell card as all three of them started laughing out loud. I sighed at them after seeing that asking them will not get anywhere. Instead, I turned to the only one at the table who was not laughing at me. Ruukoto was still working on its own mug of beer but it was still quietly keeping an eye on everything like it normally did. Our eyes met and I raised a brow at the gynoid, expecting it to fill in the blanks on its own.

"Fuga." It stated simply before going back to what it was previously doing. I blinked at the answer and touched my upper lip area with my left hand to confirm the gynoid's observation. The moment I felt the wet frothy texture on my fingers, Louise and the others started laughing even harder. I moved my hand away to get a better look and found that indeed, as Ruukoto stated, I apparently had a beer foam mustache. I must have acquired it after I knocked back my beer as quickly as I could earlier.

"Well, at least we know that a mustache probably wouldn't suit you." Jessica pointed out as she and the others started to wind down their laughter.

"Indeed." I responded after wiping away the foam using the handkerchief I had in my back pocket.

"Non~! Matilda's beloved Yuka would be really really really ridiculously good looking if he had a mustache that was properly styled and maintained~" Scarron suddenly interjected while he closed the distance between entrance to the Inn's kitchen to our table in the span of three pelvic thrusts. A feat that I was fairly certain should be physically impossible for regular humans considering the distance. Then again, this was Scarron I was talking about. Everyone looked at him funny but did not comment on the matter since we were all more or less used to Scarron's displays by then...which was already disconcerting on in of itself.

"Speaking of Big Sis Matilda, has she turned up yet?" Jessica asked with a smile but I could detect a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yes~! I would also like to know if your True Love has returned from her sojourn~" Scarron added with a nod an a hip thrust towards me. The mention of the woman actually got my mind off the rather disturbing way Scarron was behaving at the time, even more so than usual. Louise, Siesta, and I shared a look, considering what we knew, before turning back to the questioning father and daughter.

"That is actually partly the reason why we are here." Louise said smoothly enough.

"We have a possible lead that implies that Matilda is currently in Albion as we speak. We are trying to see if we could find and aid her as necessary while dealing with some other business here." I continued after seeing the slight confusion Jessica and Scarron showed.

"Big Sis is here?! Isn't that dangerous?!" Jessica exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed. While we all think that she can take care of herself well enough..." I trailed off after remembering how long she had been gone and the whole 'Silent Harlequin' thing.

"Wait...is that why you were so keen on coming with us here?" Jessica asked Siesta. The maid gave out a rather demure 'eep' before trivially trying to hide behind the mug she was holding.

"Tres Bien~! And thus, the call of True Love can no longer be denied~! I will leave the safe return of our dear Matilda in your capable hands, Yuka~! It is the least I can expect from the husband of my good friend~" Scarron declared while performing a series of poses. I opened my mouth to clarify that Matilda and I did not have such a relationship, but the horrid specimen of humanity cut me off.

"Remember, Yuka~! True Love will triumph over all~! Now, if you will excuse me, I have patrons to attend to~" And with that, Scarron disappeared from view via another burst of rapid pelvic gyrations.

"He will never let me live that down, will he?" I mused idly while looking in the direction where Scarron shimmied off to.

"Oh, just marry Big Sis Matilda for real already and be done with it. It isn't like you don't like her." Jessica dismissively commented with a wave of her hand. I blinked at her sudden flippancy on the matter, though it was not I who had a vocal reaction to her words.

"Bwah?!" Louise let out suddenly like a surprised chicken. She and Siesta were looking at Jessica like she had just renounced their Founder and Faith to worship Shinki instead.

"What?" Jessica asked the two as if there was clearly nothing wrong with what she had suggested.

"Jessica!" Siesta suddenly yelled out at her cousin. The young woman in question flinched away from the maid's voice. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before they both glanced at me.

"You mean..." Jessica trailed off with an expression of dawning realization on her face. She turned back to her cousin, who was giving her a very serious look.

"Oh, geez." Jessica muttered before laughing out awkwardly.

"What is it now?" Louise asked irritably, once again showing that she did not appreciate getting locked out of the loop.

"Nothing!" Both Jessica and Siesta exclaimed. Obviously, it just made Louise even more suspicious but she thankfully let the matter drop for now.

...

"Three beds. I suppose that you will be commandeering all the pillows once again?" I mused as we entered our room in the Inn. Louise had wanted to talk with Jessica and Siesta more but things were getting busy and they needed to get back to work. It also reminded Louise that she was still rather tired from the trip and needed some rest as well.

"Why do you make it sound like I'm some sort child trying to get all the pillows for myself?" Louise asked back with an offended expression...although, it did not stop her from gathering all the pillows and settling down on the middle bed. I opened my mouth to respond but Louise interrupted me by way of a thrown pillow to my face.

"Don't answer that." My master flatly stated. I picked up the ballistic pillow on the ground and walked up to my apparently offended master. Ruukoto deposited Louise's travel bag on the wooden round table that was in the room before going back to its usual sentry duty beside the door.

"Should we go over the compiled information about the Silent Harlequin that Guiche's brother gave us?" I asked as I placed the pillow in my hands squarely on my master's head. She pulled it off her head before hitting me on the side of my head with it and tossing it on the pile of pillows she now had on her bed.

"Normally, I'd love to read all of it so we can get started on this." Louise said before sighing.

"But..." I trailed off while nodding at Louise.

"...but, I doubt my ability to stay awake if I get started now. Despite my desire to get this over with, I'm tired." My master said with a sigh as her shoulders slumped.

"I'm tired and it irritates me, Yuka. Matilda is here. She's right here and she needs help and I'm too tired to do anything just because we were cooped up in a ship for too long." Louise continued and I could feel the anger and emotion build up in her voice until suddenly...it disappeared in an instant.

"I hate feeling so helpless." She admitted while hugging and burying her face in a few pillows. Although, I did note something interesting in what she said.

"You seem rather convinced that our target truly is Matilda." I pointed out as I sat down on the edge of Louise's bed. I felt the bed shift around and a soft weight suddenly settled on my back. I was fairly certain that it was my master leaning on me with her pillows in between us.

"Honestly, I would be shocked and terrified if Matilda does not turn out to be the Silent Harlequin." Louise stated after taking a breath.

"How so?" I asked with a raised brow. My head was then assaulted by Louise who was dual-wielding pillows.

"Because that would mean that Matilda really IS missing and we don't know where she is or what her condition is!" Louise yelled at me while hitting me a few more times for good measure.

"Point..." I muttered as I felt Louise's head rest on my back.

"I just want her back with us again but..." My master started and I was very obvious that she was starting to fall asleep.

"Tell me..." I trailed off in order to get Louise's attention.

"...what would Matilda likely suggest you do considering your current state and what we are about to deal with in the immediate future?" I asked and waited for Louise to consider the question. I then felt her move away from me and I turned around to look at her. She was covering her lower body with pillows and was using one to cover the lower half of her face.

"She would tell me to use my head and rest as much as I can while I can. She would tell me that I can't deal with problems properly if I'm tired. She would tell me to go to bed so we can have an early start tomorrow." Louise mumbled at me and I gave an approving nod and a knowing smile.

"Fine! Ruukoto, please fetch my evening wear so I can sleep properly." My master finally relented. Ruukoto was already getting what was requested the moment its name was called. The gynoid was no fool and was likely able to anticipate what its mistress needed after following the flow of our conversation.

"You didn't bring your transparent negligee, did you?" I asked Louise with a curious blink. Her face immediately went red before quickly hitting me again with a pillow. Why she kept doing so even though she knew well that it would not harm me, I had no idea.

"Of course not! I just brought one of my spare nightgowns with me! Do you honestly think I would wear such a thing in a public Inn?" Louise yelled at me indignantly while hitting me with her pillows some more. She stopped after Ruukoto presented her nightgown to Louise. My master hit me one more time before getting out of bed and undressing.

"Why do you even have such an article of clothing anyway? For that matter, why do you always wear it whenever you can? None of your other clothes seem to be anywhere near as revealing." I asked as the thought suddenly occurred to me while watching Louise take off her skirt. My master blinked at me before blushing and covering herself with her arms in a silly attempt to guard her modesty from me.

"Come off it, Louise. I've already seen you naked and you don't have anything I haven't seen before...or had before." I reminded her while rolling my eyes at the gesture. Louise seemed to get it and began to undress normally again.

"F-fine! It was a gift from Chii-nee-sama for my birthday after I started studying at the academy. Wearing it makes me think of her and it just sort of became natural for me to do so." Louise explained. Cattleya? Well, that certainly explained some things. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the middle sister was the reason why Louise started reading those silly romance novels that she and Siesta loved to talk about.

I also made a mental note to ask Cattleya or Eleanore when Louise's birthday was.

"Good night Yuka. Good night Ruukoto." Louise said after a yawn before clambering into her bed.

"Sleep well Louise." I said with a smile.

"Fuga." Ruukoto stated with a bow. Louise gave us a smile before depositing herself into her pillow fort and quickly falling asleep.

"Fuga. Fuga." Ruukoto said to me before opening the door. The gynoid wanted to help out downstairs but told me that it can still monitor Louise's condition through the nanomachines inside my master's blood and to contact it via the 'Hey-Listen' I had in my left ear if I needed anything. I gave a nod of acknowledgement and Ruukoto gave me one more bow before exiting and making its way downstairs. I glanced at Louise's sleeping form to make sure that she was comfortable before walking up to the window. I gazed out into the night and saw signs of activity in the streets but it was still rather peaceful. We still had a lot of things to do but at least we're making some progress and-

'Hail and well met Sanctuary.' -I immediately palmed my face after hearing The Voice from my 'Hey-Listen' once again.

'You seem distressed Sanctuary.' The Voice observed but did not seem to understand that it was the reason for my current irritation.

I groaned in response. The last time I heard that chorus of unidentifiable voices in my head we lost Derflinger and Tarbes was nearly flattened to the ground.

'What do you want now?' I hissed at the Voice as I responded through my 'Hey-Listen', making sure that it was not loud enough to wake Louise.

'We do not comprehend your hostility Sanctuary. We provided you information on how to achieve the best outcome in the crisis at the village of Tarbes.' The Voice stated in a perfectly calm tone that betrayed none of the confusion it seemed to imply.

'Because problems started happening in rapid succession the last time you spoke to me. What are you really and what is your involvement in this particular mess?' I pointed out before asking the obvious questions. There was a long pause on the other end of the line and I had almost thought that the conversation was already over.

'The situation has already degraded to something that can no longer be avoided long before we now speak to you. All that can be done now is to see it through for the sake of closure. We simply 'are' and we only desire the best outcome for this situation just like the last.' The Voice answered in a clear and concise manner despite the cryptic nature of the answer itself. The message was clear on what its objective was though. It even reminded me of the one incident that I honestly truly regretted. The one unforgivable thing that I had done in the past.

"There was a point where this needed to stop and we've clearly already passed it~! But let's keep going and see what happens~!"

Those were the words I said as I faced the ones who tried to stop me at the time. Who would have thought it possible? Satori and her two pets trying to be heroes. I shook my head free of the unnecessary thoughts and focused on what was at hand.

'You kept speaking about the best outcome. You said the same back at Tarbes. Let me ask then...the best outcome for whom exactly?' I asked with narrowed eyes. Another long pause before the Voice decided to finally speak again.

'Return to the place where you first met the Prince of the White Isle. The way to achieve the best outcome can be found here. Go tonight. Go alone.' I raised a brow at the response since it not only deflected my question, it also asked me to go back to the church compound where we rescued Wales from a few months ago. By myself.

'Can you make it sound any less like a trap? You also did not answer my question.' I pointed out with a shake of my head. Another pause.

'Your questions are irrelevant. We wish you luck Sanctuary. May you make the right choice.' The Voice brushed my questions off before ending the conversation. Well, that was abrupt. A thought then struck me and I tapped on my 'Hey-Listen' one more time.

'Ruukoto. Can you review and track any communications I've had through this device in the past hour?' I asked the gynoid. Since it was its own communications system the Voice was using to talk to me, it may be possible for Ruukoto to pinpoint where it was coming from. I wasn't able to ask that of it the last time because we were all busy back then, but now...

'Fuga. Fuga.' I blinked at the response from the gynoid. It confirmed that it keeps a log of all communications made through the Hey-Listens and track signals that pass through them with ease. The problem was that the only communication that I've had with anyone using the device in the past hour was the one I was having with Ruukoto at that exact moment.

'Are you certain? Can you double-check?' I asked since the implications of what Ruukoto just said were not pleasant.

'Fuga Fuga. Fuga?' It confirmed and triple-checked. It even did a diagnostics and found nothing wrong with my own 'Hey-Listen' and the system it was using to log and track communications via the aforementioned devices. It then asked me what was wrong and if there was something to be worried about.

'I just had a conversation with the mystery voice that was talked to me back at Tarbes. It seemed that my personal involvement in the situation in Albion was needed to achieve what it called 'the best outcome'. It asked me to go to the compound where Louise and I first met Prince Wales. Alone.' I explained and the response was immediate and expected.

'Fuga. Fuga Fuga? Fuga.' The gynoid immediately called it as a trap, a very poorly planned on at that. It also asked if we were to tell Louise about it or simply ignore it. It then pointed out that it was rarely wise to trust random voices that only I could hear. Valid points all. I glanced at Louise one more time and wondered if her dream self was in Mugenkan...as well as Eleanore and Cattleya for that manner.

'No. I think I will give it a look and poke around for a bit.' I decided after another moment.

'Fuga. Fuga Fuga.' Ruukoto was quick to say that the choice was unwise. There was no reason for me to go alone and it was likely better if we all went there in the morning instead.

'There is no reason to be alarmed. That voice would not have bothered to give specific requirements for no reason. Best case is I find and subdue the Silent Harlequin and the mastermind behind this. Worst case is I find nothing of interest there. Either way, I should be back by sunrise.' I reasoned. True, there was a possibility of a trap but that would just mean that I would be able to deal with something connected to this whole mess without having to track them down. There was no harm in taking a look at least.

'Fuga.' Ruukoto reminded me that it was still a bad idea to go alone under someone else's terms.

'Just make sure Louise is safe until I return.' I stated before opening a door to Mugenkan. I entered my dream realm and-

"You're late!" Louise immediately berated me even before I closed the newly made door that led to our room back at the Inn. As I expected, she was there along with Eleanore and Cattleya. Strangely, the middle sister was serving tea even though I was certain that I did not leave a set on our usual table here when we left the last time.

"I hope you don't mind. You were taking a while to arrive so we simply decided to take care of ourselves in the meantime." Cattleya explained. I turned to where my mansion was and saw that the door was slightly ajar. At least that explains where they got the tea and the tea set.

"Not a problem. I did give you all permission to come here at your pleasure whenever you wanted." I waved away the middle sister's concern before taking a seat across her with Louise to my right and Eleanore to my left.

"So, how bad do you think it is?" Eleanore asked Cattleya and I blinked at how the middle sister suddenly gave out a tired sigh and how Louise looked rather worried. It appeared that I had arrived in the middle of a discussion between the sisters. Cattleya noticed my confusion and gave me a tired smile.

"Mother caught me coming out of Mugenkan and into my room. We had a...talk." Cattleya explained. Oh...

"Please don't tell me that Karin now wants to come in here and beat me up for whatever justification she could come up with." I deadpanned while rubbing my eyes with my left hand. An angry mother was not something I wanted to deal with at that moment. I looked back at the three sisters and noted that both Eleanore and Louise had visibly paled while Cattleya simply took a sip of her tea.

"Don't worry about mother trying to pick a fight. She told me that there would be no point to it and would just waste everyone's time. She did, however, ask me to tell you that she and father would like to have a long conversation with you about my recovery." Cattleya calmly explained, much to the relief of her sisters.

"Tell them to get in line. I have a few things I have to deal with right now." I muttered before pouring myself a cup of tea. Might as well have some before I headed back out.

"Why is it that things always happen whenever I leave?" Louise complained after it was clear that she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Now you know how I feel sometimes." I said before taking a sip of my tea. Not bad. I wonder which one of them prepared it?

"What is it? How bad is it? And how much of a problem is it going to be for us?" Louise asked me in a tired voice. I quickly explained to them what transpired after my master went to sleep and Ruukoto went back down to help Siesta and the other girls.

"So you hear voices in your head? They gave you counsel? They say they understand? They talk to you? What did you eat and did you give any to the runt?" Eleanore asked me while looking at me like I was an idiot again. On the other hand Cattleya looked curious while Louise currently had her face buried in her hands.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Really." I said and got all three sisters looking at me like I was an idiot.

"Even assuming that the information given to you by your imaginary friend is legitimate, blindly jumping face first into something alone is the height of idiocy." Eleanore pointed out while gesturing to me with her cup.

"I must agree with Big Sister here. There is no reason to risk exposing yourself abruptly like this, especially if you and Louise were able to get more information about the Silent Harlequin." Cattleya reasoned with a slightly worried expression. I turned to Louise when she did not speak and saw her idly tracing the edge of her own cup with her index finger.

"Let me guess. You're going to say that there is no downside to following that voice's plan either. That you will either run into the Silent Harlequin or even the one in charge of her or you won't find anything and just come back." My master drawled while looking at me with a lazy expression.

"Yes...how did you..." I managed to get out. I was caught off balance for a moment since Louise can rarely read between the lines well. Even her older sisters seemed surprised at her sudden insight.

"I guess we've been together for so long I can sort of tell what some of your lines of thought are." Louise admitted with a shrug.

"And you won't try to stop me?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Would you listen if I asked you not to go?" She asked back with her own raised brow.

"Point." I conceded. The table was silent for a while after that.

"Louise..." I called out to her but she was able to cut me off edgewise before I could continue.

"If you're not back by the time I wake up, I will find you. I will hunt you down and cast explosion on your face over and over again until I pass out from willpower exhaustion." Louise calmly stated while glowering at me in a way that made her look strikingly like her mother. Her words were neither a threat nor a promise. They were simply stated facts.

"You better do what the runt says." Eleanore said with a sneer before snickering at me, obviously knowing that I would not be able to argue against her youngest sister.

"Indeed. Be sure not to keep a lady waiting." Cattleya chimed in with an amused smile. Okay, now they were just ganging up on me. About as much as what I would expect from sisters.

"Very well. Rest assured that I will be fine. I don't think that there's anything in this realm that could take me on toe-to-toe, much less keep me from coming back by morning." I waved away their concerns after acknowledging the sword made of explosions that Louise just hung metaphorically over my head.

"Must you tempt fate so?" Eleanore asked as she rolled her eyes at me.

"I've poked fate with a stick a few times before and things have worked out rather well despite that." I shot back with a smile. I meant that figuratively and literally as I did poke Remilia with a stick once after she got knocked out by Meling when they had a fight. Who would have thought that China could trump Remilia if it was a pure physical match without any magic? Sure, China was a martial artist but Remilia was a rather impressive specimen of her species. Still, it was Meiling's win and thus earning her a paid month long vacation. Good for her.

"Yuka..." Louise called out to me in a warning tone.

"Alright. Alright. I promise that I will be back by sunrise." I assured my master before drinking the rest of my tea and standing up.

"Who prepared the tea anyway? It is rather exquisite." I asked the three of them since they were the only ones who could have possibly done so, especially with Yukari likely being asleep until spring arrives.

"Did you hear that, Big Sister? Yuka seemed to be taken by your skills. Aren't you happy?" Cattleya suddenly said as she beamed at her older sister with both hands clasped happily above her chest.

"W-w-well of course..." Eleanore muttered while pointedly avoiding eye contact with me.

"So you're happy that Yuka likes your tea?" Cattleya asked as her smile grew even wider.

"W-what?! No! You know what I mean!" Eleanore protested hotly much to her younger sister's amusement.

"Regardless on how you feel about it. It is still a pleasant surprise to know that you are skilled in making tea." I complimented the eldest sister. Cattleya started giggling after she saw Eleanore blush and look away while Louise just shook her head in disbelief.

"W-w-well, this level of tea brewing is possible for Eleanore De La Valliere." The eldest sister declared imperiously before casually and stylishly flicking her hair behind her.

"What do you think Yuka?" Cattleya asked with a big smile on her face.

"Very impressive. I'm certain that Eleanore will make a lucky man very happy one day." I deadpanned at the middle sister. Cattleya pouted at me before folding her arms under her breasts.

"Such a half-hearted response. You should work on properly complimenting a woman when you come back." The middle sister scolded lightly but still had a smile on her face. Louise was back to smiling at her sister's antics while Eleanore was finding her cup of tea to be absolutely fascinating.

"No promises." I stated before materializing the door that led to the back of the church where we met Prince Wales.

"Yuka." Louise called out my name as I placed my hand on the door handle.

"I'll be back." I said while smiling at Louise and her sisters. None of them said anything but my master gave me a solemn nod, Cattleya waved at me, and Eleanore adjusted her glasses while staring intently at me. I opened the door and stepped into the light.

...

The first thing I noticed after I closed the door to Mugenkan was that there was magic in the air. Well, of course there was magic in the air in Halkeginia but that was not what I meant. No. As I walked around the compound, I confirmed that the magic in the air was tinged with two other kinds that I was familiar with. Two kinds of magic that shouldn't exist in this realm. One was definitely from Gensokyo. There was no way I would mistake that feeling for anything else. The other one was a complete surprise though, especially considering where I was at the moment. It was faint, but it was there all the same. A tingling sensation I have not felt in a long time that could only have come from one place.

"Makai..." I muttered as I looked around the area at the front of the church itself. It was strange. There was no visible evidence that any magical rituals were done in the vicinity. If that was the case...then why am I sensing-

Incomprehensibility ~ Hakurei Sealing Circle

"Guh!" The whispered words were followed by an instantaneous casting of a magic circle at my feet. My eyes widened at the fact that I did not even notice it in the first place. More to my surprise was the fact that the sealing circle was rendering me completely immobile despite my efforts to break free.

"Your first question is 'why didn't I notice this seal at my feet?' Followed up by 'why can't I move?' and 'why can't I name her voice?'" A female voice suddenly said from behind me. The voice was familiar to me as well. It should have been a voice I could place a name to but...for some reason, I couldn't!

"The answer to your first question is that the signature was faint enough so you couldn't pick it out from the thing film of Makai's magic signature I put up beforehand." I heard the voice moving around me and I saw who it belonged to...the very person Louise and I were sent here to find and stop. The Silent Harlequin.

"The answer to your second question is-" The impromptu exposition was suddenly interrupted when a very familiar sword suddenly partially popped up from behind the masked woman.

"Partner! You have to break out of there! There's this crazy ghost lady possessin-grughrk!" Derflinger frantically said before the woman forced the sword back down into its scabbard and locking it in place with a simple spell.

"As I was saying...the answer to questions two and three is well...just between you and me Yuka..." The woman trailed off before placing her left hand on her mask and slowly removing it.

"Well, let's just say that I've learned a thing or two while I was stuck in Makai!" Matilda's face twisted into a sinister smile. It was an unmistakable smile that only one being I knew could make.

"How are you Yuka? You look different. Did you get a haircut?" Matilda said with the same smile. Despite having another person's face and voice, it was unmistakable who the one before me was.

"Mi...ma..." I managed to somehow get out despite the pressure Mima's seal was giving me.

"Bingo~" The Evil Spirit of the Hakurei Shrine said triumphantly while twirling her chained crescent staff in her hands and pointing the tip at me.

That was when the magic circle started shining bright enough to blind me.

...

Please R&R!


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